Verbosity

It was only a matter of an appropriation of $11,990,965 for the Prohibition Unit, but Representative James A. ("Juniper") Gallivan of Massachusetts, Democrat, was on his feet, shouting:

"I have had enough of it; I am against Wheeler and his wastrels, his crooks and bootleggers. The Treasury has been wide open long enough. I am ready to compromise, however, and in the interest of Congressional decency and cleanliness and to get the Prohibition alley-cat off the backs of so-called American statesmen, I will agree to vote a liberal pension to Wayne Wheeler,* provided he will move out of the country and into some land like Soviet Russia or Mexico, where his peculiar talents will be appreciated and poison gas is more popular.

"Because I object to wasting money in feeding jackals and turkey buzzards of Prohibition, I refuse to indorse, agree with or vote for any appropriations designed to continue this futile farce of enforcing a non-enforceable law and taxing my fellow citizens to swell the volume of lawlessness, depravity, corruption and dishonesty now debauching the American Republic."

When Representative Gallivan had finished there was little more than time enough for the Drys to say that he had not confined himself to facts. Next day, Representative Upshaw of Georgia produced an answer in Mr. Gallivan's own gallivanting style:

"It is the limit of gall for members to stand here and oppose the enforcement of a law we are bound to sustain. It is unfumigated gall for members to stand here and assail a patriotic organization like the Anti-Saloon League."

Finally, a vote was taken on the appropriation. It passed 140 to 12, illustrating that verbosity means practically nothing except delay to the legislative machinery of the House. One item, however, of $500,000 for "under cover work" without record of expenditure was crossed off.

* Meanwhile, last week in Manhattan, Nicholas Murray ("Miraculous") Butler, president of Columbia University, suggested that the U. S. move its capital to Westerville, Ohio, the birthplace of the Anti-Saloon League. Then Clarence Darrow, dexterous Chicago criminal lawyer, told Manhattanites that it was a "civic duty to violate the Prohibition law."