Evening star., 1933-10-22
MARYLAND STUDIES.
RUM-CONTROL PLAN.
Ritchie Says Special Session
Will Be Called to Complete
Repeal Program.
BY ]. c. DEPONAI.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star
BALTIMORE, October 2l.-In the
first constitutional convention ever held
in Maryland the "a men and women
delegates Wednesday cast Maryland'S
formal vote for the repeal of the
eighteenth amendment
Their action was recorded by the
secretary of State who transmitted it
to the Department of State in Wash
the tWenty-Seventh Commonwealth for
mally to reject national prohibition.
Gov. Albert c. Ritchie, who was one
of the leading pioneers in the repeal
movement, received great ovation
when he was called upon by R. Bennett
| Darnall president of the convention,
after the unanimous vote was an
nounced.
Special Session Planned.
The Governors first words were:
"Well, it's all over. We're all here and
we're all happy. No more need be said.
The whole story has been told in the
last few months This is the confirma-
ton of our pledge to free country and
liberty-loving people. The important
thing now Is what we do with our vic
, tory. trust that problem will be sat
of the Legislature I am going to call
In November"
Interest now centers in the special
session which will enable laws govern
ing the sale of liquor in the State.
A general discussion of what Balti-
more City and the counties of the State
desire in the way of liquor control
legislation will be of great assistance
in framing the administrator pro-
gram on the subject. Gov Ritchie said.
He declared he would like to have some
expressions of opinion on the question
Il would like to see real, general
discussion of what Baltimore and the
counties want" the Governor said.
"Such expressions of opinion would help
greatly in drafting legislation satisfac-
tory to all. We have always gone on
a local-option basis and the counties
have been able to obtain the sort of
laws they desired.
Wants Statewide Law.
There ought to be some attempt to
have a Statewide liquor law similar
to the beer law. If a county did not
like the terms of the law it could be
exempt and the type of law the county
wanted passed"
The Governor pointed out that there
were five major factors to the problem
of liquor control. He listed these as:
l. The merchanics of control:
Whether there should be a Statewide
law. leaving it up to the counties to
come under its regulations or to pass
their own laws, or whether the matter
should be left entirely to the counties
to pass such legislation as they saw fit.
2. Whether beer or whisky should
be kept separate or sold together, and
the governing regulations in each case.
8. Where liquor is to be sold.
Whether the saloon is to be permitted
or some other method of distribution
worked out.
T. The tax question: Just how great
a tax the State is to levy, keeping in
mind the fact that such tax would
oe superimposed on the Federal tax.
Control Plan in Air.
S. Who is to sell liquor Whether
the old system of privately owned dis
pensaries Is to be re-eStablished or
whether the State is to institute con-
troll plan similar to the Canadian idea.
The question whether beer and
whisky are to be sold together or sepa-
rately is one that has occaSioned con-
siderable thought. One school of
thought Is that a beer dispenser be
charged the comparatively moderate
license fee and be allowed to handle
beer alone The objection to this. it
was pointed out, is the fear expressed
in some sources, that it might encourage
the beer dispenser to bootleg whisky
along with the beer.