Evening star., 1905-10-23
TRAFFIC
AGITATION FOR AND AGAINST
INCREASES.
Widely Different Expressions Of opin-
ion Reach Excise Board From
Every Quarter.

AS the end of the liquor license year
draws nearer-and closer comes the time
when licenses for the ensuing twelve mont hs
must be renewed-the agitation growing out
OF the excise boards ultimatum concerning
the elimination of growler traffic after No
vember / grows in vigor. From every quar-
ter are coming widely different expressions
of opinion-but the fact remains that the
growler must go. The excise board has
said so, and there Is no indication of
change Of front during the ensuing eight
days.
Despite the frequent repetition of the in
tention of the authorities. at least one
prominent local brewer was in an optimistic
frame of mind this morning when he de-
clared that there is no good sense In the
reiterated story that the beer war and the
cheapenfng of prices OF beer are responsible
for any additional vice or crime In Wash
ington. "All that stuff Is simply the yell of
the prohibitionist," he said, ''and / do not
believe that the officials of the excise board
or the sensible people of the city will take
the slightest stock in 1t.
Il think can tell you something that the
average citizen and policeman does not
know. That Is that the cheap beer that is
being so much discussed now as being re-
sponsible for this and that. contains less
than 3 per cent of alcohol 1t would take
twenty glasses of this beverage to furnish
as much alcohol as one single glass of
straight whisky. Any chemist of the city
VIII tell you this is so. Is it possible, there
fore, for drunkenness Of any unusual de-
81 ee to be charged to this beer? OF course
not. The crime that comes out of the al
leys and bad streets of the city is due to
mean whisky and nothing else. One drink
of whisky Is not likely to start man into
doing something unusual in the way of
crime. Yet. as have told you, twenty
glasses of this cheap beer may be drunk
without getting any more alcohol than con-
tanned In one drink of whisky.
II do not believe that beer was ever re-
sponsble for drunkenness in this world. 1t
Is whisky or the mixing of drinks. In any
other country than this the man who cheap
ened beer would have monument built to
his memory as the friend of the poor man,
but here he Is accused by prejudiced peo-
pie with being responsible for additional
crime. The absurdity of 1t will appeal to all
sensible people.
1T is the man of moderate means the
laboring man. who uses the 'growler' to pur-
chase beer for himself and his family. He is
not able to buy fancy wines and he does not
care for strong whiskies Yet 1t is sug-
gested that the excise board will try to do
away with the growler. I do not believe
that such thing Is even seriously consid-
cred. More genuine. temperance is promoted
by permitting the drinking of beer I'm a
mans own home than by all the methods
put together in the world. The man who
takes his glass or two of beer with his fam
lly Is not going to saloon for 1t and he
won't spend half as much money as he
would otherwise do. He will keep out of
bad company and his wife and children
know where he is. Take away the growler
privilege, and many a sad wife will sit IN
until midnight waiting for her husband to
come in. He will then be drunk and minus
the money he went away with. If he can
nave lew drinks of beer with his family
ne VIII go to bed on time and get I'D next
morning feeling like decent citizen Wash
inston is too sensible to permit so sense
less thing as this, and officials of the city
government cannot be swept off their feet
lists" u ~
In speaking of the 'growler'' question to-
day: H. H. Darneille president of the
excise board. said:
Il have read the statements made nv a
prominent brewer and, despite his declara-
ton that cheap beer Is not responsible for
the evils of intoxication among alley resi-
dents In the District. will say that he
apparently stands alone in that opinion
Some brewers have admitted that the
growler traffic is bad, In the way 1t Is
handled, and they have expressed the ppin-
ion that cheap beer has brought about the
Objectionable conditions. The excise board
has had more complaints against the tin
can, or growler brigade, than against any
other phase of the liquor business in the
District.
Concerning the statements that license
fee of $4,000 would be exacted-that too
is unwarranted by the facts at hand l
have heard 1t advocated that the fee be
raised even as high as $4,000 per year-and
also that absolute prohibition prevail-but
1t Is idle for any man to attempt to say
what Congress will do in the premises. The
retail license fee Is now $500 per annum,
and al that figure it will remain until Con-
gress sees fit to make change. The ex-
else board believes that the present license
law is sufficient for the purposes desired,
because 1t is realized that tax as hfgh
as has been suggested would result prac
tically in prohibition in Washington city