The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-09-03
Action of House Against
Liquor Traffic Tempered
But Little
MORE LIBERAL TO
PATENT MEDICINES
Also More Favorable to Physicians =
Farmers Cider Is Excepted - Pro-
hibitionists and Vets Planning Big
CampaienS
Campaigns.

hibitionists and Vets Planning Big
Campaigns.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 3.-The senate
Is unlikely to be much more tender to
the opponents of bone-dry prohibition
than the house. The Sterling bill, which
has been reported in the committee ON
judiciary, does not contain all the &C.
centricities of the original Nolstead bill,
but it proposes to outlaw every beverage
containing more than one-half of one per
cent of alcohol, except the farmers cider
| 1t seeks to deprive the citizen offender of
| the benefit of trial by jury, and it lays
a terrific penalty upon the lessee or own
er of property in which the law is VIC
lated, notwithstanding the technical Of
| fender may be wholly innocent. The
search and seizure provision of the origi-
nal house bill is eliminated, but the spot
ter will be in his glory once the measure
| becomes law
! In general, the bill is more liberal in
the treatment of patent medicines, flavor
ing extracts and perfumes, and in its reg
ulatlons for physicians, than the house
measure. 1t is the contention of the more
radical prohibitionsts that this opens the
door for many violations of the prohibi-
ton legislation. In states where prohibi-
ton has been tried, they say, favoring
extracts and patent medicines have been
sold on large scale for beverage pur-
poses. This was clearly established in
! the suit of the manufacturers of Wine of
Cardui in Chicago, when it was shown
that Wine of Cardu was sold almost ex-
elusively as liquor in the mountains OF
| North Carolina Investigation by the gov.
ernor of Oregon brought out that the
lumber jacks of that state had turned to
lemon extract, containg S5 per cent of al
cohol, after Oregon went dry The bill
makes concessions to the farmer by ex.
empting his cider, which the revenue Of
flee has already said cannot be manufac
| tured except IN still that is liable to
tax under the revenue law. The attempt
upon the part of rabid prohibitionists tc
stop the manufacture of the near beers
is also checked
In Section 3. Title l, the senate has pro
vlded that nothing in the act shall pro
hlblt the purchase and sale of warehouse
receipts covering distilled spirits on de
post In general or distillery bonded ware
houses. IN this section very serious sit
uatlon that confrOnts the banks of New
\ DIRK which are heavily interested in bond
ed liquor, it is believed, will be met 4
bonded warehouse receipt has always beer
considered as good as negotiable paper
The new provision will protect this pa
per during the war prohibition period
The bill, however, retains many of the
provisions of the house bill, which eonsti
tutlonal lawyers say will be nullified b,
the supreme court. Among these is Titlt
!, Section 4, which provides that where
property is used in violation of the war
time prohibition, an injunction may is
sue against the lessee and the nropert,
owner
| Violation of this injunction may be pun
ished by the Judge in vacation, the punish
ment provided being a fine of not les.
than $500 or more than $1,000, or by i'm
prisonment for not less than 80 days OF
more than one year, or by both such i'm
prisonment and fine.
The professional prohibitionists are nov
calling fer fund of s25,O00,O00, of whiel
they intend to use about twothrds fol
the enforcement of the prohibition law,
and the remainder to carry the gospel o
bone-dry all over the world. What vii
be the reaction in foreign countries to tn,
efforts of Americans to interfere will
the domestic habits of the people remains
to be seen, although hint may be gained
by the GOODNESS with which the American
reformers have been received in the Brit
ish Isles.
On the other hand, the opponents o
| t,pDbi aIo cai1 -, h. ,,,,;,
to defeat at the polls any and all dry
candidates. This organization will be tn,
political offset to the Antisaloon league
which has been playing politics while tn,
country was at war and electing dry can
didates for congress and the legislature
to ensure the success of the prohibition
amendment and the enforcement of tn,
laws authorized thereby.
1t is announced that brewers and dis
tillers will be ineligible to membership il
the new wet organization, but Wayne B
Wheeler, general counsel for the Anti
Saloon league, declares that this schemin;
is simply a camouaage to make it appear
that others than brewers and liquor deal
ers are interested i'll the repeal of nationa
prohibition Mr. Wheeler disclaims an,
j fear of the new organization and remark
that prohibition has been supported b,
more than so per cent of the voters wher
ever they have gone on record This o
: course overlooks the votes in most of tn,
large cities; but it probably is too muel
: to expect a professional prohibitionist t,
take account of little thing ike that
E Mr. Wheeler naturally sees in the ney
9 organization another reason for increased
7 activity by the prohibition followers De
: spite strong differences of opinion will
\ respect to bone-dry prohibition, no on
. has arisen to dispute the contention 0
!. the Anti-Saloon leapue that the Homo