The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1912-02-15
LIQUOR DEALERS
MAKE A PROTE ST
Against the Passage of the
Webb Bill BY the Fed
eral Congress.

wholesale Liquor Dealers ASsocia-
ton, through its president, Thomas
Z. Dennehy, has issued formal protest
against the passage by Congress of
the Webb bill which Is intended to
dlyest intoxicating liquors of their
Interstate commerce character in GER
tain cases The bill was drafted by a
committee composed OF representa-
lives of the National W. C. T. U. and
the Anti-saloon League and others
interested.
The bill, which is now in the hands
of the Judiciary Committee OF Con-
gress, would prevent the shipment of
any alcoholic liquors from one state
into another when such shipment is
intended to be used in any manner
in violation OF any prohibition law
of the state into which 1t is shipped
1t also provides that all contracts
based upon such shipments shall be
null and void and that no suit or ac-
tlon shall be maintained in any court
upon such. contracts or for the en-
forcement or protection of any rights
growing out OF the contracts.
Mr.. Dennehy's protest issued by the
National Wholesale Druggists AS
ISOLATION, which sees in the Webb bill
an attempt to prevent the necessary
use Of alcohol in pharmaceutical
preparations, perfumery. medicines
and flayoring extracts The Drug
glsts' Association claims that the
passage of the bill would prevent the
use by 10000 retail drug stores of
alcohol as an extractive agent and in
filing doctors prescriptions.
President Dennehy, of the Liquor
Dealers Association. takes exception,
among other features of the bill, to
the fact that shipment of liquors into
dry" territory can be held up not
upon showing of facts, but upon a
presumption of intent "A resident
dealer in any other CITY," he says,
might purchase from distiller in
Kentucky and order shipped TO a
warehouse in another state carload
of whisky which could be held up ip-
definitely by the United States gov
eminent upon warrant sworn out
by any one who is willing to alege
that it was the intent of the owner
OF the whisky to sell portion of 1t
in dry territory. Thus the owner
OF the carload of whisky, upon which
the United States internal revenue
tax of $l.lO per gallon has been paid,
would be deprived OF its value while
It was held in litigation and would be
obliged to attend sitting of the
United States court and clear himself
of the alleged intent to sell any por-
ton of the goods in dry territory.
In addition, the contract for the pur-
chase of this whisky would be null
and void"
THE tax alone" he adds, upon a
carload of whisky in barrels would
be about $4,000. and this sum, added
TO the value of the whisky, in all
about $500, would be effectually tied
Up until the courts had rendered a
decision, The whisky dealer is given
no recourse against the person max
ing the charge, no matter how ire
sponsible that person might be.
Again, resident in dry territory,
ordering case OF wine or beer for
household use, might find himself
charged #ith'the intent to dispose Of
some Of it Illegally, and before he
could obtain his shipment would have
tc so into court and employ an attor-
ney to prove that his intention was
not to dispose OF any of the goods"
President Dennehy believes that tho
rights of the large minority in dry
territory should be protected. In
some places this minority is almost
as large as the majority. In Maine
prohibition was retained by only 700
votes he says, and in some counties
in Ohio by as low as twenty-sevep
votes. Until the enemies of the liquor
uat'ic shall have shown their good
faith by eXhausing all possible meth
DDS within the states to enforce state
made laws, they are not entitled to
federal assistance in imposing sump-
tuary legislation upon large and
protesting minority. Thus far no Law
has been passed in any state making
the purchase, possession and use Of
liquors misdemeanor. The sale only
has been penalized. We protest
against federal coercion as an aid
to the enforcement of sunsptuary
State-naja laus -