Evening star., 1933-12-10
Local Opinion on Liquor Control.

puDuSneQ nereln- AL rigntS OF publication OF
special dispatches herein are also reserved
Local Opinion on Liquor Control.
Those who believe it possible to OBJ
tain a unanimous opinion of a large
group of citizens on the best way to
control the liquor traffic should study
with profit the situation now prevail
ing in Maryland. Gov. Ritchie wisely
presented to the Assembly control bill
that had as its keystone the preserva-
tion of Maryland traditions regarding
home rule. The counties could apply
this bill in whole or in part, as far as
the licensing sections were concerned,
and the counties have done exactly
that.
In nearby Montgomery the system
Of control is based on the county -oper-
ated dispensary plan. But in Prince
Georges the sale of liquor is left in the
hands of licensed, private individuals
and liquor can be drunk on the prem
ises in hotels, clubs and restaurants. or
obtained in packages from stores. In
Frederick County only beer can be sold,
as the people have delayed their deci-
sion on hard liquors until referendum
next Fall. In Hartford County only
light wines and beer may be sold. In
Anne Arundel the sale of hard liquors
Is confined to Annapolis, and IN An
napolis can be drunk on the premises
only at hotels, restaurants or clubs. In
Baltimore the saloon, under the name
of tavern, but without the swinging
blinds and curtained windows Of the
"old" saloon, is in operation. In CAL
vert County liquor can be obtained
only in package form except at the
beach resorts, Chesapeake and North
Beach, where the tavern is permitted.
In Charles County there is only the
"off sale" privilege, but in st. Marys
County the regulations permit the sa-
loon. In Carroll County permits for the
sale of hard liquor will be granted only
in the city Of Westminster.
There is a difference Of opinion re-
rarding the control of liquor in Mary
land which does not rest strictly on the
traditional lines of city and rural
preference. Baltimore allows taverns,
but Annapolis does not. Frederick re-
mains practically dry for the time being,
while Hagerstown and Cumberland per-
NIT con sale" in hotels, restaurants and
clubs. st. Marys County will have
saloons, but Garrett County, on the
other side of the State, remains bone
dry and last Summer by referendum
turned thumbs down on 80 per cent
beer.
If Maryland's plan of liquor control
succeeds, it will be largely because OF
its elasticity in meeting the preferences
of the different elements Of popula-
tion-about $500, ,O00-which, on &C.
count Of local traditions and ante
cedents, entertains positive ideas about
the liquor traffic. Maryland Is an ex-
cellent example Of the varying degrees
of wetness, because Maryland has al
ways been regarded as one OF the
wettest Of the wet States-the only
State Of the Nation which never enacted
q State enforcement bill after the adop-
ton Of the eighteenth amendment
There is a lesson in the condition
found in Maryland for the people OF
Washington, who are now taking part
in discussions at the District Building
over the form of liquor control to be
favored when Congress gets to work on
the business next month. It would be
erroneous to interpret the various sug-
gestions made to the Commissioners,
some of them directly conflicting, as
representing any significant failure OF
agreement. There has been significant
unanimity of opinion, for instance.
against the return of the saloon and in
favor of the effective outlawry Of the
bootlegger. Among those who favor
control as against continued prohibi-
ton, one group Federation Of Citizens
Associations f>Sars the District-owned
liquor supply Establishments, with
licensing for A.stsis, restaurants. ETC.,
of ION sale" f-lvileges, while another
group (the Bosed of Trade) favors the
licensing systeA in preference to Gov
ernment-owned stores. The hometown
ers, generally speaking, are anxious to
prevent encroachment Of liquor estab-
lishments In residential territories. or
In the neighborhood of schools, churches,
Soldiers Home and other areas from
which liquor sales were barred under
control regulations before total prohibi-
ton; but one business group Is anxious
to avoid restrictions on locations which
will interfere with opportunity dor
private profit. And almost everybody
seems to agree that, whatever form OF
control is chosen, it should be obeyed
or strictly enforced.
The value of the different suggestions
does not lie in obtaining any unanimity
OF opinion on details of control. That
Is impossible, here or anywhere else
The value Of these hearings lies In pre-
pairing the Commissioners and the cttt.
Eens for the later formal hearings ir
Congress When opinions are given by
spokesmen before the committees oi
Congress as much thought win be given
to the source of these opinions as te
the practicability Of the suggestions Ct.
fered. Congress will be able to tudgs
the influences which motivate thoss
opinions; whether suggestions are made
from selfish hope Of gain, or whether
they are offered sincerely from the poin'
of view of the community's interest