River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1924-03-13
w. c. t. U. COLUMN
The Tale OF A
Troublesome Fraction


one per cent? Who except frenzied
| fanatic would have dreamed of limit
ing the kick in liquor to the foolish
| fraction 2"
The representative of the wholesale
grocery sitting across the aisle, read
ing magazine, suddenly became in
| terested. Don't know much about
the Origin Of that one-half of one pes
cent do you?" he quieried. Better
learn the facts before, you get excited
over it."
Facts" snapped the bottled goods
man. whats that got to do with it
Everybody knows that idiotic defni-
ton originated with the drys who
forced Congress at the point Of a
bayonet to put it into the Volstead
Act"
Nonsense, my deaar fellow, every
body knows nothing of the kind" re-
torted the man across the aisle.
THAT definition has been used by the
Internal Revenue Department for
over twenty years. 1t is merely a
construction for the purpose Of aiding
the enforcement of the law and was
fixed by the liquor dealers them
selves"
expect me to believe that foolish
ness?" calculated the first speaker.
Hes quite right" chimed in the
commercial traveller for a big hosiery
house, who was sitting in the next
section, II happen to know that the
one-half of one per cent was fixed
upon originally when near beers had
began to be made. Before that all
beers had been classed as fer
mented liquors. The manufacturers
of near beers began to raise the
question with the Internal Revenu-,
Department that near beers were not
Intoxicating liquors and should not
be subject to tax intended by Con-
gress to apply to intoxicatin
liquors"
THANK you for standing by" said
the grocery man. 81 was just going
to remark that the Internal Revenue
Commissioner, being perplexed as to
what the government meant by the
statute providing that all fermented
ho 20 4aA q
group of specialists to inform him
just how much alcohol beverage
must contain in order to be classed
as 'fermented.' DR.. Max Henius,
former head of college for the
teaching of brewing in Chicago, and
honorary member of the United
States Brewers Association, was
chairman of the group and informed
the Commissioner that if beverage
had in it one-half of one per cent of
alcohol, it should be classed as fer
mented."
"What is more,' proceeded the gro
Gerry salesman, "this one-half of one
per cent was retained because it was
practical and appealed to common
sense. Laws are passed to protect
the weak and not the strong. 1t
would take an abnormal person TO
consume enough of one-half-of-
percent alcoholic beverage to become
intoxicated, and therefore this per
cent was adopted as safe limita-
ton"
The target of this fusillade Of in
formation wiped his perspiring brow,
took another gulp of ice water, and
tried Intellectually to close the con-
versation.
1T is mighty interesting to know"
suggested the hosiery drummer,
again breaking into the discussion,
that this little fraction has proven
so popular as a definition, it has been
incorporated into the laws of most of
the states which had prohibition be-
fore the Eighteenth Amendment and
the Volstead Act came upon the
scene. The real reason for Congress
adopting one-half of one per cent as
the standard was because the eX-
perience of the states that had tried
it clearly demonstrated higher per-
centage made prohibition enforce
ment impossible"
With his self-confdence reduced to
one-half Of one per cent of what it
had been when the conversation be-
gan, the bottled goods representative
prepared to make a hasty exit from
the car. As he passed through the
door, he heard the strident voice of
the grocery man fire this parting
shot: 81 am certain it will please you
and your friends to learn what such
high authority as former Chief
Justice White of the Supreme Court
said on this subject. Let me read it
to you: While recognizing that there