Evening star., 1930-06-13
Government Liquor
Selling Advocated

From the Philadelphia Bulletin.
Former Senator Frelinghuysen of
New Jersey, in his campaign declara-
ton on the prohibition issue, advocates
repeal of the eighteenth amendment
and follows the lead of former Gov.
James M. Cox of Ohio, in advocating
Government control of the manufac-
ture and sale of alcoholic beverages.
The Ohio proposal forbidding the man
uIacture and sale Of such liquor by
private or corporate interests leaves the
field open for State or Federal enter
prise. Mr.. Frelinghuysen apparently
leans to Federal control Of manufacture
and sale.
Direct Government sale Of LIQUOR Is
not wholly unknown in the history of
the attempted regulation of liquor traf-
nc which runs back for many years,
There had been State dispensaries and
State agencies years before Federal pro-
hlpit1on came into sight. The propo-
sition cannot be regarded as wholly
beyond the possible functions of gov
ernment under the American plan.
South Carolina tried the dispensary
system In the nineties and for IA years
tolerated 1t, with growing dissatisfac-
ton, until nearly all Of its original pro-
moters rejected 1t and vets and drys
alike denounced 1t. Nine years after
the adoption Of the plan the records of
the Internal Revenue Bureau showed
that there were over 400 retail LIQUOR
dealers In the State, and there were
only 104 legal dispensaries at that
time. The internal revenue laws were
enforced; the State diSpensary law was
not. Corruption was widespread. There
was keen competition for dispensary
jobs and political machines were built
around the privilege.
,d1.a1 In the course I, OF 20 years official
142 counties in the Southern group of
States and the experience of that time
had not a little to do with turning
the sentiment Of the South to prohibi-
ton.
The Canadian system, varying some
what in the several provinces contents
itself chiefly with strict Government
control of the sales of hard LIQUOR and
does not involve Government manufac-
ture. Nova Scotia for several years
tried an experiment in prohibition of
private enterprise in the liquor traffic
and the maintenance of q system of
government vendors, which, on the au-
thority of a survey made last year by
the Association Against the Prohibition
Amendment, was described by COM
petent and unprejudiced observers-gov-
ernment officials or employees, newspaper
editors and business men-as being shot
through with greed, hypocrisy and cor
ruption." the statement being made
elsewhere in the survey that blind pigs
were running throughout the province
and rum running on an extensive scale
was done with impunity."
Probably the most successful form of
government participation, such as is
suggested by Coy. Cox and Senator
Frelinghuysen, Is the Bratt system in
Sweden, where royal board of control,
appointed by the King, has supreme
jurisdiction over all liquor traffic, q
limited-dividend corporate monopoly,
under government supervision, with all
earnings over z per cent going to the
state, controls manufacture, importation
and wholesale distribution, and retail
sales are handled by a hundred or more
supervised corporations, with dividends
limited to 5 per cent and all surplus
going to the state.
To those who regard the solution
Of the prohibition problem as deter
minable on the basis of expediency. any
plan which promises an improvement
upon the present conditions of boot
Logging will receive attention. But
even for that proportion of the public
mind there win be needed q definite
exposition Of the program to be sub
mltted and a reasonable demonstration
OF ltS eflciency to overcome a cautious
hes1tancy which makes US rather bear
the ills we have than fly to others that
we know not Of"