Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-10-14
WANTS ALL LIQUOR
IN ONE WAREHOUSE
Mr.. BIanton Would Close 376
Storehouses and Drop
Guards for Economy.

/ Concentration Of all the alcoholic
liquors in 376 warehouses in the
United States, now guarded by 1.12s
shifts of guards. into one warehouse.
where it could be more safely and
economically guarded, is proposed by
Representative Thomas L. Blanton of
Texas. who intends to urge such leg
islation at the incoming session.
II Representative Blanton has also
sent a questionnaire to a number of
experts asking their advice as to
whether the alcoholic liquors now
held under guard by the government
could not be medicated in some way
to make it unfit for use as beverage
and then disposed of commercially for
fuel.
Blanton Discusses Proposals.
Mr. Blanton. in discussing these
proposals. said:
| Being part of the Constitution
OF the United States, it is. therefore,
| now part Of the fundamental law Of
our land that intoxicating liquor can
neither be manufactured nor sold.
| This law undoubtedly is a permanent
one. for before it could be changed
! congress. by two-thirds vote Of boil.
the House and Senate, would have to
| submit Its repeal to the states, and
such repeal would have to be ratified
1 by the legislatures of three fourths
of the states. contamination prac-
tlcally impossible. Whether you are
an anti or pro, being a aw-abiding
citizen, you favor upholding our Con :
Il Stitution.
AT my request. Prohibition Com
missioner John F. Kramer had Mr. ].
M. Young make a careful survey of
the number of warehouses and the
amount of existing intoxicating ilq-
uors stored therein. as of date August
l. 1920, and he has just certified to me
that:
"On August 1. 1920. there were in
the United States ESQ distillery bond
ed warehouses and 81 general bonded
warehouses. which contained in sto-
Ions of whisky. 41o.5ess gallons of
rum, 936.295.3 gallons of gin, $685.
gallons of high wines. S71,356 gallons
of alcohol and 1929 gallons of
cial bonded warehouses there were
S64.743.S gallons of brandy and in
forty-six industrial alcohol bonded
warehouses there were s.230,6S7.42
gallons of alcohol.
j Economy Purpose Of Plan.
These 376 warehouses have to be
] guarded by the government day and
night, requiring three shifts for each
| eight hours or total of 1928 shifts
of guards maintained. supported and
paid for out of the Treasury. 1t re-
/ auires 376 times as many guards to
| guard 376 warehouses as 1t would to
| guard only one. 1t is necessary that
these guards be fearless, reliable men
of strict integrity, for there is con-
slant effort being made to steal or
unlawfully extract liquor. These 376
! warehouses are a constant tempta-
ton to lawiess bootleggers and thugs.
/ Our guards must be bribe-proof.
THE expense of guarding 376 ware
/ houses is naturally 376 times greater
l than guarding one. With 376 ware
houses there are 376 times as many
! chances Of leakage. Congress must
/ promptly require this liquor to be
4 concentrated into one large govern
! ment warehouse. and stop this one
|, enormous item of expense. VIII you
help influence such action?
would it be economy and wise
Il to take over this liquor. paying the
wholesale price of April s. 1919:
poison and destroy its possible use
/ as a beverage and then convert and
dispose of it commercially as fuel?"