Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-27
RUMORS OF LEGAL BEER
PERSIST AGAINST DENIALS
Act of Congress Necessary to Permit
3 Per Cent Beverage-Wet Legis-
lators in Minority.

But II One-haN OF j per cent u q
legislative falsehood. 1t was the brewers
national prohibition, when the brewers
had as much power In politics as the
Anti-Saloon League has now. the brew
ers were jealous Of soft drinks, such as
Coca-Cola, Sarsaparilla. ginger ale and
root beer. The brewers had to pay @
very heavy tax on their beer, and they
wanted to make as many soft drinks
as possible pay the same tax. So they
invented the theory that any soft drink
containing more than one-hah of per
cent alcohol was intoxicating. The
brewers invented that theory, and, with
the political power they had, got Con-
gress- to adopt it. There 1t stood. embed
ded in the statutes. When national pro-
hibition came and the tables were turned.
with the Anti-Sa1oon League succeeding
to the power the brewers had had
when that happened, on the adoption
of the prohibition amendment Congress
simply kept the old standard Of what
constitutes an intoxicating liquor"
and there 1t stands to this day. result
ing in the exile of beer. Congress, any
time it chooses, by q simple majority
vote, can substitute instead Of the figure
~" the figure 49," and from that
moment we can have beer.
Vets in Minority.
Are there any present signs Of Con-
gress taking this step, altering "A" TO
49," and thus bringing back beer?
There are no measurable signs within
Congress. That body is about as dry
as it has been for the past 10 years.
The vets may have made few additions
to their strength. but the aggregate Is
not impressive. A few drys In Congress
may be ready to switch in order to keep
step with change Of sentiment In their
States and districts: but this number Of
potential and willing converts is ike
wise not impressive. A census Of the
Senate with respect to prohibition, COM
piled or estimated by william Hard,
who has an accurate mind and rather
favors the vets, runs as follows:
Total number Of Senator'S. ....... 96
Dry votes .''............'..'. 10
Wet votes ...21
Possible desertion from dry to wet. IL
Total possible maximum of wet votes SO
Votes necessary to bring back beer. ..4s
But is there any change in public
opinion about beer, Of the sort that
Congress would quickly take notice OFF
There Is some such change. The ire
pressibility Of the rumor about beer
coming back Is itself an evidence Of
public Judgment about the likelihood
Of 1t. The earnest activity Of some
labor organizations In favor Of beer u
further evidence. The large amount Of
opinion favortng beer among the Ameri-
can Legion is yet another evidence. AL
these evidences are the sort that COM
monty express themselves in Congress.
There Is yet further evidence, a
kind Of evidence by analogy. One can
learn from history Cor just now one can
learn by looking about him) that when
people or nations or states or other
communities need money, when the
weight of the stax-gatherers' levy weighs
heavily on the community, when legis-
lative bodies are, forced to seek new
things to tain that sort Of ctrcum.
stance communities ere sometimes WILL
ing to recede . little from an extreme
Puritan point Of view for the sake Of
the taxes that may be procured. During
this present depression two States which
formerly outlawed race track betting
have legalized 1t and put heavy tax
upon it. At least one State which
formerly outlawed cigarettes, has now
legalized them-and put heavy tax
upon them. am told that two other
States are about to do the same.
In the spirit Of this tendency 1t may
be that Congressman and members of
look longingly on the possibilities Of
beer.
Increased Revenue Seen.
Not only the National Government
but the State government could get an
immense revenue out Of restored beer.
It would be no trick ct all for the FED
eral Government to get revenue @
quarter TO half Q billion dollars Q year
out Of legalized beer. And the State
governments could get an additional
revenue amounting In the aggregate to
something like the same.
In pre-prohibition days the Federal
tax on beer was So q barrel, together
with high license fees for manufacturers,
wholesalers and retailers. In addition.
each of the States that permitted the
sale Of beer had high license fees on
the retailer II So barrel was the tax
in 1914, before taxgatherers had become
what they now are, present-day tax OF
$40 or even more would not be out of
proportion to the universal change that
has taken place in standards Of tax
alton. @-,et 50
Another main argument Of the advo-
Gates of beer Is that It would bring
back, or greatly help to bring back.
prosperity and provide employment for
the iobless. There isn't much in that
Since the beer story began its rounds
an acquaintance of the writer took the
trouble to find out just how many men
were engaged in brewing in pre-prohl-
bition days. The total number In 1914,
employed in 1,347 brewing and mailing
establishments, was 77,364-not much
in a present aggregate unemployed OF
five to six million. The total Dusneb
of grain consumed was about thirty
seven million net, not much In total
aggregate grain crop OF t1ve ana nalI
billions Of bushels.