Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-27
RETURN OF SALOON
SEEM IN BEER PLAN
Many in Congress Fear Loss
of Control in 8 or q Per
Cent Beverage.
Continued From First Page.l

sale of the or 4 per cent beer. Buying
a glass of this beer over the bar cannot
by the widest stretch of imagination be
considered interstate commerce" 1t was
said. And the only avenue OF approach
which the Government has to control
sales. except for an excise tax, Is
through the interstate commerce clause
Of the Constitution.
ONLY the States and subdivisions Of
States might act to prevent re-estab-
lishment of the beer saloon, these mem
bers of Congress pointed out Who
believes, said one, that New York State,
for example, would be keenly interested
in the way beer was sold, provided it
could be sold.
Vets Against Saloon.
The vets for the most part all pro-
claim their opposition to return of
the saloon. Even those who advance
the proposal that beer be restored
through the process of amending the
Volstead act and increasing the alco-
holic content, say they are against the
If they take that position" said
Senator Brookhart of Iowa, they are
either fooling themselves or the public
generally. Change the content of al
cohol permitted under the law to 3 or
per cent and the Federal Govern
ment cannot control sales of beer.
Personally, / believe that such a
change in the law, seeking to nullify
the eighteenth amendment of the Con-
stitution, would be held by the SUI
preme Court to be unconstitutional
Senator Watson, Republican leader
of the Senate and a member Of the
also gave It as his opinion that the
Federal Government would not be able
to control sales of beer after 1t was
once legalized.
The action of the American Legion
in Detroit. declaring for a referendum
on the eighteenth amendment, has not
on the surface disturbed those MEM
bers Of Congress who have stood for
the prohibition amendment. They do
not think that 1t will give the beer
proposal any real help in the coming
Congress.
If there is to be any turnover of
major proportions in the alignment on
the prohibition question in Congress 1t
is not likely to come until after the
1882 elections, in their opinion. The
present Congress would not, they in
sist, pass a beer bill If 1t were recon-
mended to them by the President.
And in high official quarters it is still
insisted that the President has no in
tention whatever to recommend a beer
measure to the Congress when it meets
in December.
Time Limit on States.
Senator Couzens at Detroit said II
seven years were set as limit in which
States might act on an amendment to
the eighteenth amendment, three
fourths might agree to repeal. If the
time we're shorter, he is sure three
fourthe could not be so induced
Delighted" was the way Senator
Bingham expressed his feeling on the
Legion action. He predicted public
opinion would be greatly Influenced.
A strong administration hacker
Bingham disclosed he intends to re-
introduce his bill for 4 per cent beer
Like so many others, his eye Is on
1882. He said.
Il believe it Important to have a
test on the question. even though the
bill be defeated. We are confronted
with an election and l believe it highly
desirable that members of Congress
should go on record''
The Agricultural Department is