The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1919-07-04
WILL NOT STOP SALE OF
LIGHT Wines and BEER
Pending Court Decisions Two and
Ihree-quarter Per Cent Goods
May Be Sold.

Washington, June Bottle depart
ment of justice will take no action,
pending decision in present litigation
against persons manufacturing or SELL
ing beer and wines cintaining 2.75
per cent or less alcoholic content. This
announcement was made tonight by
Attorney General Palmer.
In permitting saloons to remain open
for sale of 2 3-4 per cent beverage,
the department of justice is under
stood not to forego the privilege Of
prosecution later, if it's contention
that two and three-quarters per cent
beer is Intoxicating is upheld. In
short, the question merely is held in
allegiance until a final decision is reach
in the test cases. The supreme court
cannot pass on the question before
October.
Attorney Generals Statement.
The attorney generals statement
said:
"After today it will be unlawful to
sell for leverage purposes any distilled
spirit and any beer. wine or other IN
%toxicaring malt or virous liquor, ey.
cept for export. This prohibition will
continue under the term of law 'un-
til the conclusion of the present war
and thereafter until the termination
of rehabilitation AS long as The
law thus remains in force, it must be
obeyed and / intend that the depart
ment Of justice shall do its utmost to
perform the duty which the congress
has laid upon it.
"This law has been held to be ON
stitutional and valid by the circuit
court of appeals sitting in New York.
It plainly makes unlawful the sale of
whiskey, brandy, and other distilled
spirits and wine. The only ccntro-
versy that has arisen as to whether
the sale of beer containing so little al
cohol as not to be Intoxicating is pro-
hibited. The governments contention
has been that this prohibits the man.
ufacture and sale of beer containing
as much as one-half of one per cent
alcohol, but the Interpretation of the
act is not free from difficulty, and ]
am ~endeavoring to have the question
settled by the courts at the earliest
possible moment. My course with re-
spect to beer containing less than two
and three-quarters per cent of alco-
hol-which it is claimed is NOT intox-
icating-depends upon the ruling
which will soon be made by the dis
trict courts in which cases are now
pending or in which other cases may
be brought. l have no power to grant
amnesty to any who may see fit tc
manufacture or sell beer pending an
authoritative judicial construction of
the law, and I am sure that brewers
and dealers generally understand that
the tendency Of litigation will be nc
protection against possible prosecu-
ton for offenses under the law.
"But with respect to whiskey
brandy and other distilled spirits,
wine and beer containing more than
two and three-quarters per cent of al
cohol and other Intoxicating malt or
vineous liquors, the prohibition is be-
yond controversy and but one course
is open to the department of justice
All persons found selling such liquors
must be arrested and prosecuted. The
district attorneys will cause warrants
to issue for all offenders as to whom
evidence is furnished by the bureau
of investigation, the agents of the in.