Evening star., 1926-06-20
La GUARD|A'S BEER
FOUND NOT So GOOD
Journalistic ConnoiSSeurS
Get Return of Old Familiar
Dark Brown Taste.

Representative La Guardia's s expert
ment yesterday in his Office in the
House Office Building ot obtaining a
284 per cent beer by mixing malt
tonic of 3,75 per cent alcoholic con-
tent with common, everyday near
beer was followed last night by a
run" on local drug stores by the
doubtful ana thirsty who wished TO
ver' Y his statement that the mixture
proGuced pIlatable drink.
But most of the inquirers were
answered at the drug stores with the
statement tnat the particular brand of
malt extract used by MIR. La Guardla
in his chemical eXperiment-and re-
Gently perlnIlted TO be sold under
ruling OF the Treasury Department
has not reached Washington in suffi-
cient quantities to be on sale gen
orally.
\ selected group of newspaper
men, however, determined last night
to test the brew for their own sat
isfaction ana to fuuIu the duty
which they hold, as members of the
Fourth Estate, in relation to the
pubic at large. \ messenger boy
was dispatched to drue store and
ordered to bring back me matt tonic
used by Mr.. LA Guard4d ut something
as near 10 it as possible. lie returned
with a 35c bottle Of {, malt extract
put out by another company and
containing not exceeding 4.15 per
cent alcohol by volume, and this was
mixed with d brand OF near beer ac-
cording to the proportions prescribed
by the New York Congressman.
Opinions Differ Widely.
Opinions of the investigators diff
fered widely. Some of them thought
it might taste worse; other declared
it couldn't.
If this is beer" one noted con-
noiseur declared, Il shall vote against
any modification of the dry law"
Why go 10 all the trouble and eX-
pense," asked another, when it is SO
simple to get the real article?"
It's not so bad, If you have to drink
it, said another authority, but the
blessing is that you don't"
The impression was shared by many
that the drink leaves dark brown
taste in the mouth somewhat compar-
able to powdered quinine, and that if
taken in any quantity brings about a
heavy, detected feeling III that portion
as the "tummy."
Mr.. La Guardia'S. contention was,
however, and the purpose of his ex
pertinent was to prove, he said, that
under existing law and departmental
rulings ii is possible to have pure,
2.I5 per cent beer, costing in the
neighborhood of Is cents glass.
Wheeler Issues Statement.
While this may be possible. Wayne
B. Wheeler of the Anti-Saloon League
doubts if it is legal. Before the foam
had ceased to bubble on Mr.. La Guar
dias experimental glass of beer Mr..
Wheeler issued a statement.
Such use of the malt tonic. he said.
is as Illegal as it is to take any other
kind OF liquor and make it into a
bootleg substitute
Officials at the Treasury Depart.
ment We're inclined to take the Incl
dent lightly, if not laughingly, while
no comment was made by officials OF
the Department of State, the Depart
mert of Agriculture. the War Depart
ment, the Navy Department the De-
partment of Commerce, the Interior
Department. the Labor Department,
Post Office Department or Justice De-
partment, and officials of the Inter
state Commerce Commission were
silent.
Officials at the Treasury recalled
their previous findings, however, that
the high percentage of solid content
in the malt extract made 1t imprac-
ucable for beverage purposes, and
were willing to predict that there
would be no drunken orgies resulting
from imbibing it in large quantities
n I)OI9n n rn 70 ri
vision of the prohibition unit SAID the
La Guardia experiment had been
made in other cities and found to be
more novel than practicable"
La Guardia After Principle.
On the other hand, Mr. La Guardia,
before starting his demonstration,
issued a 50-word statement, asserting
that he sought to show that under
existing law and departmental rul-
ings it is possible to have pure 2.75
per cent beer"
1t was the principle Of the thing,
not the beer, that he stuck UP for.
If YOU can get beer in a round
about way" ne declared, then there
is no reason Why the law should not
be simpliiied so you can get 1t di.
rectly."
Mr.. La Guardia conducted his en-
pertinent in his private Office after
efforts to muster a quorum of the
House alcoholic liquor traffic commit
tee, of which he is the only wet mem
ber, had failed. Chairman Hudson
of the committee and Representative
w. T. Fitzgerald of Ohio and Browne
of Wisconsin, both Republicans,
were the only ones to show up.
All of these declined to accompany
La Guardia to his office, although
Representative Green of Florida, a
Democrat on the committee, ap-
peared, but declined to sample the
beverage.
Sees Danger i'm Permit.
1--WE call attention TO the fact"
Mr.. Doran said, when the permit
for this malt tonic was issued, that
it was fraught with danger and could
easily be used by liquor law violators
to make an acceptable malt beverage
containing more than one-half of one
per cent.
The permit for 3.75 per cent malt
tonic was granted on the ground that
it was a medicinal preparation unfit
for beverage use. Mr. La Guarula
has made no new discovery He is
simply advertising 4 bootleg idea
Drug clerks have tried the same
thing and have been arrested for
doing it.
Our reports show this tonic has
not been in great demand as a medi.
cine. If it becomes popular as an
Illicit drink, it will probably be sup
pressed"