Evening star., 1923-01-07
PLAN OF TESTING BOOZE
STIRS IRE OF THE DRYs
Spencer Bill for Federal Commission
Not to Pass Without Bitter
Opposition.

that hearings will be asked for al
later date. he indicated.
Chance for ~Lame Ducks"
His resolution puts at the disposal
OF the commission 100000 to make
the investigation in a highly scientific
manner, and the commissioners would
be paid at the rate of $3.50 a month.
or $4,000. No time limit is placed
upon the commission, but merely the
injunction that 1t shall make a very
complete and scientific investigation
while number of the senators
take the resolution and it's purpose
seriously. there are others who sug-
gest that the lame ducks" the sena.
tors and representatives who failed Of
erection to the next Congress, might
become engaged in a great scramble
Tor places on this commission. Tha
Investigations conducted some years
ago by the Department of Agricul-
ture, bureau Of chemistry, to deter
mine whether certain foods or pre.
serVatives were deleterious to the
human health would, they say, pale
into insignificance in interest when
compared to the Investigations as to
just what percentage OF alcohol would
make a man. or woman, wabble in
his or her walk. or blur their minds.
A call for volunteers to be expert
mented upon would be answered, it
is predicted. by a veritable army.
League Dead Against 1t.
The Anti-saioen League is taking
the matter seriously. however. and
Wayne T. Wheeler. general counsel
for the league in Washington. has
declared that practically every TEN
Derance organization and church or
eanization is against such a pro-
nosal as that of Senator Spencer's
1t. he said. would only create q feel
ing Of unrest. He declared that no
scientific comntission-no matter how
scientific-could determine just what
was an Intoxicating beverage for
100000 900 people. He said that al
c6hol affects people differently. ac-
cordine TO age. temperament. accus-
toned use. etc. No accurate conciu-
sion could be reached by the proposed
commission he said
Getting down to the practical side
OF the matter. Mr.. Wheeler pointed
out that more than forty states have
adopted in their own codes OF law
cent or a lower Acknowledgement for
the enforcement OF prohibitien. Only
two of the states have fixed / per
cent as the maximum amount Of al
cohol which may be contained by a
Notwithstanding beverage.
Caught in Their own Net.
The brewers and LIQUOR people. It
is said. have only themselves 20
thank for the original establishment
of one-ha1f OF I per cent as the
limit of alcohol in a n-intoxicat-
ing beverage. Tears ago. when the
brewers and manufacturers of hard
LIQUOR were operating under the Ii
cense Of the government and paying 2
taxes on their product. they advoi )
Gated stringent laws against the bootl
leggers OF those days who put out uni
taxed alcoholic beveraGes-''mooni
shine" it was called then as nowl
So to protect the licensed manufacl
turers of alcoholic beverages tha
standard OF one-half of 1 per cent
was adopted. The prohibitionists SAY
they needn't now attempt to wrigl
gle out of this.
The United States Supreme Court !
has held that Congress has a right
to say what the alcoholic content OF I
an Intoxicating beverage is. The
rejoiced when this de-
cision was made, because il upheld Z,
the right of Congress to fix one-haIf :,
Of l per cent as the limit. But IL .
Congress, under the decision of the \
court, has the right to say how small
a content of alcohol there shall be in +
beverages. then, say the "wets," it
has the right to say how large it
shall be. If they can get Congress,
the means of a scientific in
vestigation conducted by presiden-
tial commission, to raise the limit,
they will do the rejoicing and not the
''drys."