Evening star., 1933-03-20
DISTRICT BEER BILL
GIVEN FAVORABLE
REPORT TO HOUSE
Only One Member Records
Opposition in Session
After Hearing.
CHURCH AND TEMPERANCE
WORKERS OFFER PROTEST
Tax Is Cut to 81 Per Barrel and
Of-Sale License Fee Is
Raised to $50.

The House District Committee today
reported the District beer bill with only
one member recorded in opposition,
Representative Stalker, Republican, OF
New York
This decision was taken after brief
executive session following the final
hearing given to church and temperance
union workers, who sought last oppor-
tunity to register their protest against
this legislation.
The committee made several changes
In the bill. The tax was cut from 81 20
to 81 per barrel. Hotels are allowed to
get license, but they must secure
separate license for each establishment.
Of-SaIe Fee Raised.
The off sale license fee which is
license to sell the beer in containers to
be consumed of the premises, was in
creased from $25 to $50.
The committee decided that regard
ing the alcoholic content Of beer, what
ever is carried in the national beer act
should be the percentage used in the
District act
Speaker Rainey has announced that
the District beer bill is one of three
major issues of emergency legislation
to be acted upon by the House this
week. 1t is placed on his program i'm
mediately following the farm relief bill
which Is scheduled to come up tomorrow.
Four new members of the House Dis
trict Committee took issue with oppo-
nents Of the District beer bill who
crowded the District Committee room
today.
Representative Everett M. Derksen,
Republican, of Illinois, told them he
was interested in the alcoholic content
of the bill because it had kick and
a thrill in it in spite of the fact that
he is a Presbyterian"
Mrs. Virginia E. jerks of Indiana
told some of the women, who had been
pleading with the committee to protect
the morals Of the younger generation
and said that they were speaking as
representatives of the Christian woman
hood Of the country, that she resented
the use Of the word Christian be-
cause she herself "is Christian. mother
of a 19-year-old daughter, and that
they did not know from personal
observation regarding the conditions
that exist after 10 o'clock at night"
Answers Protests.
Representative George Burnham, Re-
publican, Of California, replying to a
protest against allowing beer gardens to
be opened. said he would much prefer
to have his family of six children sit
ting with their parents under a tree
drinking beer where everybody could see
them, than running around in an auto
mobile with whisky flask on their hip
Representative Carl NJ Weideman,
Democrat, of Michigan. answering a
speaker who had told of seeing children
crawling under bar room door and be-
ing kicked out, asked her as to what
her organization had done to help
school children to get food.
In the absence of Chairman Norton
Of the District Committee, who still Is
confined to sick bed, Representative
Palmisano took charge of the emer-
gency meeting today in order to get the
District beer bill reported to the House
where the leaders have given it privi-
legged status for emergency action this
week.
Demand for Vote Made.
Acting Chairman Palmisano precipi-
tated demand for voting privileges
in the District when he asked the
protestants if they did not believe that
the people Of the District should have
rights as the rest of the people Of the
country When he asked how the peo-
pie would get the right unless the Dis
trict Committee acted on this meas
ure, he was greeted with a chorus of
LET us vote
The women opposing the bill protect
ed that "the people have nothing to
Palmisano asked them if they were as
anxious to vote on all other District
matters as against the beer bill
DR.. w. S. Abernethy, pastor OF Cal
vary Baptist Church. told the commit
tee that his congregation is united in
opposition to the beer bill for the Dis
trict of Columbia. They believe that
the Sheppard act which IS still on the
statute books, has not been wiped out
by the Volstead act. He said that they
are opposed to beer and liquor traffic
on moral grounds.
Representative Burnham in reply
said that he was also in favor of tenn
perance. He believes the question Of
sobriety and temperance is one of edu-
cation in the home and that the ge-
henna Of conditions under prohibition
proved to him that conditions are now
worse than they were before prohibition.
Questioned by Weideman.
Mrs. Stone president of the Columbia
Bible Training School, asked members
If they thought it was high privilege
for them to vote to allow the District
to open beer gardens. Representative
Weideman of Michigan asked Mrs.
Washington had been debauched and
acquired a drinking habit since % per
cent wine has been available to them.
Representative Burnham told the
protestants who had been emphasizing
their zeal in work for the youth of the
land, that he himself has had consid-
cradle experience as an organizer OF
Boy Scouts and the Order of De Molay
and that from his wide, practical ex-
perience in life he believes that the
right way to handle problems of intoxi-
cation is through proper control and
regulation, as is provided in the District
beer bill.
Representative Stalker. who voiced
the only opposition in the committee
to the bill won cheer from the
crowded attendance Of organized tenn
perance workers by declaring "The
vets are digging their own grave"
Mrs. Jencken Joins Burnham.
Mrs. Jencken joined with Representa-
tive Burnham in emphasizing that the
way to properly train children to with
stand temptation Of the liquor traffic
Is in the home.
Mrs. F. c. Brinley, president OF the
Northern Star Chapter OF the w: G.
T. u, also pleaded with the committee
for protection of youth.
Representative Derksen broke up the
hearing when he declared that, al.
though a newcomer. he has received
cards from a number Of bootleggers,
that he has found Maryland rye OF
very poor quality and that ne was
speaking as Presbyterian ana WIN
a broad knowledge of conditions as
they haye developed under prohihitaons