Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-03-17
The Police and the Excise Law.

IL the policemen of Washington ear
nestly and honestly desire to enforce the
excise laws of this District they can un-
doubtedly do so with a negligible mini
mum of violations here and there as evil
dences rather of the desperate determine
tion of saloonkeepers to take chances
than the lack of vigilance on the part OF
the police 1t is absurd to suppose that
any we'll organized police force cannot
give the community il serves the beneht
of an effective supervision over a licensed
business like that of liquor selling. The
places designated by the excise board
where this traffic can be conducted are
fixed with the physical conditions IN
each establishment well known II the
police Certain restrictions are imposed
upon those who are licensed to sell IN
toxicants: They must not sell beyond
certain hours: they must not sell on Sun
days: they must not sell to minors. With
an intelligent system of inspection all
three of these prohibitions can be given
full force throughout the District, pro-
vided discretion is shown in the citing of
cases and, above all. If every license
holder in the District stands upon the
same footing with the police.
1t may be difficult to make cases in
some instances, but there is no difficulty
whatever If the laws are openly violated
in the matter of selling liquor to minors.
as The Stars disclosures, which are
merely the observations of any casual
caller at certain of the local liquor dis
pensaries. are a truthful revelation of
the facts 1t is true that the law, unfor-
tunately. imposes penalty upon the per-
10 pIy'' sells minor
child Even with this qualification, how
ever. the sac of liquor to boys and girls
far below the legal limit of years is car
ried on in this District today so fragrant
ly that eonvicting evidence is obtainable
by the police at any time. 1t Is desired to
give force to this clause Of the statute.
Congress should amend the excise law by
eliminating this vicious condition. striking
out the word knowingly" SO that every
dispenser of liquor in the District is
placed upon his own responsibility and
must satisfy himself that the purchaser
is above the legal limit The responsible
ity should rest there. inasmuch as the
business is licensed and is obviously
source of danger to the moral and the
physical health of the community.
The law requires that pharmacists,
the preservation of health, must satisfy
themselves that the object with which
poisonous substances are, purchased is
not malevolent. They must make a record
of the name and address of each pur-
chaser of poison and ascertain the object
of its use While this formality does not
in all cases prevent murder and suicide,
it nevertheless serves as a check in many
instances. But the law imposes no such
obligation upon the dispenser Of spirituous
liquors. whose business Is not necessity.
This is discrimination against the less
common danger and in favor of the more
common peri! of Juvenile intoxication. An
immediate amendment of the law will
greatly assist in the correction of the
evil provided the police are sincerely de-
sirous to put an end to excise violations.
Meanwhile an exhibition of zeal on their
part will go long way toward demon
strating that the excise law means what
1t says.