The Mena weekly star., 1908-02-13

tuTcFS DcCidTc rFopOSeu Gc9'6taboH
 Threatens Their Business--Repre-
 sentatives Also Discuss the Measure.
 Washington, Feb. 9.--A subcommit- tee of the senate committee on judi ciary, consisting of Senators Knox of Pennsylvania, Fulton of Oregon and Bacon of Georgia, Saturday gave an extended hearing on the Tillman bill providing that upon the arrival of liquors within a state and before de- livery to a consignee they shall be subject to the operation of laws of the state, in the same manner as though such liquors had been pro- duced in the state.
 Mrs. l.. M. N. Stevens, national president of the w c. T. U.. said that in Maine bogus express companies op- crate surreptitiously through keepers of blind tigers" etc. In that way, she said. it is never possible to trace it to the consignee as contemplated by the law as now interpreted by the supreme court of the United States. She wanted the law amended so that the liquor might be seized at the point of destination without regard to the consignee.
 Opponents of the bill appeared in the persons of George w. Yost, presi- dent of the National Vial and Bottle Manufacturers association, and Will liam Launier, secretary of the Nation al Glass Blowers association, who claimed the proposed legislation threatened their business which. they said, employs 10000 people.
 Senator Bacon of Georgia suggested that when prohibition laws were en- acted in Georgia there was a big brewery near his home which every one supposed would be closed down. But added Senator Bacon, they began to make beer that had no al- cohol in it. The agricultural depart ment has pronounced 1t to be non- alcoholic and now they are bottling more beer than ever before" Tt is certainly worth coming long | distance to hear that encouraging news," said one of the bottlers, who had come from Ohio to attend the hearing.
 1 Mir. Nicholson was followed by Theodore Alvord of Parkersburg, w. Va. P. A. Parker of Columbus, O., general superintendent of the Ameri- can Anti-Saloon league, both of whom favored the proposed legislation. Rep resentative Julius Kahn of California appeared in behalf of the grape grow CTS and wine makers of his state and asked the committee not to close the hearing on the bill before his people. representing more than $100,0 ,000 in property, could be heard. He said that the Littlefeld bill would prohibit the shipping of wine from California to any other state, but could not prevent the landing of wine from France or any other foreign country into Ameri. can ports.
 T do not believe" continued MT. Kahn. that the American people are weaker than the Europeans. think that we are just about as able to take care of ourselves as are the inhabit ants of any country. The home is the place to teach temperance. The Ger. mans are the most progressive peo pie in the world and they drink beer from the cradle. It is the abuse and not the use of the drink that hurts"
 The feature of the hearing of the anti-saloon representatives Saturday before the house judiciary committee was the remarks of Judge John J. Jenkins. chairman of the committee, to Rev. S. k. Nicholson, who spoke for the American Anti-Saloon league The remarks were made at the con clusion of an argument by Mir Nichob son urging the adoption of the Little field, or some similar bill, prohibiting the shipping of liquor into prohibition territory Chairman Jenkins said that 90 per cent of the bills of the kind under discussion brought before his committee were aimed at the very throat of the government. Men full of sentiment would appear there. he declared, and urge the committee to report bill and ask congress to pass law to be tested before the supreme court.
 Your argument" said MT. Jenkins, lis to put 1t up to the supreme court. We are not here to report bills that appear to us to be unconstitutional. It Is our duty to prevent. if possible. the passage of laws that are uncon. stitutional"