Evening star., 1933-11-08
REPEAL TO BRING
NO CHANGE HERE
District Must Remain Dry
Until Congress Passes
Control Laws.

OpeIdIlOl III Tie DlSIIlCG VI Ooluliloia
and nearby Maryland and Virginia until
further action by Congress and the
General Assemblies of the two bordering
States.
In an opinion announced two weeks
ago, Attorney General Cummings held
that the Volstead act will continue to
apply to the District of Columbia,
Alaska. Hawaii. Puerto Rico. the Virgin
Islands and the Canal Zone until and
unless Congress takes action to repeal
the dry law in those areas.
The manufacture, transportation and
sale OF liquor is forbidden in both Prince
Georges and Montgomery Counties. Md,
under local option laws and will remain
in force until the Maryland Legislature.
which will meet in special session the
week of November 19, drafts liquor con-
troll legislation.
Virginia Unaffected.
Nearby Virginia localities, together
with the rest of the State. will be un-
affected by the repeal of the eighteenth
amendment until the next session OF the
General Assembly meeting in January,
adopts a liquor control act.
District officials and various local or
ganiZations are studying the question
of what action Congress should take
with respect to regulation Of the liquor
problem in Washington. Chairman King
of the Senate District Committee has
announced the committee will hold COM
prehensive hearings to give all groups
In the city ample opportunity to pre-
sent their views as to what Congress,
meeting January 3, should do on the
subject.
Senator King is in accord with the
position taken by the Attorney General
in holding that the Volstead law will
remain effective in the District after
formal ratification of the repeal amend
ment. He has pointed out that this
will avoid period Of confusion and
uncertainty which otherwise might have
prevailed here during the interval be-
tween repeal of the constitutional
amendment and the meeting Of Con-
gress to consider new legislation, mas
much as the local beer law of the las:
session repealed all but two sections
of the Districts dry enforcement law,
known as the Sheppard act. The two
sections Of the Sheppard act retained
by the beer law related to penalties for
drinking in certain public places, and
to driving vehicles while intoxicated.
The section dealing with drinking in
the definition of alcoholic liquor" in
that section would not apply to the
beverages made legal by the beer law.
With the Volstead law held to be still
in force here, therefore, the beverages
authorized by the beer law will be the
only ones legal in the District between
ratification OF the repeal amendment
and the taking of further action by
Congress.
Prepare Legislation.
Corporation Counsel w. w. Bride and
his assistant, Vernon E. West, who have
been at work on the subject in recent
weeks, today planned extended sessions
over the week end at which they hope to
whip into shape three or more pro-
posed types of legislation.
They hope to have the tentative drafts
Of three different bills in shape within
the next two or three weeks. These
legal officials are preparing legislative
proposals at the request OF Senator
King, and Representative Norton of
New Jersey. chairman OF the House
District Committees.
While Bride and West as yet have
not reached a final decision as to any
legislative plan, 1t was indicated today
they have three general principles in
view One would call for the handling
of liquor business here directly by the
government itself. Another would pro-
pose the chartering of quasi-public
corporation to deal in liquor under
limited profit plan, somewhat along the
lines of the Swedish or Bratt system.
A third would call for control through
licenses issued by the District, prob
ably through an excise board.
Old Fee Seems Likely.
Decision is yet to be reached as tc
whether hard liquor would be available
for consumption in restaurants and
hotels or saloons, or whether such
liquors could be sold only in package
form for home consumption.
1t is believed the plans drafted by
Bride and West will call for license
fee of at least 81 500 year for places
handling liquors. This was the license
fee charged in pre-prohibition days in
Washington.
Meanwhile the District Commission
ers received their first application fol
license to sell hard liquor in the District
when and if such sales are legalizec
here"
This came today from Isaac M. Nevi.
aser OF 1910 Fourth street northeast
He did not give the location of his pro-
posed liquor store. About month age
the Commissioners received an informa
request from another party, but this wa.
not regarded as official.
No Border Patrol"
Unless instructions to the contrary
are issued by the Department of jus.
tice, District officials do not plan tC
establish border patrol of police al
the boundaries of the District to pre-.
vent local residents from taking rea.
Sonable supplies of liquor to their home:
from stores in Maryland or Virginia.
AT the same time, however, the Com
missioners indicated recently they
would continue to enforce the Law
against commercial violators, just a.
they have in the past. 1t was indicated
today the District would follow the
guidance of the Department of Justice
on the entire question
Efforts made at the recent specia
session of the Virginia Legislature ts
repeal the present State prohibition act
substituting hastily drawn control act
were unsuccessful, but the matter o.
placing the question of a control ac
| before the people was successful, ant
| the people voted by large majority fol
substitution Of State control for the
present bone-dry act.
/ Election Not Binding.
| This election was not binding upor
the Legislature but was intended as
| guide to the members and at the pres.
ent time State commission is drawint
tentative control bill for submission
at the regular session. While the de-
tails of this have not been made public
it is generally believed that the dis.
| pensary system is favored.
1t has been specifically provided thai
all counties, cities and towns shall bs
given the right of local option as to the
sale Of hard liquors, although the loca
option right is denied them as to the
sale of beer.
Virginia's first prohibition act wa:
passed in 1916 and was known as the
! quart month" act. This was followed
later by bone-dry act, which was
| laxy fnta