The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1917-04-03
BY ERNEST q. wALKER
(Mail Special to The. Advertiser)

| (Mal special TO The. Advertiser)
4 4 WASHINGTON, March l9--A very
n drastic anti'saloon law, enacted by the
recent congress and signed by Presi-
dent Wilson, Is to be in full force and
effect in the District Of Columbia "on
and after the FIRST day Of November,
Ammo Domini nineteen hundred and
seventeen.v Following that date one
can neither manufacture, sell or keep
for sale within the confines of the fed.
eral seat any intoxicating liquors and
the penalties are severe. The law is
like that fence the politicians used TO
talk about q quarter of century ago,
horse high, pig tight and bull
Until recently Il was regarded by
many Of the $4,000 people in the Dis.
trict Of Columbia as very irksome
matter of legislation but portion Of
these find some consolation that, pre-
sumably, It will not make the District
of Columbia "bone dry There is
possibly some room for contention Nv
to whether the notorious Reed amend.
ment to the postoffiee appropriation
law, forbidding the shipment of in.
toxicants into a prohibition State, OPP
plies to the District Of Columbia. This
amendment certainly applies to the
State Of Virginia, just across the Pc.
tonne River, even though the Virginia
prohibitory law, intended to be only
an anti-saloon law and specifically per
hitting shipments of liquors to indi.
viduals in restricted quantities, is, in
/ spirit, infringed 'A
| But the District of Columbia is not
a State, as the lawyers here quite gen.
i rally agree; neither is IL a Territory.
Consequently il is supposed that the
Reed amendment will not prevent the
ihipments of liquors to the thirsty in
he District. That amendment ION the
| Postoffiee Appropriation law) declares
that whoever shall order, purchase or
,ause Intoxicating liquors to be trans
ported in Interstate commerce, except
for scientific, sacramental, medicinal,
and mechanical purposes into any State
Dr Territory the laws of which State
IT Territory prohibit the manufacture
IT sale therein of intoxicating liquors
'or beverage purposes shall be punish.
ed as aforesaid Zine of not over $1,000
lr imprisonment of not over six months
)r both): Provided that nothing here.
in shall authorize the shipment of
liquor into any State contrary to the
avs of such State: Provided further,
That the Postmaster General is hereby
authorized and directed to make public
from time to time in suitable bulletins
Ut public notices the names of the
states in which II is unlawful to ad.
vertise or solicit orders for such
liquors" XII - Ers f#8 .
This provision regarding shipments
interstate commerce does not be-
come effective till July ] next Pos
sibly its relation TO the District Of
Columst;a may eventually be tested
in the courts but the general opinion
seems to be that after November ]
next, when the District law goes into
operation, a householder or other in
lividual may order liquors from near
by Baltimore or from other cities and
have them shipped to him by express
or otherwise. Citizens of Virginia and
West Virginia may not do this, for
both of them have prohibitory laws.
II is disputed question whether a
resident of Virginia or West Virginia
nay go to Baltimore, purchase quart
or two, put il in his valise OF inside
pocket and travel by train back to his
home with the priced liquid in his pos
session aud not violate the law. There
is said TO be considerable doubt
whether such an act would be legal but
there is another phase as to owners
If their own vehicles, automobiles for
instance, who speed to Baltimore and
bear back bottles of wet goods for
heir own consumption. Such vehicles
are not common carriers and ii remains
% be determined whether such traf-
fc would be interstate commerce ship
ments. l-r,.t
There are other nice little questions
in connection with enforcement of pro-
libition among residents of the Dis
:rict of Columbia. One is as to the
clubs. The District prohibition law
particularly includes clubs and locker
systems. So all the clubs in Washing
ton, of every kind and variety that
have been selling liquors to their mem.
bers must desist on November l. But
over in Montgomery County, Maryland
IA local option county, are three or
four country clubs, patronized almost
entirely by Washington City people.
At certain points suburban villages in
Montgomery County touch suburban
communities within the District of Co
lumbia. In these country clubs. notably
the Chevy Chase Club, the Columbia
, Country Club, and The Bannockburn
, Club locker systems have been in OPP;
, GRAFTON for years. And if IL should
J come to. pass that liquors may not be
shipped into the District of Columbia,
! Baltimore dealers can ship to indiyid'
ual members of these clubs and thus
keep quite large percentage of Wash
ington' 8 population properly irrigated.
Washington drastic anti-saloon law
applies to whisky, brandy, rum, gin,
wine, ale, porter, beer, cordials, hard
or fermented cider, alcoholic Glitter,
smethyl alcohol, all malt liquors, and
all other alcoholic liquors. The ban
Is against any persons whatsoever, who
manufacture for sale or gift, import
for sale or gift, SELL offer for sale, keep
for sale, traffic in, barter, export ship
out of the District of Columbia, or ex-
change for goods or mercha ndise, or
solicit or receive orders for the pnr-
chase of any alcoholic or other prohi,
bited liquors. F." The penalties are either
| a fine n klnn 30 -.