The Washington times., 1912-05-14
TESTIMONY AS
PRODUCED At
EXCISE HEARING
Interest in Proposed Law
Prompts The Times to Print
Arguments Made.
CONTINUED from First Pase)

Continued from First Pase)
business lines, along Industrial lines,
along political lines, and every line
and while the wonderful advances have
been made along these lines, yet so FAR
as the District OF Columbia is concerned
In its excise laws, we have been stand
ing still for nineteen years, and in the
light Of the progress OF civilization this
is nothing more than a monstrosity.
So far as the District of Columbia is
concerned, we have been simply asleep
on this great question. Advances have
been made in other Stats and munich
palities, not only along business lines,
but along the line of temperance, while
we have been standing still in the Dis
trict of Columbia. I think the simple
fact that this law was drafted nine
by Mr., Shoemaker yesterday, 1t was
probably drafted by the Representatives
OF the liquor traffic, is sufficient to
show the Importance of giving this
whether the vision of nineteen years
ago was broad enough and clear enough
to see the needs of the city of Wash
ington, so far as Temperance legislation
is concerned, in the year 1912. ="
Senator Works-Doctor. how do you
account for the fact that the District
OF Columbia is away behind practically
every State and every city in the Union
1ation of the liquor traffic.
DR.. MacLeod-That Is a rather deli
cate question to answer, Senator.
Senator Works-Well, be frank about
The Chairman-Do you not think that
what Is nobody's business is every
bodys business?
DR.. MaoLeod--I only speak for myself
an experinece OF nearly thirteen years
In the District OF Columbia, in which /
have not only been a pastor in one Of
the churches Of the city, but in which
L have tried to come in as sympathetic
and intimate touch as I could with the
industrial, the intellectual, and the hu-
name interests of our city-I believe
thoroughly that the city Of Washing
pecially in its citizenship, because we
do not have some measure of self
government in our city.
Little Interest Shown.
Rev. Arthur Spooncr. another Presby-
terian minister, and also a member Of
the Anti"saloon League. testified rela-
tive to the lack of loc.ll interest:
az should like to answer the question
that senator Works asked with refer
enCe to why II is that the temperance
legislation in Washington seems to be
so far behind tho temperance legislation
In other cities. This may be taken on
qualification, perhaps. but there is this
very pronounced feeling in the District
that the saloon interest, controlled as II
is by the legislation in Congress, is nt
such long distance that the interest
Of CONGRESS can hardly be aroused to
the efFective working point with refer
ence to the business because it seems
questions Of national and international
scope, as a matter of such little con-
Germ that they ,an hardly get down to
not here in larger numbers this morn-
ing. DR.. Macleod suggested the same
thing in n different way, but there Is
mir ds of peorie. It is a CONVICTION that
this whole matter in the hands OF Con-
sress seems to, be so triflirg."
think A if the he people '' Of W WasHington sHh ton
should take little more interest in It
themselves they might arouse greater
interest IN Congress?
Law Nineteen Years Old.
Mrs. Don P. Blaine of the w. C. T. U.
addressing the committee, said:
II call your attention to the fact that
while in the District of Columbia we
have law, passed in 1S93-nineteen
years old, away behind the times-forty-
two States of the Union within five
years have legislated against the sa-
loon, against the traffic in some way;
restricting or prohibiting the traffic.
Yet here in the District of Columbia, the
National Capital, we have law that
was passed in 1893, and these awful con-
ditions that are simply intolerable pre-
vail. Here we have this law operating
so that liquor is sold to minors; we have
saloons running twenty hours day:
I'VE find that drink is sold to habitual
drunkards, and we find conditions here
that you can not match l dare say, IN
any part Of the United States. We ap-
peal to you as representatives of the
United States Of different States that
have legislated against the saloon; we
appeal to you to legislate for the Dis.
better law; to give us a law worthy Of
modern times, worthy OF the twentieth
century and its great civilization; law
that will make 1t easy for men to dc
Senator Works-They have amended
the law enacted nineteen years ago
have they not. and made 1t worse?
TN mrs; irterareta tions bv % {be co corporat,on
counsel have made 1t very much worse
Senator Works-That is. the District
of Columbia has been going backward
instead of forward?
Mrs, Biaine-Yes; backward instead oi
forward. Thank you for bringing thai
out.
The fact that the laws now in force
are nineteen years old was urged as ar
argument in favor of their being left
unamended, by those opposed to the
proposed laws. Hugh F. Harvey, secre'
tary of the Washington Mercantile
Association, the federation of all loca
iiouor associations, represented the
lquor interests throughout the Senate
hearings and upon the point of Law
being too old he said:
Law Is Powerful One.
'It strikes me this is a strong. ef
fective. powerful law, and l can no
see why more stringent one is need
ed Certainly it Is a stringent one anc
places the power in the hands of {
very few people to close any saloon
We are fnding no fault with 1t. Why
Because we have been living under l
so long that we have become accustom
ed to the stringent regulations in con
nection with the law. Our very eX
istence is proof that our neighbors ar'
satisfed with the way the law has beel
lived up to. There is no excuse TO
anybody deliberately violating thu
LIQUOR law. because II is not new. They
all know It, / think the places in th'
city of Washington that have not had {
change of propretors since the law o
March g. 1898. went into effect, are in
deed very few, II any, but the license
In almost every instance now in fore
are lust where they were then"
This permanency of the law has in
ured to the good of the city, thinks MI
Harvey, as he further said in his tes
timony.
u have talked to gentle men who ar
here ir Congress who come from othe
parts of the country. ! have hear