The Washington times., 1924-09-23
DRUGG|STSHEAR
DISCUSSION
Of rum
Association President Would
Have Members Not
Handle Liquor


Handle Liquor
Improvement Of the drug trade
during the coming year and the
druggists unsought and undesirei
relation to the prohibition law were
treated In the reports Of officers of
the National Association of Retail
Druggists at the first business meet
ing of the organizations twenty.
sixth annual convention in Conven.
ton Hall today.
1t was shown In these reports
that the druggists, In the first place,
were industrious Of handling liquor
supplies. In this connection, Presi-
dent John H. Webster said:
Prohibition has brought to the
retail druggist a very perplexiflg
problem which we remind you was
foreseen at the beginning, when VIC
sought to avoid the responsibility
involved in the handling and dis.
pensing Of liquor, but which oblixa.
tion the Government saw fit to
thrust upon U.S."
Against Handling Rum.
President Webster declared that
while the pharmacists as a profess
sion do not wish to shirk responsi.
oint1es to the public and the med.
teal profession nevertheless "wher,
certain bad conditions. threaten as
a result OF accepting such responsi.
btity many have decided the prac-
tical way out 10 to decline to handle
liquor at all and under all circum.
stances such action is quite justi.
fable"
ITO those who prostitute the
drug business with an illegal liquor
traffic, he told the druggists, who
applauded their executives stand,
only condemnation is due. Our
association always has and, / trust,
always will stand for law enforce.
ment, but, at the same time, we in.
sist on enforcement according to
law"
The association, he said, has con.
sistently, opposed the Cramton bill.
introduced at the last session of
Congress, which would divorce the
prohibition unit from the Bureau of
Internal Revenue. The passage Of
such a law would mean that the
right of appeal to the Commissioner
OF Internal Revenue on LIQUOR cases
affecting the drug profession would
be denied.
Appeals Successful.
I'VE have no desire to stand in
the way of enforcement features of
the prohibition law" PresidSl1t Web
ster pointed out. ITO the contrary,
we have always stood ready TO CO.
operate with the prohibition unit
In enforcing the law as applied to
pharmacies. We also, however,
stand just as firmly for our rights
as outlined in the permissivei fea.
lures of the law"
He told the. delegates that ap.
peals to the Commissioner Of In.
ternal Revenue have been success.
ful In several instances, saving the
drug trade from much hardship and
confusion"
President Webster branded as
absolutely unfair" the tactics of
the proponents of the Crafnton act
in making wet" and dry" issue
out Of the legislative battle.
The subject was treated even
more extensively in the report of
the executive committee, made by
it's chairman, julius III. Riemen-
schneider.
He stated that the committee
''offers no objection to the prohibit
ton commissioner being clothed
with absolute power IN the enforce
ment of the prohibitive features
Of the national prohibition act"
I'VE do, however, most vigorous
ly protest against the attempt to
clothe that official" he said, with
like power in the peemissiSe feature
of the act for the simple reason
that the methods employed In run
ming down srnugglers, Illicit dis
tillers, bootleggers and other law
less elements should not be applied
to the supervision Of. a lawful In
dustry."
Relief Wanted.
National Secretary Samuel G.
Henry, in reporting, told the con.
vention the rapidly multiplying reg.
ulations of one kind and another
furnished one reason why the re-
tail druggists of the nation are
'crying out for relief"
"It Is a self-evident fact that re-
lief must come and come quickly
he said. "either through the volun.
tary acts Of departmental chiefs or
through appeal to the courts for
American pharmacy is no longer in
frame Of mind to submit willingly
to the dictation Of laymen tenn.
porarily occupying official positions
whose chief aim IL to make a
record for the departments over
which they preside"
The speakers also took up rhe
subjects Of the so-called "druyless