Evening star., 1896-12-11
LIQUOR IN THE DISTRICT
Mr.. Morse Called Up House Bill 1883, 10
Amend the License Act,
District Commissioners Report ou the
erfes-POint Of Ne Qaerum.

After The Stars report of the House pro-
ceedings closed yesterday Mr.. Morse of
Massachusetts. who had earlier in the day
secured the passage of a bill prohibiting
the sale of liquors in the Capitol building
called up House bill 1883, to further amend
the liquor license law of the District of Co
iumbia. The law relating to the sale of
liquors In this District was originally pre-
pared and passed under the direction OF
ihe District committees Of the House and
senate Bill No. 1SSS. which proposed a
number of amendments to that Law. was
reported to the House at the last session
from the committee on alcoholic liquor
traffic
Some Defects In the Law.
The bill proposes a number of amend
ments to the iaw, some of which were
recommended by the District Commission
ers and designed to correct Inequalities in
the existing statute. Amendments have
been published from time to time in The
Star Mr.. Morse, In explaining the bin to
part:
The defects which this bill proposes to
remedy have been developed since the pas
sage Oh the existing law, in an attempt to
enforce that law. I desire to say further
that all shades of opinion are represented
upon the committee upon the alcoholic
liquor traffic. We have friends of prohibi-
tion ana license and every other view Of
the matter represented upon that commit
tee. We had an exhaustive hearing, at
~hleh l think. nearly quite every mem
per OF the committee was present and his
bill Is unanimously reported by the commit
zee: VIII state. as a specimen of the
serious defects of existing law, that a man
having license as a brewer, or the agent
Vi brewery, may sell strong drink with
out any license whatever. That was I'M
irof
IN the drafting Of the law as it exists on
the statute book.
One illustration Given.
Il repeat once more that every gentle.
man who is a member of this House NAV
vote for this bill. if he is in favor of the
enforcement of the license law upon the
statute book OF the District of Columbia.
AS an illustration of what 1 have said
about the glaring defects in the existing
law, which is proposed to be remedied by
one OF the amendments in this bill, desire
70 send TO the clerks desk and have read
statement by the Commissioners of the
district OF Columbia. l think If gentlemen
OF the House, whatever their Individual
opinions may be ia regard to the LIQUOR
Ira.N; or It's suppression. will read tne re-
port OF the committee and the herring
which are too long to be read here they
VIII be satisfied that every statemen.
Whfeh ! have made is correct l think If
members OF the House will examine the
oli ana the report, all those who are in
favor Of the enforcement of existing law.
Whatever may be their views on the gem
erai question, will readily vote for every
provision embodied in the bill"
Dfscrimi ma tiOn in Favor Of Breweric.
Mr. Morse had the clerk read to the
House the following report from the Dis
trict Commissioners relating to one de-
feet in the existing law:
There are four breweries doing business
in the District of Columbia and one about
to begin operations besides a score of
agencies OF foreign breweries engaged IN
business here. all of which are exempt
Hom license tax by the provisions of sec
uon l of the act of March 3. 1893, entitled
An act regulating the sale of in.ox.ca ating
liquors in the District of Columbia which
makes the law inapplicable 10 sales of in
toxicanfs by the maker, brewer, ct dis
ulier thereof. not to be sold on the prem
ises- This exemption also excepts brewer
les from the prohibition against Sunday
liquor selling This DISCRIMINATION in favor
OF brewerles was evidently an mad 1ertence,
but Is SO unjust and so demoralixing in its
tendencies as to require immediate Cor-
rectiOn.
MIR. Powers Amendment Defeated.
Mr.. Powers of Vermont offered as a
substitute for the entire bill a provisio On
that after March 4, 1897, no person in the
District of Columbia shall sell or give away
any intoxicating drinks to any other per-
son at any place other than his own dwell
ing house, and fixing penalties for the v,o-
lation of the provision. Mr.. Powers said
that there is no other way of dealing with
the liquor traffic but to stamp it out. In
order to do this 1t is useless to daily with
license laws. Mr.. Morse opposed MIR.
Powers amendment, and it was voted
down. vote was then taken upon The
bill, and the ayes were % and the noes H.
Mr. Mahaney of New York raised the point
of no quorum, and the House adjourned
without taking further action upon the
matter.