Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-03-25
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

D1 Us OOO1AO LANNOLNs
The house today gave consideration
to the Cullen amendment 10 the rev.
enue bill proposing tax of 3 cents a
pint on ATS per cent beer. An agree
ment was reached to vote at 3:15 pm,
The beer amendment, which Repre-
sentative Cullen of New York, a wet
Democrat, estimates will raise millions
OF dollars Of revenue, was held in or
der by Representative Bankhead Of
Alabama, chairman of the Committee
Of the whole House.
Representative Blanton, Democrat, Of
Texas, an ardent dry, made a point of
order that the beer amendment was not
germane to the bill, and Furthermore
that 1t proposed violation of the
Eighteenth Amendment. Representa-
tive Hoch Of Kansas, another dry, in
sisted the amendment was out of or
der because it proposed to change the
law which says no beverage containing
more than one-hah of / per cent alco-
hol shall be manufactured and sold in
this country.
Amendment Held Germane.
Representative Mass of Minnesota,
wet, retorted that the Treasury Depart
ment now levies an income tax against
bootleggers who make their money out
OF selling unlawful liquor.
Bankhead then ruled the amend
! ment was germane. In this he was
upheld by Representative Crisp of
Georgia, acting chairman of the Ways
| and Means Committee, who pointed out
his committee already had given con-
| sideration to the Cullen amendment.
In the Ways and Means Committee, it
was defeated by a vote Of 81 to 6.
Such an uproar greeted the an
nouncement by the chair that a vote
| on the amendment was in order that
the sergeant-at-arms was called upon
the floor to clear the aisles Of members.
Sees s45e,ooO,oOo Income.
| Taking the floor in support of his
amendment, Cullen intimated his pro-
posed tax on ais per cent beer would
bring into the Federal Treasury $780,
| 600, 900. He told the House 1t would
put large number of men to work
| again and would go far to relieving
unemployment and distress
Representative Blanton made a fiery
attack on the proposal to tax beer,
which he said would be an unconstitu-
| tional beverage. Representa- tive Nc
Cormack of Massachusetts,, Represen-
| tatiye w. E. Hull of Illinois and Rep
resentative Oliver of New York, an
members of the wet bloc, strongly
urged adoption of the amendment.
| Mccormack said it would put half a
million men to work Hull insisted 2.75
per cent beer was not intoxicating. He
said If it were legalized 1t would give the
farmers wide market for their crops
and would give employment to many
workmen reconstructing the breweries.
He said that by selling beer in bottles
and not permitting the drinking of the
beer on the premises it would be pos
siole to prevent return of the saloon.
Crime Reduction Forecast.
| Oliver said if the amendment were
adopted and light beer permitted to be
manufactured and sold, the liquor in
| tereStS would be taken away from the
bootleggers and crime would be enor-
mously reduced.
| Representative Guyer of Kansas, a
| dry. insisted the Supreme Court would
hold the provision unconstitutional
He said it would be a futile thing
| to do.
/ Mrs. Norton of New Jersey, a wet,
told the House mo one can believe
that prohibition has made this country
better place in which to live" She
| said prohibition has resulted in a long
list Of crimes.
| Other vets who supported the amend
ment were Representatives Dyer and
Cochran of Missouri. Dyer pointed out
he was one of the first to introduce
bills to legalize beer after the eight
zenith amendment was adopted.
With the bill shorn of the sales tax
| (Continued on Page 2, Column IL