Evening star., 1932-12-20
HOUSE IN FURIOUS
DEBATE ON BEER
Vote on Proposal for 3.2 Per
Cent Brew Is Expected
Tomorrow.
Continued From First Pase.)

the present Federal levies, along with
the beer tax, will 60 far toward balanc-
Ing the budget" he explained to re-
porters.
Representative Rainey said: "It is USE
less to bring the sales tax before this
House. because this House Is over
whelmingly against It."
Rainey and former Representative
Crisp Of Georgia, led the unsuccessful
fight in the House last Spring for a
manufacturers sales tax.
Garner Silent on Levy.
Speaker Garner has declined to dis
cuss the possibility OF bringing up q
sales tax this session.
A movement to seek to have the Sen
ate add the sales tax to the beer bill
in the event 1t Is passed by the House
Is being discussed In some quarters.
Under the House rules, 1t Is impos-
sible to have the sales tax amended to
the beer bill, but the Senate has no
such retrictions. However. the House
would have a subsequent opportunity to
strike it off the beer measure in the
event the Senate inserted the sales tax.
At his press conference few min
utes before the House met. Speaker
Garner was asked If he believed the
beer bill would pass.
Il hope So" he said.~ II have not
canvassed the situation. imagine the
House will pass some kind Of beer
bill We undoubtedly will reach a vote
this week."
Mrs. Jesse w. Nicholson of Chevy
Chase, Nd, president of the National
Woman's Democratic Law Enforcement
League, distributed an extra" edition
of the Woman Voter among the mem
bers as they entered the chamber. She,
with group Of women prohibitionists,
then took front row in the gallery.
the debate time of six hours would be
equally divided between the vets and
drys in both parties.
Bankhead Presides.
Representative Bankhead. Democrat,
Of Alabama, was made presiding ofacer
by Speaker Garner.
Debate was opened by Rainey. who
explained the bill in detail.
Evidence before the Ways and
Means Committee" he said. shows
that 80 per cent bere by weight or 4
per cent by volume Is n-intoncating
The bill will return much revenue" !"
About two-thirds Of the members were
present and the public galleries were
being crowded more and more. SO guards
had to limit admittancc sharply.
Rainey quoted Prof. Yandeu Hender-
son of Yale as saying that 80 per cent
beer or 4 per cent by volume. alcoholic
content, lis Notwithstanding"
Chairman Collier was granted control
of time on the Democratic side for
those favoring the bill and Representa-
tive Sanders, Democrat, Of Texas, for
those Democrats against 1t.
Representative Hawley was put in
charge of time for Republican debate
against the bill and Representative
Bacharach, Republican, OF New Jersey,
for those favoring it.
Each had an hour and half.
Borah and McNary Listen.
Senator Borah Of Idaho, Republican
dry leader, and Senator McNary OF
Oregon. assistant Republican leader in
the Senate. entered the chamber ana
listened to the debate.
Twenty million barrels Of high-pow-
er beer containing 6 per cent OF alcohol
are sold in this country each year with
out giving any taxes to the Govern
ment," Ratney said.
an enormous amount Of revenue"
Rainey then reviewed the history Of
beer taxes, showing how they had
fluctuated.
Because Of the condition Of the
Treasury and the failure of existing
taxes to bring in enough money. he
said. I'VE must consider new sources
of revenue"
Representative Bankhead. in the
chair, had to interrupt Rainey to ad-
members to step talking and to
preserve order so Rainey could be heard.
Rainey said the bill carried "protec-
ton for the States that choose to stay
dry"
The occupation tax Of $1,000 on brew
ers. he said, will bring in consider
able revenue" and would guarantee"
that the new beverages would be pro-
duced by capable brewers"
Representative Smell remarked that
the Democratic leadership had been
quoted as saying that other than the
beer bill, it will grant no further oppor-
tunity to raise taxes to balance the
budget at this session." want to know
if the Democratic leadership was cor
rectly quoted?" he asked.
Incorrectly Quoted"
mo, it was not Rainey said. He
added, however, that with the revenue
to be had from beer and economies to
be effected the Democratic leadership
hoped to bring the budget nearer to
balance
The first to speak against the BILL
Crowther, Republican. Of
New York, said the presumption" is
that the purpose Of the bill is to pro-
duce revenue
How much it would bring is any,
body's guess" he declared. Nobody
country could get up to their average
He quoted q representative Of the
brewers as saying that about $4,000, 900
barrels Of liquor could be produced in
the United States the first year.
Under this bill. at the rate Of IS a
oarrell. that would bring In only $75,-
300 ,00O," Crowther asserted.
There's one thing of which we can
be certain-if the balancing of the bud
get depends upon the revenue coming
from this bill the budget is going to be
out OF balance long time"
CrOwther said witnesses before the
House Ways and Means Committee had
Uttered over what constitutes intoxicat-
ng beer.
Sitting far back on the Republican
'ide OF the chamber as debate warmed
was William D. Upshaw, the Prohibition
party's presidential candidate this year.
Upshaw once was a Democratic Repre-
from Georgia.
Il don't think It's constitutional to
put beer bill into the law so long q
the eighteenth amendment is in the