Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-06-25
"WETS" DISMAL OVER
KNOCKOUT OF BREWERTES

The spectacle Of the United states passing
n bill to prohibit the sale and manufacture
or strong drink and at the same time send
ing grain to England when that country has
Just determined to increase its output of
liquor is one that has turned the black
gloom In the hearts of brewers and liquor
dealers to red red wrath
Newspapers which carried the news Of
the action of the House Of Representatives
az Washington in passing. with only five
dissenting votes, the Lever bill containing
the amendment prohibiting the use of food
stun In alcoholics and investing the Presi-
dent with the power to commander all dis.
titled spirits in bond also carried a dispatch
stating that England had decided to in
crease its output Of beer.
which means" said John Gardner, presi-
dent of the Pennsylvania state Brewers
Association today, that the brewers and
liquor dealers Of this country will be ruined
utterly so that we can provide the grain
necessary for England to make more beer.
According to reports. England has found
II necessary for the efficiency of the country
TO increase its summer output of beer 80
per cent and this percentage may later be
raised to so. The cutting down of the out
put, as a war measure, to 10000, 900 bar
rels was too drastic The work o. the
munitions factories and steel mills was
seriously impaired. Now England has seen
the light
will take to prevent the passage of this
bill In the Senate" Mr.. Garner continued.
we are told that we must suffer for the
good OF humanity and I suppose we must.
II means the wiping out of the ife-worlS
of two or three generations 1t means the
death of the brewery business. because even
II this is but war measure, no thinking
brewer will have the heart to take up
again a business that is subject to such
treatment. 1t would be too risky, And is
1t not ridiculous to think Of our being sub
jected to such treatment in order to provide
the grain that Great Britain finds it neces-
sary to have to increase its supply of beer?
He put the question with dirge-like inflec-
tion that walled away into space.
According to f. F. Ludwig, secretary Of
the Philadelphia Liquor Dealers Associa-
ton, what he thinks of the action of the
House had best not be put into words.
"Those men al Washington have run wild
What they propose to do amounts TO con-
fiscation without recompense. Our business
will be utterly ruined And many other
businesses, like the bottling trade, dependent
more or less on ours, will suffer. This meas
ure is too drastic the fact that our busi-
ness has been legalized has been entirely
overlooked. The revenues alone that go to
the Government amount to $500, 900, 900 Is
Congress deliberately planning to do with
out this money at a time when it needs
money more than ever But we still have a
few hopes left. The bill hasn't passed the
Senate yet"
Chief among the gleeful ones is the Rev
Homer w. Tope, guiding spirit Of the Anti
Saloon League.
splendid :" he, said exultantly. "The ac.
tion of the House has our heartiest ap-
prevail What is being done in Washington
is entirely in line with the fight we are
making There are 900, 900 900 gallons of
distilled liquor in bond and we hope that if
the President is given the power to COM
mandeer 1t, he will do so.