Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-08-11
By Associated Press.

" aSh1ngtOn, Aug. 11.-Prohlhl-
tion enforcement legislation ad-
vanced another step III Congress TO-
day when the Senate Judiciary
Committee began consideration Of
the bill passed by the House last
June as amended and liberaNZed oy
the judiciary subcommittee.
Although the general House plan
for enforcement OF wartime and
constitutional prohibition remain i'll
the bill. the subcommittee eliminat-
ed several drastic House provisions
and modified others. In its work the
subcommittee, comprising Senators
Sterling, Republican, of South Da-
kota, chairman; Fall, of New Mex
leo, and Norris. of Nebraska, Re-
publicans, and Overman, of North
Carolina Walsh, of Montana, ard
King. OF Utah, Democrats, first re-
vised the Senate enforcement bill
and then incorporated their amend
ments in the House bill, reporting
the latter as amended by unanimous
vote to the full committee.
Like the House the Senate sub
committee adopted the plan OF hav
ing separate sections in the bill to
deal with wartime and Constitu-
tional prohibition.
STAYS at Onc-Half Per Cent.
The subcommittee left unchanged
the House definition of intoxicating
beverages as those containing one
half of one per cent. or more Of
alcohol.
AS revised the bill will not inter
fere with storage and personal use
of intoXicants in the homes of in
dividuals.
Probably the most liberal amend
ment to the House bill is a provision
exempting from penalties any per-
son manufacturing mountaineering
cider and fruit juices exclusively for
use in his house" This would per-
nit home manufacture OF light
wines and cider for personal con-
sumption and the amendment, eX-
cept by implication in connection
with the definition of intoXicants,
does not define mountaineering
beverages.
Stricken from the House bill was
the provision making it unlawful for
persons TO be intoxicated or TO drink
liquor on trains, street cars, jitneys,
boats or other public conveyances.
Reports Private
Another liberalization is a provi-
sion that reports of manufacture
sales and transportation of liquor,
made to the Internal Revenue COL
lector, shall not be open to inspection
Of the general public, but kept sole
" for scrutiny by the commissioner.
lis agents, court or other officers.
The House search warrant pro-
vision also was made less drastic. the
subcommittee amending the search
and seizure section so as to provide
that search warrants may be issued
only under the usual practice pro-
Vided by existing Federal law and
not on mere suspicion that liquor is
being stored for unlawful purposes
Instead OF the House bills unlim-
tied provision for funds to enforce
prohibition, the subcommittee fixed
S3,500,000 for the first years en-
forcement work and leaves this
duty jointly to the Internal Reve-
nue. Commissioner and the Depart
ment of Justice. The former is to
report and the latter to prosecute
violations.
Defines Liquor
In defining Intoxicating liquor the
subcommittee added the following
liberalizing proviso:
Provided. however. that the fore
going definition (one-half of one per
cent. alcohol shall not extend to
hG-dlCI4O4Ol4Ltu " lIlt nor 10 llQuOT or
liquors produced by the process by
which beer, ale or porter is manu-
featured, but containing not more
than half of one per cent. alcohol,
if sGch liquor or liquid shall be 9TH
erwise derominated than as beer,
ale or porter"
This proviso rejects the request of
prohibition advocates for prohibition
of beverages which have the appear
ance of ,ntoXicants.
Another relaxation of the House
bill was made in its provision for
penalizing persons having reason
to believe" their property is being
used unlawfully. The Senate
amendment requires personal
knowledge" of such use.
The House provision declaring
that after February l, 1920, the
possession of liquor unauthorized
by the law shall be prima facie evi-
dence that it is being kept for sale,
is retained and strengthened by an
addition providing that in proceed
ings under this section the burden
OF proof shall be on defendants to
prove that such beverages do not
contain more than one-half of one
per cent. alcohol.
Exemptions
The subcommittee revision retains
the following exemptions, as pro-
vided by the House:
Denatured alcohol, medicinal
preparations, patent medicine, toilet
and mineral preparations, flavoring
extracts, syrups, vinegar and fruit
juices. The subcommittee, however,
struck out the House clause that