Evening star., 1933-11-23
MARYLAND and the District.

UdIylduu dllu VIZ OASeAAS"
While Washingtonians through their
civic and trade organizations are fanil-
iarizing themselves with various plans
and principles Of the new-era liquor
control in preparation for congressional
hearings on legislation Of this character
for the District, Marylands Legisla-
ture meets at Annapolis today to enact
q State control act by December S.
If Gov Ritchie's recommendations
are, as usual, followed, the keystone OF
Maryland's control act will be the
principle of local option and the right
of each county to decide, first, whether
to remain wet or dry, and, If wet, to
choose the degree Of wetness preferred
by a majority of its citizens. Il see no
possible solution Of the liquor question
in this State except on the principle of
local option" Gov. Ritchie has told
the legislators. His plan sets up seven
types of licenses. A county, or the
City of Baltimore, choosing to accept
the proposed State law in whole will
license, in addition to the bee- and
"off sale" establishments selling hard
liquors and wines, "tavernS" for the
sale of hard liquors and wines by the
glass. Another county may decide to
issue only one or two types Of licenses.
Still another may prefer to remain dry
altogether and issue no licenses.
Regardless of what Congress decides
for the District in the way of after
repeal legislation, the fundamental and
striking difference between Maryland's
proposed uniform law, with local option
. determining the degree of application,
and the law for the District Of Columbia
will be that the people of Maryland will
decide the matter for themselves, while
the people Of Washington will have the
matter decided for them. 1t is to be
hoped, and Of course it Is to be as
sumed that Congress, in legislating for
the District on this important matter,
will sympathetically consider the views
Of all Washingtonians who appear be-
fore the committees. But even with
such sympathetic consideration assured,
the difference between Maryland's priv
ileges and the District of Columbia's S
lack Of them will remain.
This difference Is important. A cit
tzens' association recently adopted a
resolution asking that the section Of
the community it represents remain
dry. One of the dry organizations has
gone on record for re-enactment of a
law corresponding to the Sheppard act,
which preceded the Volstead act for the
District Of Columbia Interest has been
manifested by local Residents in a map
published last Winter in The Star (and
reprinted today in the news columns)
showing the extent Of the area in the
District declared dry and closed to sa-
looms by successive acts of Congress
prior to the Sheppard act If it is to
be granted that the prevailing local
sentiment is wet, due allowance must
be made for the sentiment that is dry
dIlu 1OI Illc ScllCl1leIlI IIldL llldy NC
pronouncedly neither wet nor dry but
is vigorously alert to the necessity for
protecting home neighborhoods against
cncroachment by liquor-sales establish
ments.
Both Mrs. Norton and Senator King
have indicated wish that whatever
rerIllati0ns are adopted here will by
their excellence. represent model legis-
lation that some Of the self-determin-
ing States may study and probably
adopt for themselves. OF Mrs. Norton's
and Senator Kings always sympathetic
consideration there is no occasion to
doubt. The Distri>S will hope that
their attitude will be that also of both
House and Senate.