The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1919-08-15
President Can't Let Beer Go and
Stop Whisky
End of Rehabilitation Ends War
Prohibition
All Liquors May Then be Sold
Legally
NEWSWRITER MISTAKEN
Much Misinformation About
War Drouth Goes Out
Nobody Knows When Ban May
be Lifted
Hiatus Between Present Dryness
and Constitutional Amendment;
Date is Mere Matter of Specu-
lation and Not Definite

Inc birmingham news OF august
; carries Washington story under
the signature of its Washington cor
respondent to the effect that Secre-
tary Baker has announced that de-
mobilization of the army will be COM
pletcd on or before October l. The
correspondent says that the Prohibi-
tionists of the nation are greatly
alarmed for fear President Wilson
will issue a proclamation declaring
that until the eighteenth amendment
TO the constitution becomes effective
next January 10, beer and light wines
in states that were formerly wet be-
fore wartime Prohibition, will be
permitted to be manufactured and
sold. This correspondent says:
1t also is rumored that the
President may go so far as to
claim to possess the authority to
include the sale of whisky and.
gin during the practically three
months between the date of ac-
tual rehabilitation and the date
when the National Prohibition
amendment goes into effect
throughout the country.
Attention is called to this item for
the purpose of emphasizing the fact
that newspapers are giving their read
ers vast amount of transformation
concerning Prohibition these days.
Here is Washington correspondent
who evidently doesn't know that
President Wilson has no authority to
grant any special favors whatever to
the brewers. If President Wilson de-
clares the period of decentralization
ended. the sale of whisky may be le-
gally resumed along with the sale of
beer in wet territory. In other
words. the situation will be exactly as
twas before the wartime Prohibition
act became operative.
This correspondent goes on to ex-
plain how strong representations
have been made to President Wilson
that insview OF the fact that the banks
have so much money loaned on strong
liquors that were in government
bonded warehouses and the owners
have not had sufficient time to dis
pose of their holdings and meet their
financial obligations, it would be an
act of justice if the President would
grant the whisky owners the privilege
of resuming sale at the end of the
period of rehabilitation.
No one knows when the period of
rehabilitation will be proclaimed at
an end. But it is an absolute GER
tainty if the proclamation comes be-
fore the advent of constitutional Pro-
hibition, it will mean the resumption
of the sale of all liquors and will per-
NIT the manufacture of beer. 1t is
hardly likely that many breweries
would reopen for so short a period
as three months, assuming that Mr..
Bakers statement is correct and that
rehabilitation will be completed by
October l. Inasmuch as there will
be no beer supply except possibly of
the us per cent variety and even that
may be under the ban by that time, it
will be seen that the country might
be thrown upon a whisky basis be-
cause there is plenty of whisky in
bonded warehouses and available for
sale if sale is permitted. This is just
what the most active nti-Prohibition-
lists have professed to fear most. The
splendid record made by Prohibition
during the first month of its operation
promises to be maintained and even
bettered during the months to come
and whisky orgy would serve con-
trast that would insure a most hearty
welcome to constitutional Prohibition
on January 10.