The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1919-10-10

Expect Rehabilitation Proclama-
ton Soon
Say This Viii Make War Dry Act
Imperative
Anticipate Big Sales Up to Jan.
Sixteen
PEACE NOT DECLARED
Act Would Therefore Still Be in
Force
Both Generalization and Peace
Required
4 If Sales Are Resumed on Demobi-
- lization Proclamation While
Country Is Still at War. They
Will Be in Violation of Law

The New York Tribune of Septem-
Der 80 announces that New York liq-
uor dealers acting on information that
President Wilson would proclaim de-
mobilization completed, are laying in
large stocks of liquor preparatory to
rush sales which they expect. Huge
quantities of whisky, it is said, are ar
irving daily at the bonded warehouses
In New York from distilleries i'll Ken
lucky Advance orders are being
placed with the wholesalers by the
hundreds and bartenders and walters
are being called back in anticipation
OF rich harvest before January 10,
1920, when the constitutional amend
ment becomes effective.
Charles Leopold, chairman OF the
Family Liquor Dealers Association,
declared that numerous irregularities
have arisen out OF the rush of dealers
and individuals to obtain stocks OF liq-
nor He explained that in accordance
with the recent ruling OF the attorney
general, certificates for liquor in
bonded warehouses could be sold i'll
advance and stock claimed as soon as
the wartime measure was rcscinded.
Hundreds OF fictitious certificates. he
asserted, have been sold and put in
circulation calling for stock that does
not exist. Mr.. Leopold said that the
prices to the consumer will not be
higher than before Prohibition went
into effect although the dealers are
paying an average OF fifty cents gal
Ion more. He predicts that drinks
over the bar will be sold for about
twenty-five or thirty cents according
to the brand He says that there will
De no cheap whisky and that most Of
the stuff being sold in bond will be
case goods and pure article. Mr..
informed that the government will
make some provisions for liquor left
on hand January 10.
} At the office OF the Distillers Securi-
ties Corporation it was said that train
load after train-load OF whisky has
been coming in from Kentucky for the
last two weeks. The situation in the
beer brewing industry, saloonkeepers
say, will remain the same. The
breweries, they asserted, have de-
cided to stick to the rs per cent
product. Brewers are making more
money OH the Us per cent product
than they could on the stronger beer.
The assumption that the Presidents
proclamation declaring the period OF
rehabilitation ended automatically
rescinds the wartime Prohibition act
is not correct. By the terms OF that
act it is operative during the contin-
uance OF the war and until the period
of rehabilitation is proclaimed ter
minated. A state Of war certainly ex-
lists until the peace treaty has been
ratified. This has not yet been done.
Therefore, it will require both a dec
laration OF peace and proclamation
declaring rehabilitation ended TO re-
scind the wartime Prohibition act.
However, the liquor interests are
planning to go into court to prove that
state of war does not exist. They
base their contention on the ground
that trade relations with Germany
have been resumed and that several
of the ally countries have ratified the
peace treaty. They say that this con-
tention will at least give them stand
ing in court and it is their expectation
to secure ruling that will give them
permission to proceed with manufac-
y Aure and sale OF intoxicants pending a
hnah decision by the Supreme Court,
OF course, this action would avail
them nothing unless rehabilitation
has been declared by the President.