Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-04-19
BREWERS PUSH
FIGHT TO SAVE
BEER WITH KICK
Hold Their Product
Not Intoxicating
and is Legal.

| N.
| the New York district took action
today intended to speed court de-
| termination of their claim that beer
of "a per cent alcoholic content
may be produced without violating
the food conservation regulations
when two of their number began
distribution of a brew of the
strength specified in barrels bear
ing labels describing it as a nonin-
toxicating beverage.
The kegs, sent out without reve-
nue. stamps, which the collector had
| refused, carried tags announcing
that sums equivalent to the cost OF
| thestamps had been deposited in
| banks to await the claim of the gov
ernment.
Attorneys for the brewers, who
advised their action, declared that
other manufacturers, in New York
and elsewhere throughout the coun-
try, also would begin distributing.
Made Since Dec. /.
The beer shipped here. from the
Hoffman and Gambrinus breweries,
had been manufactured since Dec.
/, when by presidential proclama-
ton, use of grains for brewing
was prohibited, to be modified early
this year by permission to make
mountaineering or near beer,
which therevenue department clas-
sified as containing less than one
half of one per cent alcoholic con-
tent
1t was expected the growers &C
would Tanua nv
the federal authorities intended to
stop the sale of unstamped beer,
thus bringing into the criminal
courts the manufacturers conten-
tion. already raised in civil suits,
that the "a per cent brew. being
without the scope of the food con-
servation and prohibition statutes
forbidding production of intox-
icants, could be manufactured and
sold, now and in the future either
under the war time or permanent
prohibition status, in compliance
with the law
Bear "A Special Label.
The Hoffman breweries notified
the internal revenue collector early
this week of their intention to re-
sumo distribution of the "a per
cent product. This was the standard
during the greater part of Amer
ica's participation in the war, un-
der the food regulations.
When application for revenue
stamps was denied, the brewers an
nounced their intention of Offering
payment to the authorities. When
this was refused, it was decided by
the concerns to deliver goods with
out stamps. and special labels pre-
pared on order of Elihu Root and
William d. Guthrie, counsel for the
brewers of the county, were attach
ed to the barrels.
The labels contained the follow
ing notice:
What the Label Says.
Misunderstanding beer, containing
not to exceed "a per cent of alcohol
by weight.
"The internal revenue tax i'm
posed by section 608 of the act of
congress of Feb. "a, 1919, of Sc for
every barrel containing not more
than thirty one gallons, has been
duly offered to the collector of in
ternal revenue for the district of
-- and upon his refusal to re-
ceive the tax and issue the custom
ary stamps, the full amount of the
tax was deposited to his credit with
- bank, thus keeping the Of
fer good. If any attempt be made to
seize the beer, telephone or teIe-
graph at once to undersigned" and
the name of the brewer follows.
Have Refused the Labels.
Washington, d. c., April 1S.-In
the absence of Internal Revenue
Commissioner Roper, officials of the
revenue bureau would not predict
what action might be taken in the
case of the New York brewers. The
only action of the bureau so far has
been to refuse to authorize the sale
of revenue stamps to brewers desir-
ing to make beer with this alcoholic
content. since regulations place at
one-half of one per cent the max
imum alcoholic content for non-in-
toxicating beverages of any kind.
By refusing to sell stamps, the
beaureau inferentially held that
beer containing Pa per cent alcohol
was intoxicating, but Commissioner
Roper has not ruled specifically on
this point. He has awaited an opin-
ion by Attorney General Palmer.