New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-04-25
Bitter Fight in Assembly
Before Liquor Measure
Wins /; Limits Use to Res
taurants, Hotels, Clubs
Anti-Saloon Chiefs
May Prevent Sales
Local Option Clause in
Act; Size and Menus
of Restaurants Defined
From q stof correspondere

A LIB ANY, April "a Both
branches of the Legislature passed
the Walker-Gillett beer bill to-day.
1t will be signed by the Governor.
The bill defines as non-intoxicat-
ing any liquor containing not more
than 2.75 per cent of alcohol by
weight, or $50 by volume. It per-
mits the manufacture and sale of
beer and ale and provides that it
may be sold to guests Of hotels and
restaurants at all hours of the day
and right.
The term restaurant, as defined in
the bill, is "a room or rooms regularly
used and kept open for the furnishing
of meals to guests for compensation
IN which menu is regularly offered
enumerating reasonable number of
separate, dishes from which a choice
may be made, and in which no bar Is
maintained other than service bar
for the use of employees"
The bill further provides that the
restaurant shall contain dining room
Of at least 600 square feet Of floor area.
guests and kitchen sufficient to pro-
vide bonafide meals for that number.
Places for Sales Named
The bill limits the sale of beer and
ale in hotels, clubs and restaurants
to first and second class cities. In
other localities beer and ale may not be
drunk on the premises, but may be
purchased for home consumption.
The measure also contains a local
Ioption provision, so that communities so
desiring may be dry. 1t continues the
state Excise Department to enforce tho
Federal prohibition amendment. Under
an emergency message from the Gov
ernor, 100000 was appropriated to.
night to perpetuate the department..
A license to sell beer not to be drunk
on the premises is 500 year. A
druggists license to sell Intoxicating
liquors for medicinal purposes on pre-
scriptions is $40. The tax on manu-
facturers and wholesalers whe manu-
facture liquors for on-beverage pur-
poses is $3.50.
Restaurants, hotels and clubs in New
York City will have to pay $500 for the
privilege of selling the beer, while in
other first and second class cities the
license fee is $3.50.
The measure was passed bv the
Senate at 3 o'clock this morning bv a
vote Of 27 to 90. 1t was passed IN
the Assembly this afternoon, after a
stormy session, by vote of SIS to 81.
During the debate Assemblyman
Martin G. McCue, Democrat, of New
York, rose and charged that Robert q
Davey, Anti-Saloon League counsel. wa,
lobbying on the floor.
Ihere must be no lobbying" said
Speaker Sweet
Later one of the Anti-Saloon Ieacu.
men went to McCue and said that he
mad made misstatement, as Davev
was merely sitting in corner.
49,, Don't you say that to me again or
IN punch you in the jaw" exclaimed
McCue. 'o
Davey laid a restraining hand y,
McCue's arm.
McCue,. reaching for a brass Gus
pidor, cried excitedly:
lake your hand off my arm or I'll
bounce this off your head!"
Oavey let go of the former pugilist'.
arm as McCue's free hand Crashed the
cuspidor.
Vets Begin to Celebrate
AS soon as the vote became known.
vets in the corridors started singing
drinking songs that have been more or
less taboo since the Eighteenth
Amendment went into effect.
70 Colonel Ransom H. GilIett, Re-
publican, of Columbia County, went
ting the bill over.
Colonel Gillett, whose right arm ia
manned from German shrapnel. had a
limp left arm after he finished shak-
ing hands with the scores who
thronged around him after the vote
ywas announced
Colonel Gillett first introduced q
llght wine and beer bill But toward
the end of the session it became ap-
parent that he could not get enough
votes to swing a bill permitting the
as IA per cent.
linen Gillett, who in the mean time
fell foul of William II. Anderson. took
up the Walker bill introduced in the
early part of the session by the mi
norlty leader of the Senate
The Anti-Saloon League lobbyists
were bit glum over the outcome. They
nad counted on Spea aker Sweets timid-
ity to beat the legislation. But Sweet,
who has been losing caste in the last
three weeks even among the vest
pocket majority, kept his hands Off
at least he did not try to prevent the
passage of the bill.
Sweet could not have prevented ITS
passage if he tried" Colonel Gillett
Mr.. Davey declared the Anti
Saloon League would take steps to
prevent the sale and manufacture of
beer under the Walker Gillett bill.
ut is in conflict with the Federal
law and can have no effect" said
Davey. "Any person doing business
under it will render himself liable to
arrest and imrisonment at the hands
of the Federal officers. It is q serious
reflection on the enlightenment and
loyalty Of the legislators who sup
ported it,
Veterans Back Measure
During the debate on the bin
Majority Leader Simon L. Adler.
while not attacking the bill said that
no action on it should be taken until
the United States Supreme Court had
interpreted the Eighteenth Amend
ment and the Volstead act.
The passage of the bill in the As
sembly was due largely to the World
War veterans, who with but three ex-