Evening star., 1932-09-19
DR.. BUTLER OFFERS
RUM CONTROL PLAN
System of Estate Liquor
Traffic Authorities" Pro-
Z posed by Educator.
By the Associated Press.

1
NEW YORK. September ia plan
for State liquor traffic control which
he said would be proposed for adoption
In the State Of New York in event the
eighteenth amendment is repealed, was
before the country today, submitted by
DR.. Nicholas Murray Butler.
In addressing his proposals to pub
lie opinion throughout the length and
breadth of the land DR.. Butler last
night. said, the questions involved should
not become the foot ball of purely
partisan politics or the playing of am
bilious candidates eager for political
office"
His plan, he said, was nodded gen.
orally along the lines of the Province
OF Quebec act.
Demands Straight Repeal.
At the outset the Columbia Univer-
eity president emphasized that the sue
cess Of any plan for State liquor traf-
flc control was predicated upon the
'unconditional' repeal of the eight
zenith amendment.
Any attempt to retain or to extend
Federal control over State action in
respect to the liquor traffic" he said,
except as heretofore and now pos
sessed under the interstate commerce
clause, is doomed to failure and worse"
DR.. Butler proposes that liquor be dis
pensed through district depots or ware
, houses under the supervision of State
] liquor traffic authority. The State
would be divided into districts and de
/ pots established at certain distances
from each other and In accordance with
Hpopulation.
Free of Politics.
In setting up a State liquor traffic
. authority 1t would be invested with
full and undivided" power to control
manufacture, transportation and sale.
,, partisan political influence" Its men,
bers should be appointed by the Gov
ternor for overlapping terms of at least
five years.
The element of private or corporate
profit through traffic in liquor" DR..
J Butler said should be wholly excluded
from the moment that the liquor comes
into possession of the State liquor traf-
flc authority"
The liquor traffic would be subject,
! he continued, to both State and Fed
eral taxation and the profits accruing
from operation of the State authority
itself should go into the State treasury.
In this connection, DR.. Butler observed,
the public mind is now set on secur-
ing no inconsiderable revenue from the
liquor traffic" if it is restored.
Low-Priced Beer and Wine.
Asserting 1t would be impracticable
to make any effective and enforceable
distinction between various kinds of
liquor, Dr. Butler said:
The eighteenth amendment has
amply demonstrated that the quickest
QnH RI ipdy,rc IN
desire liquor of anv kind is to tell him
that he cannot have it.
The most practical way to reduce
the use Of spirituous liquors." he con-
tinued. 'is to follow the Quebec ex-
ample of charging heavily for them,
while putting low price on light wines
and beer"
The suggestion was made that when
several adjoining States have adopted
similar systems they could join to-
gether under a common administrative
body, both for economy purposes and
to mitigate problems arising out of
interstate traffic.
For example" he said. "all the
States of New England might be con-
sclidated into single liquor traffic |
area. In like fashion a group of States
whose people wished to continue pro-
hibition, say, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colo
RADIO, Nebraska, Iowa and South Da-
kota, might take similar action with
view to the application and enforce
ment of their uniform body of law on
this subject"
Saloon Weds Speakeasy.
With respect to the saloon, Dr. But
Ter said:
1T is quite idle to talk Of a Fed
eral guarantee against the return of
the saloon. The operation of the eight
eenth amendment and of the Volstead
act have surely made that perfectly
plain. The saloon has not gone
anywhere; it has only married the
speakeasy and taken it's wife's name.
A hundred constitutional amendments
and thousand congressional statutes
could not abolish the saloon. 1t can
only be gotten rid of, as it will be
gotten rid Of by local sentiment oper-
ating through local authority under a
system which outlaws the liquor traffic
when conducted for private profit
The educator closed with the admo-
milton it was of the utmost impor-
tance" that those States not desiring
prohibition shall be prepared with an
effective plan of State liquor traffic
control to take effect Immediately, if
and when the eighteenth amendment is
repealed"