Evening star., 1932-12-21
|32BEER BILL Wins
FIRST SK|RM|SHES
House Turns Down Amend
ment to Strike Out En-
acting Clause.
tContinued From First Page.)


further delay.
While the result of this vote does not
necessarily mean the passage of the
Collier beer bill by the House, since the
blu still us, IS open pen. t. to ANS amsndmsnt' ndna it
approval Of the House.
The first amendment proposed to the
beer bill today was offered by Repre-
sentative O'Comor He proposed that
Congress should declare that the beer
authorized under the bill Is mot In
toxicating in effect
Representative Treadway of Massa-
chusetts asked if Mr.. O'Connor believed
that his amendment would have any
bearing on an opinion of the Supreme
Court IS to the constitutionality Of the
beer bill.
Eyes. do" replied Mr.. O'Connor.
He said that a declaration by the New
York Legislature regarding the rent
law had had its influence on the deci-
sion of the Supreme Court, which up
held that law.
Mapes Offers Laugh.
Representative Blanton of Texas,
dry, told the House that in his opinion
1t would be both hypocritical and ridic-
ulous to write into this bill that the pro-
posed beer was n-intoxicating.
Representative Mapes q Michigan,
an ardent dry, gave the House good
laugh when he offered as an amend
ment to the O'Connor amendment
proposal which declared that beer has
the same ingredients as milk.
During the debate yesterday Repre-
sentative Sirovich argued at length to
show that beer and milk had the same
INGREDIENTS
"There would be just as much logic"
said Mr.. Mapes, in declaring that beer
and milk had the same ingredients as
to declare that this proposed beer is
Intoxicating.
The Mapes amendment was shouted
down by the House.
The amendment offered by Repre-
sentative OConnor Of New York, de-
claring the proposed beer not intox-
icating in fact. also was defeated on
a vive voce vote. Mr.. O'Connor had
urged adoption of his amendment by
influence Of the Supreme Court In de-
Gliding the constitutionality OF the beer
bill
Beck Opposes Amendment.
Representative Beck of Pennsylvania,
another wet, told the House he did not
OSOGNe LIE LCSCoooAS.
An amendment offered by Repre-
sentative La Guardia of New York
would have made wine of 80 per cent
alcoholic content legal as well as beer.
Representative Collier, chairman of the
Ways and Means Committee, inlne-
diately made a point of order against
the amendment on the ground that it
was not germaine. Representative
Bankhead of Alabama. in the chair,
upheld the point of order and the La
Guardia amendment was disregarded.
The next amendment was offered by
Representative Palmisano of Maryland,
who proposed to reduce the tax from
IS a barrel on beer to So barrel. He
argued that beer was to be the drink
Of the poor man and that to levy a high
tax would so increase the price that the |
poor man could not buy it.
Defeated by Viva VOce Vote.
The Palmisano amendment was de-
feated on a viva voce vote.
Representative Michener offered an
amendment reducing the alcoholic
content from 80 per cent to 2.75
per cent. Michener said the House
had Just gone on record as refusing
to declare in the beer bill that 3.2
pS1 cent Deer Is uOn-ulUOAlCdIulS NIlS1i ]
it defeated the O'Connor amendment.
This action of the House at least
raises the question" said Michener, "as
to whether 80 per cent beer is intoxi-
eating. I believe that my amendment
reducing the alcoholic content to 2.75
per cent is justified under the circum-
stances"
Advocates of 1egalization of mon
intoxicating" beer, and some who are
not so particular whether it is intoxi-
eating or not, insist the measure will
hopeful that because of divisions of
opinion among the vets themselves, the
bill may fail in the end.
With the general debate-six hours
Of it-out of the way, the House soon
after it met today took the beer bill
up under the "5-minute" rule. Mem
bers have the right to speak for 5
minutes under this rule on any amend
ment that may be proposed. Despite
the efforts of those who wish an early
vote on the measure this kind of debate
may run for long time.
Regulation Is Sought
The proposed amendments to the bill |
take at least two main lines. One would |
reduce the alcoholic content from 80
per cent by weight or practically 4 per |
cent by volume to 275 per cent by
weight, or even less. The other group |
OF amendments would provide for some
method of regulation of the sale of the
beer, going in some cases to the extent |
Of banning its sale in anything that |
might resemble the old saloon.
The bill as it now stands makes no |
effort whatever at regulation of the |
sale of the beer, except that it does
make a play at protecting dry" States
and the District of Columbia from an
invasion Of beer from the wetter ter
ritory outside.
Representative La Guardia will make
a fight to see that some method
of strict regulation relating to the
sale Of the beer be adopted. He |
does not want, he says, to see
10-year fight against the eighteenth |
amendment spoiled at the last moment |
by ill-considered legislation to modify
the VolStead act.
La Guardia wants to require States |
that have repealed their prohibition |
enforcement laws to take affirmative ac-
tion toward legalizing beer This, he |!