Evening star., 1933-01-29
Local Sentiment on Beer.

Local Sentiment on ocer.
It is improbable that Congress Will
authorize, as suggested, a referendum
on beer for the District OF Columbia.
But the three questions that the Cru
saders, advocates of the local beer bill,
would have Congress submit to vote
by the people of the District are never
theless interesting because of their
bearing on the general subject of beer
legislation. The three questions are:
Cd Shall the Sheppard bone-dry act
be repealed?
co Pending the repeal OF the eight
eenth amendment, shall the sale OF beer
be authorized in the District OF Co.
lunlbia?
80 Shall Congress adopt modern,
reasonable system of liquor control suit
able for the District of Columbia. to
become effective if and when the eight
ecnth amendment is repealed?
This QUESTIONABLE, requiring fiat
"Yes" or mo" answer, is not unlike the
classic question, Have you stopped
beating your wife?" There are many
who might feel inclined to answer
Eyes" and still feel that necessary con-
ditions and explanations have been
omitted An answer to the first and
second questions, for instance, would
for many persons depend upon what
Congress does as National Legislature
for the Nation at large in the way Of
legalizing beer and other alcoholic
beverages One might feel strongly
opposed to legalizing beer in advance
OF repeating the eighteenth amend
ment, but should Congress declare that
beer is a legal beverage, 1t IS unreason-
able to believe that the District will or
could remain dry. Many would prefer
to know the specifications Of a "rea-
sonable system of liquor control suitable
Tor the District Of Columbia" before
giving an affirmative answer and still
feel that there should be a reasonable
system of control If and when the
liquor traffic is legaliZed.
Then there are many who favor repeal
Of the Sheppard local bone-dry act
only when simultaneously with repeal
there is substituted as local liquor
law an effective system of liquor con-
troll suitable for the District of Colum-
bia." They oppose repeal Of the Shep-
pard local liquor-control law without
Ut the same time enacting a substitute.
They oppose leaving the District for
period without any local liquor-control
law whatever.
In response to the second question
there are many who favor authorize
ton of the sale of beer In the District
only when such sales are made subject
to an effective local system of liquor
control" They feel strongly that there
should be no period during which the
sale of beer is authorized here, free
entirely from an effective system of
liquor control"
In response to the third question
there are many who believe that no
system of liquor control" Is suitable
for the District" unless it gives effect
to the partisan pledges against the
return Of the saloon, and unless it cre-
ates effective safeguards against the re-
turn of the evils Of the saloon that are
as stringent as those which were opera
tive in the District before the saloon
and all liquor traffic were prohibited
Their desire would be to vote for or
against some specific proposed local
System of liquor CONTROL" and not to
vote in the abstract for a reasonable
system of liquor control, leaving it en-
tirely to future Congress to determine
what system is reasonable.
The chief objection to this ques-
tionnaire, therefore, is clearly that it
fails to include the most important of
all questions relating to the proposed
legalization of beer and other liquors.
1t says nothing about the saloon. A
fairer test of local sentiment would be
these:
Do you favor the legalization of beer
and the return of the beer saloon?
Do you favor the legalization of beer,
coupled with effective measures to pre-
vent the return of the saloon?
Do you oppose both the legalization
of beer and the return of the saloon?
Doubtless a number of affirmative
answers to the first and third questions
would be received. But if the majority
sentiment can be gagged by declara-
tions of leaders of both parties Geaving
ocida fho nj rt,acfinyc ~,
connection with legalizing beer before
the eighteenth amendment Is repealed)
1t Is also probable that majority would
answer the second question in the af-
firSative. The preponderance of wet
sentiment Is not to be denied, but the
theme of prediction vets, responsible
In part for moulding some Of this senti-
ment, was that beer and liquors could
b legalized without the return Of the
saloon. Both parties, though differing
as to methods by which it would be pre-
vented, were emphatic in their declara-
tions against the return Of the saloon
The unfortunate part Of the business
now is that legislation upon which
there has been an expression Of opinion
has been so framed as to omit mention
Of the problem Of banning the saloon
That omission caused the failure Of the
naked repeal amendment in the House
That omission accounted for much Of
the criticism leveled against the House
beer proposal. And it is the obvious
difficulty Of legalizing beer in advance
> Of the eighteenth amendments repea
and at the same time assuring the
people that the evils Of the old saloor
will be prevented that accounts for ths
greater part of the suspicion with which
the local beer bill, as proposed, Il
viewed by local citizens.