The Washington times., 1933-12-04
HALF Of NATION
To Be WET BY
NEW YEAR
Lid Expected to Be Lifted BY
$50 p. m; Confusion Sure,
Due to Legal Mixup
BY GEORGE r. HOLMES
International News Service

ny OEOhOE kGs hOLNVES
International News Service
About half Of the States Of the
Union-which contain more than
half of the population of the coun-
try-were busily engaged today in
preparing for the end Of prohibi-
tion.
Outlawed for nearly IA years,
liquor returns to legality tomor-
row afternoon just as soon as a
convention of delegates sitting in
Salt Lake City votes ratification of
the new Twenty-firSt Amendment.
To Utah falls the distinction Of
being the thirty-sixth State to act,
assuming that Pennsylvania and
Ohio act earlier in the day.
10 States Await Action
# the Utah convention acts by
$3.50 p. m. E. S. To, as expected
it will be legally possible to buy
liquor, in one form or another, at
3:31 p. M, in 19 of the 48 States.
The Supreme Court has ruled
that the effective time Of repeal
is the hour at which the thirty
sixth State acts, and that the issu-
ance Of a proclamation by the Sec
retary of state in washington is
only q formality.
The nineteen automatically wet
States are: Arizona, California,
Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware,
Illinois, indiana, Louisiana, Mary
land, Montana, Nevada, New Jer-
Sey, New Mexico, New York, Ore
gon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island,
Washington and Wisconsin.
Five other States-Iowa, Mass
achusetts, Michigan, Missouri,
and Ohio-are rushing liquor
control laws through special sess-
ions Of their legislatures. In still
other States preparations are
under way for similar legislative
action at later dates to wipe local
laws off the books.
Half Wet BY New Year
Thus, the prospect is that by
the first of the year the United
states, numerically speaking, will
be half-wet and half-dry.
Thirteen other States can be-
come wet through repeal OF their
State laws. They are: Alabama,
Arkansas, Georgia, Minnesota,
Mississippi, New Hampshire,
North Carolina, North Dakota,
South Carolina, Tennessee. Utah,
Vermont and Virginia.
OF these, Arkansas, Minnesota,
Alabama, New Hampshire, Ten
nessee, Utah, Vermont and Vir-
ginia, have voted for repeal, and
presumably will follow up this
expression of the popular will by
relaxing their State laws at some
future date.
Only ii States-Florida, Idaho,
Kentucky, Kansas, Maine. Ne
braska, Oklahoma, South Dakota,
Texas, West Virginia and Wyo-
ming-still have prohibition riv-
eted into their constitutions. And
Of these II there are 6 that have
already voted to repeal the Eight
eenth Am e n m t. Florida,
idaho, Kentucky. Maine, Texas
and West Virginia.
Confusion to Prevail
Inevitably, considerable confu-
sion is going to prevail for a time
after Federal prohibition comes to
an end. The States have adopted
various methods of control, diff
fering widely to conform to local
sentiment.
The Federal Government is re-
tanning q measure of control over
the new liquor industry. through
its power to license distilling, allo'
cate production, and fix quotas for
imported wines, whiskys and liq-
uorS Of all kinds. Otherwise it is
oil up to the States.
Considerable quantities of liquor
have been permitted to enter the
United States in the weeks since
repeal was seen to be inevitable.
It was allowed to come in under
bond for storage. Utah's action
tomorrow will open the ware
houses.
Probably for time there will be
b shortage of good" liquor. Do
mestic stocks are low. and the i'm
portations, while large, have not
been large enough to insure meet.
ing all demands.
News To Be Rushed
The governors of Pennsylvania,
Ohio, and Utah have been asked
by the State Department to rush
telegraphic confirmation of their
repeal action tomorrow so that
Aaing Secretary of State Phillips
may issue the formal proclama-
ton.
President Roosevelt will also
issue a proclamation later, which
will suspend some $212,O00, 900 in
Federal taxes imposed by the last
Congress until the date of repeal.