Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-02-15
'.SPEAK-EASIES"
May Be Downed By Prohibitionists
 and Brewers Associations.

\ on the blind tigers" of the south < which is the subject of a dozen bills under consideration by the ways and
 means committee, was the authOrita ] tive declaration of Robert Grain oi Baltimore, general counsel for that or I ganiZation, before the subcommittee on internal revenue. Instead of oppos
 ing the various bills introduced fcr 1 this purpose by Representatives Hum
 phreys of Mississippi, Little of Arkan
 sas, Bowie of Alabama. Clark of Flori l da, Williams of Mississippi, Bell Of
 Georgia, Pearre of Maryland, Macon I of Arkansas, Wiley of Alabama and
 Rixey of Virginia, as was expected
 would be the case, Mir Grain heartily
 endorsed the efforts of those mentioned
 and ''our good friends the prohibition l ists' to crush the blind tigers" or ''speak-easies" by requiring collectors of internal revenue to certify to the
 state courts when required, a copy oi
 the national liquor tax certificate is
 sued to any person against whom pro
 ceedings might be instituted for viola. | ton of state liquor law. "The blind tiger of the southern states is one l Of the things the brewers, and l speak 1 for 95 per cent of those in the United l States, do not care to stand for, de
 clared Mir Grain, with great emphasis
 We are always only too glad to serve
 the good people who seek enforcement l of the liquor laws when they can show us practical method. One of the faults of prohibition, however, is that | 1t hugs the insane deluslon that the I body polite can be prevented from ! drinking in any form"
 l Mir Grain also interested the mem 1 bers of congress by formally announc- ing the support of the brewers for a | pure food law, saying that the time | was opportune to make such an an | nouncement although the bill was not before that committee. ''The brewers are endeavoring now and will continue to do so" he said, ito aid ill every way to pass pure food law. We are anx- ious to have standard of manufactur- ing set by the government and gov ernment stamp on every keg of beer showing it to be pure malt liquor con taining only 31a per cent alcohol
 thC was cNiViS ss subcommittee of which Representa- tive Dalzell is chairman, the room was
 crowded principally with members of congress interested in the subject. Nearly every member of the ways and means committee was present and in
 addition to those others having bills
 on the subject were Representatives
 Sherley of Kentucky, Sullivan of Mas sachusetts and others appearing in op- position to some of the measures. The
 principal bill under consideration was that of Representative Williams of
 Mississippi. which prevents the send ing of malt, yinous or spirituous liquors from one state to another 'c. O. d. when the state where the liquors are received has prohibitory law. Addressing himself to this question,
 Mir Grain created much amusement by humorous attack on Mir Williams for chasing beer with lottery tickets, bo- scene pictures and other things to which the same prohibition will apply. |! !Hei.protested that beerel lad been Hea clared liquid food by many learned scientists, that the brewing industry paid to the government SJ0,0O0.O0O d year in taxes and supplied g per cent of the people of the country with its product. Tt is q shame to constantly class beer with lotteries. indecent pie lures, vice and crime" he heatedly de- clared. There has been much talk O. the increase of homicides in the south. Where was there ever a man driven to commit murder by drinking beer? Beer does not fill your jails and peni- tentiaries, nor does it drive men to murder or rapine. The crimes com plained of in the south come from the vile wood alcohol and poisonous com pounds sold by the 'b0ot-leggers' 10 the
 Indians and by the blind tigers and walking speak-easies.'
 Turning his attention to the ''c. O. l." provision in the Williams bill, MT Grain insisted that congress, would not take the liberty of telling a citizen of one state that he could not order any thing from q citizen of another state e. o. d." except liquor. You say nothing at present about coffee, sugar or tea" he continued, but where is this interference with interstate con- merce to end:" The democrats are in peculiar position in that they were always jealous Of state rights but were not coming to congress to ask in-
 reference with state rights. You have twelve bills before you iutro- duced by southern and western Inem- bers and every one of them asks for interference with state rights by the general government. The statement skas all hot is wanted is to have the states let alone. With due difference to tine dis tiIguished gentlemen" said Mir Grain, lowing to MT Williams and others. that is a deceiiful statement-a whol- k deceItful and misleading statement" Mr Grain was closely questioned by Representatives Williams, Humphreys. Routell. Clark of Missouri. Clark of Florida, and others.
 Representative Rlxey. Clark. of florida. Humphreys. Bowie. Pearre. Macon and others explained ti:- pro visions of their measures. By regu- lation of the treasury department col Iectnrs of internal revenue are forbid den 10 certify the names of parties paying the government tax as retail liquor dealers tO inc state courts ever under a process of subpoena ducus terum.- \ number OF the bills re- uuire collectors t0 produce copies c, these tax certificates for use in the courts and those present eOntended that it would go far toward assisting state officials fO prosecute violations of the law. other bills go further in refusing a government tax certificate ts parties in prohibition states or com munfties to the end that those selling