The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1921-05-06
Proposed Legislation Designed to
Render imperative Palmer
Beer Ruling
B E E R NOT NECESSARY
Law Prohibits Doctors Prescrib-
ing Beer; Medicated Bever-
ages Restricted

1.-THE principal object of the bill
that | have introduced today is to
supplement provisions of the National
Prohibition Act, SO as to meet the
situation created by the opinion OF
former Attorney-General Palmer in
regard to the use of beer and wine
for medicine That opinion in effect
holds that the Commissioner OF In
ternal Revenue has no power to limit
the quantity of such liquors when
prescribed, though the law expressly
provides that the Commissioner shall
limit all permits.
No Necessity for Medicinal Beer
The bill prohibits doctors from
prescribing beer. 1t is idle to argue
that there is any real necessity for
beer as medicine. Leading doctors
everywhere deny that it has any value
for that purpose, besides everything
in beer except the alcohol can be had
i'll the so-called near-beers without
any prescription. Thirty-eight states
prohibit beer from being prescribed.
Must Limit Wine Prescription
The measure does not prohibit the
use of wine, but it re-enacts in more
specific language, if that is possible,
the injunction that such prescriptions
must be limited to the actual needs
, for medical use.
Limit Importation
Section 2 specifically directs the
Commissioner to keep the importa-
ton and manufacture OF liquor down
to the actual needs of our people for
non-beverage uses, and only allows
importation and manufacture to sup
ply current need after the present
supply has been exhausted There
is no sense in allowing large quaint
ties of liquor to- be imported or man
ufactured that if used at all must be
disposed of for illegal purposes.
There are about forty million gallons
now in bonded warehouses, supply
largely in excess of what can be le-
Ultimately used for several years.
Gives Acknowledgement Additional
Authority
Section 3 aims to give the Com
missioner of Internal Revenue power
to impose certain additional restric-
tons on the manufacturers of certain
alcoholic preparations masquerading
as medicine, chiefly as tonics, but that
are being sold and purchased for bev-
erage use because OF the alcohol they
contain 1t requires that alcohol shall
as far as practical be medicated before
it is removed from the distillery or
bonded warehouse Large quantities
of alcohol have been in the past with
drawn, ostensibly for the purpose of
being used in the manufacture OF
fhese drugs, but in fact for sale as
bootleg whisky. This section only
applies to those who sell or manufac-
ttre liquor or manufacturers of me-
dicinal preparations
Section is drafted to meet the
demands that have been made in
some quarters to give the attorney
general more direct share in the en-
forcement of the law. 1t REQUIRES
that the attorney general shall have
notice of all applications for permits
to sell or manufacture liquor or al
coholic medical preparations. and that
a public notice of the application shall
be posted, so that the attorney gen
eral or any person who may have
knowledge of any violations on the
part of the applicant may object to
the permit being granted This is
IN line with the usual practice under
the license system. At present these
permits are granted without any no.
tice to the attorney general and he
has no opportunity to object to their
issuance. Approximately seventy
five thousand permits were issued last
year, of which about ten thousand
Nave since been revoked or applica-
tons for renewals have been denied.
In the confusion that grew out of the
attempt to establish the system, the
permits served to license rather than
limit the use of liquor. Public notice,
as we'll as notice to the attorney gen
cral, it is believed, will serve as SAL
utary check upon any reckless issue
OF permits, and will give aid to the
Commissioner in sitting out dishonest
applicants.
Attorney General May Cancel Permits
Section gives the attorney general
power to cancel permits for the same
reason that the Commissioner of In
ternal Revenue is authorized to can
eel. Doubtless the Commissioner OF
Internal Revenue has power under
existing law to do practically every
thing provided for in this bill, but as
there are certain parties interested in