Evening star., 1933-12-08
D. c. RUM CONTROL
!. PLANS ARE VARIED
Commissioners Hear Trade
Board Proposal, Among
Others, as Hearings Open.
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by treating alcohol as narcotic drug.
He said:
Because alcohol Is poison, and by
the best medical authorities In America
and Europe 1t has been declared a
habit-formfng narcotic drug, we recon-
mend that it be treated and handled
and dealt In commercially as other mar
cotics (list them), with which it should
be and Is associated. That it be handled
and sold only by reputable physicians
and druggists; that its use In beverages
and food be prohibited and in medi-
cines permitted with the greatest eau
ton.
"It will require less cost Of super
vision II alcoholic beverages are sold In
limited quantities and only by few
thousand druggists than if sold by mil
lions Of groceries, restaurants, clubs, ho-
tells and dance halls. It will require
~ effort and less expense to keep it
out of all the States than 1t will to keep
1t out of few.
Drunkenness is a crime. The man.
ufacture and sale of beverages to make
people drunk is crime. Christians
cannot compromise with crime. All
previous laws governing the liquor trade,
except prohibition, have been efforts to
regulate crime. You cannot regulate
crime. It Is as impossible to regulate
crime as it is to regulate the tornado,
earthquake and volcano. Since the
time of Moses and before men have
tried IN vain to regulate crime. The
only possible regulation OF crime Is pro-
hibition.
No Compromise by Moses.
"Moses did not try to regulate crime.
He did not specify certain places, days,
times and occasions, when you should
not love the Lord, covet your neigh
boris ass. lie. steal or commit adultery.
Il would make this the eleventh COM
mandment: There shall be no wine,
beer, whisky or other alcoholic bev-
erages.' There would be no bootleg
ging If there was nothing to bootleg"
Rising to give the Citizens Fedora
ton report, Mr.. Quinn said he had al
ways understood the Ten Command
height of presumption" he said, "for
any one to say what God should
have done.
'The gentleman says that drunken
ness Is a crime, ergo to sell alcoholic
beverages is crime. He might as well
say speeding is a crime, ego to sell
| automobiles is a crime.
His statement is an insult to Chris
tian people. 1t is not true that all
Christian people oppose the use of alco-
hol. What they oppose is its abuse"
In speaking for the Executive Com
mittee of the Chevy Chase Association,
Mr.. Hege said it considered the 18 items
in the report Of the Federation of Citi-
zens' Associations and agreed to the re-
port with certain exceptions and modifi-
cations. The Chevy Chase group neither
| approved or opposed item II in the
sale Of liquor in the premises in hotels.
restaurants, clubs. dining cars and
boats. 1t also refrained from taking
action on two other paragraphs which
| would prohibit advertising of alcoholic
beverages or the solicitation of CUSTOM
| ers. It recommended another change in
the federation report to eliminate the
requirement that members of the con-
| troll board would have to be real estate
taxpayers for three years preceding ap-
| pointment.
Public Cooperation Asked.
Commissioner Hazen, president of the
board, opened the hearing with an invi-
cooperate with the Commissioners in
the preparation of proposed liquor con-
! troll legislation. After declaring the
question is one which effects directly
or indirectly every home in the city,
Commissioner Hazen said:
THE Commissioners approach a
consideration of this subject with open
minds and with no fixed opinions. The
draft of a bill which has been sub
mitted for your criticism does not rep
resent the views of its trainers, or the
views of the Commissioners. 1t is in
tended TO set forth in concrete form
various suggestions which have been
made by citizens and provisions, which
have been approved in other jurisdic-
tons and which may be desirable here.
We are committed to none of these"
Mr.. Hazen was referring to the bill
drafted by Corporation Counsel w. w.
Bride and his principal assistant. YER
non E. West, to serve as basis for
discussion. This bill would authorize
the private license system, with sale of
| liquors by the drink confined to per-
sons seated at tables in restaurants,
hotels and clubs. Separate establish
ments would be licensed to sell by the
bottle liquors not to be used on the
premises
Commissioner Hazen said the board
fully recognizes "the wide divergence
of thought ON the subject of control
of alcoholic beverages. On the one
hand, we find those who believe the
manufacture and sale of intoxicantS
for beverage purposes should be pro-
hibited and on the other hand, we
have those who believe the manufacture
and sale of such beverages should be
practically without restriction. The
bill to be recommended to Congress
must lie between these two extremes.
It cannot satisfy all. Our only hope
is to attain from these discussions the
views and wishes of a majority of our
citizens"
Views of DR.. Buck.
Pointing out that the actual draft
ing of recommendations to Congress
will come through the Office of Com
missioner Allen, Mr. Hazen turned the
meeting over to his colleague after
the foregoing opening statement.
The first witness, DR.. Buck, said that
| II there is to be the private license
sSstem, the bill drafted by Corporation
Counsel Bride sis the best license bill !
ever saw" He hastened to add, how
ever, he does not favor this license
system, explaining that it would be difh-
cult to prevent the return of the saloon
| If every restaurant in town obtained q
license to serve liquor by the drink as
contemplated by the proposed bill.
I'VE wrote provision into the beer
bill early this year that they could not
drink beer at the bar" DR.. Buck said,
"but we have them drinking beer at the
bar. I do not see any particular objec-
ton to that. because the beer is not
Intoxicating. But II you add hard
liquor to that I do not know what the
change this license bill, as good as it is,
and have bin that will satisfy the
people OF the District. Every wet Is
under. . pledge to prevent the return
Of the saloon Can you do 1t II you
permit sale by the drink in restaurants2"
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