Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-20
AGAINST WEBER BILL
EFFECT OF MEASURE FROM MR..
DEPoNAI's VIEWPOINT.

Il wonder how many of the people who
appear before the District committee of the
House in advocacy of the passage of the
Weber bill ever stopped to consider the
effect of such legislation upon the Dis
trict?' said J. G. Deponai, secretary and
business agent of the Federation of Liquor
Dealers, to a Star reporter today. "In the
first place, it would practically render use
less over five millions of dollars invested
in the liquor business here. and throw out
of employment over four thousand people
who depend directly upon the liquor trade
for a livelihood. The District would lose
annual revenue of $49o $50 which is paid by
the trade in licenses-that is, for liquor
cigars. pool eating and hotel licenses-and
at least $4,000 more that IS paid In per-
sonal tax on stock About $50 business
places would be closed which now are rent
ed at an average of 500 per month, entail
ing a loss of $7SO,OU a year on the prop
erty owners and taxpayers.
"And how would it affect the present
boom for a greater Washington? OF the
1900 people engaged In the liquor business
at least $500 would be compelled to seek
other fields for a livelihood. and it is safe
to say that at least - per cent of them are
married men with families This would
mean that 1000 houses would be vacated
and the District would lose at least 10000
in population.
How would our merchants in other lines
of business like to lose the trade of over
1000 families? Don't you think this pat
ronage is worth something to every one en-
gagged in business of any kind in the Dis
trict? The business interests of the city
are now engaged in campaign of bringing
more trade to the District from nearby
towns and are spending thousands of dol
lars to bring about such a result, and still
the people who are advocating this prohlbl-
ton measure would drive more trade and
business out of the District in a month than
could be recovered in ten years.
And how about the practical results or
such legislation upon the District? Did
any one ever know of single instance in
which prohibition ever stopped the sale of
liquor and did not result disastrously to the
community that tried it? Take its history
from the time it was introduced in this
country, and you will find that 1t has al
ways proved failure, even in small towns
and has never yet been tried by city
with anywhere near the population OF
Washington. 1t has invariably resulted in
increased drunkenness and crime, and has
caused to appear a lawless class of people
who engage in the liquor business Illegally,
being tempted by the large profits to be
made by selling the vilest liquors at the
highest prices.
DO the advocates of the Weber bill
want the liquor business taken out of the
hands of a legitimate, law-abiding, tax
paying and respectable class of citizens
and put into the hands of the lowest class,
who pay no taxes and obey no law?
The liquor traffic of the District as now
conducted is the best regulated in the
country, if not in the world, and why any
one who has the local interests at heart
should want to change it at all is hard to
understand.
in addition to compliance with the strict
liquor law now in effect in the District, and
the stringent regulations of the excise
board governing saloons, the Federation of
Liquor Dealers, which numbers among its
members the best people engaged in the
business, has adopted certain rules for con-
Quoting the liquor trade that at all times
tends to elevate the traffic.
view of all these against
the adoption of prohibition and the ad-
verse reports of the Commissioners and
| the excise board, it is hard TO understand
why the District committee of the House
ever consented to give a public hearing
upon the Weber bill, and why any one
claiming to be a citizen of the District
should advocate such a bill is a conun-
drum.
IF Congress wants to find out the real
sentiment of the District on this question
let it be submitted to vote of the people
that is, to a vote of the male population
over twenty-one years of age-and there
can be no doubt as to the probable result
of such a ballot. Prohibition would be
killed by at least ten to One."