The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1919-03-28
GOVERNOR VET0ES
LIQUOR MEASURES
Says Prohibition May AZ Well Be
Tried out Now as Later.-Must
Be Left to the People.


and H. B. 43O, Governor Stewart
characterizes them as measures for
the repeal of the prohibition statutes,
and to provide for supervision, in
stead of suppression of the liquor traf-
fic. He observes that S. B. 81, as or
iginally introduced, was intended to
aid in the enforcement of the prohibi-
ton law, but was amended in the
Legislature SO it's author could hardly
recognize it. He says in part:
"As matters stand today, we have
a real prohibition law, first submitted
by the Legislative assembly of the
state of Montana to the people of
this state, and by them in turn APP
proved at the polls; and, lastly, con-
strued by the highest court in the
state, and therefore standing upon the
statute books absolutely impregnable
to assault from any direction other
than by amendment by the legisla-
ture or the people themselves.
"Senate bill No. 81, now under con-
sideration, as it was presented to me
for executive action, contains the fol-
lowing language:
Provided, that it shall be lawful
to manufacture, sell and dispose of
beer containing not more than one-
helf of one per cent Of alcohol, meas
ured by volume, or fermented or malt
liquors or limitations thereof contain
ing not more than one-half of one
per cent of alcohol, measured by vol
ume; and provided further that no.
thing contained in this act, nor any
other law of this state shall be con-
strued as to prohibit the same.'
A Repeal of the Law.
eff the language just quoted does
not constitute a repeal of the pro-
hibition law of the state of Montana
then l do not understand the English
language. Mr.. Justice Holloway,
speaking for the supreme court of the
state of Montana in the Centennial
Brewing company case, makes it clear
that the law adopted by the people
in 1916 prohibits the use in the man.
ner indicated in the law of the liquors
enumerated therein, among which are
malt liquors, one of which is beer. All
these liquors are declared to be in
toxicating within the meaning of the
law and, to quote the language of the
court:
And that too without reference
to the amount of alcohol contained in
Them
"Senate bill No. 81 would make it
legal in the state of Montana to man
ufacture and sell beer, fermented and
malt liquors Or limitations thereof,
containing not more than one-half of
one per cent of alcohol, measured by
volume. If this bill should become a
law we would find ourselves in q po-
sition where we would have to do just
what the Supreme court said we would
not have to do under the law adopted
by the people. We would find our
selves supervising the liquor traffic
rather than prohibiting it. The ques-
ton would then be not a matter of the
prevention of the manufacture and
disposal of liquors, but rather a mat
ter of seeing to it that the various
liquors manufactured and disposed of
should conform to the standard estab-
lished by law, to-wit: that they should
not contain more than one-half of
one per cent of alcohol measured by
volume.
II am not willing to become a par
ty to the repeal of the p%rohibitory
laws under such circumstances. The
people adopted prohibition, and if it
is to be repealed they are the ones to
do it. 1t should not be done by the
legislature or by any other represen-
tative body of people not selected for
the specific purposes. I am convinced
that the people of this state do not
want booze in any form. It may be
said that the various liquors contain
ing not over one-half of one per cent
of alcohol could not fairly be termed
BOOZE They may not be big BOOZE
but the best n can say for them is
that they would be little brothers to
the big booze, and we all know from
experience that little boys grow into
big men. Some manufacturers by
careful concealment and other articles
might cause the alcoholic content
standardized by the statute at not
more than one-half of one per cent
to surreptitiously grow to a larger
maturity, wherein other per centages
might be sold, given away, and per-
haps drunk without knowledge of the
fact that they contained unlawful pro-