Evening star., 1933-12-01
MOST MARYLAND
SEEN LEGALLY DRY
Situation Predicted on De.
Cember 6 Unless House
of Delegates Speed Up.
BY a staff Correspondent Of The Star.

q
ANNAPOLIS, Md, December l.
With only five days remaining before
repeal Of the eighteenth amendment
becomes effective. it appeared today
that most of Maryland will be legally
dry on December as far as sale Of
liquor is concerned, unless the House
of Delegates shows more speed in deal
ing with the State liquor bill than has
been displayed in the Senate
After toiling throughout Thanksgiv-
ing day. the Finance Committee of the
Senate last night submitted favorable
report on the State bill-With about zoe
amendments.
Term Tavern" Classified.
The principal change wrought by the
amendments is the elimination of the
tavern" provision of the bill. MoSt
of them clarity the wording. accord
ing to Willis r. Jones. assistant at
torney general, who sat with the COM
mittee throughout the day and helped
draft the amendments.
Several of the amendments conSti-
tute the liquor bills of various counties
including Prince Georges. This
means. of course. that Prince Georges
will have legal liquor as soon as the
other sections of the State covered BY
the State bill
In Montgomery County little delay
is expected because there dlspensary
system is to be established which Will
take some time after the county bill Is
passed. County leaders said they plan
to open the dispensaries about jan
uary l.
ton County will it be possible TO pur-
chase liquor legally If repeal becomes
effective before the State law Is passed.
The beer laws of those two jurisdic-
limit on the alcoholic content OF bever-
ages which can be sold under them;
The principal fight en- the liquor Dill
in committee centered around an e11ort
to delete the provision for state excise
tax of S11O a gallon. and this was re-
tanned by vote of to 5.
Opponents of the tax, led by senators 5
J. Allan Coad of St. Marys County anu
David G. Mcintosh, 1r., OF BaiCiiilole
County, expect to renew their flgnt on
the floor of the Senate, when the com,
mittee's report comes up as a speciai
order of business at $50 TINS aiIerhoon'
Their chances OF defeatlng tne plo.
posal appear far brighter in the senate
itself than in committee, as the State
bill, being an emergency measure, Will
REQUIRE a three-fifths vote to pass.
Compromise May Be Made.
A compromise may be suggested from
the floor, as administration supp0rIeIo
we're talking last night of the posslolllty
of a 10-cent-a-gallon levy on the man
ufacture of liquor and 50-cent excise
tax. This. they said. would split the
l~a%, hn
manufacturer. and probably would oe
the only method of reconciling the
| Senate factions and hurrying the pas
sage of the bill.
If all the amendments are approved
| by the Senate today. the bill will be
| rushed to the printers and returned Tor
third reading and final passage tomor-
| row. According to Senator Lansdale
G. Sasscer of Prince Georges County,
| chairman of the Finance COMMITTEE.
| this will be the earliest possible time
! in which the bill can be passed
Although the tavern" feature OF the
bill was eliminated as result OF the
efforts of Senator Ridgely P. Melvin OF
Anne Arundel County. who claimed Its
| inclusion would indorse the open saloon
policy and repudiate the Democratlc
platform pledges, Baltimore City ano
possibly some OF the counties are ex-
pected to enact laws which will allow
'tavernS."
With the State bill occupying the
chief attention of the legislators. a
powerful lobby, interested in seeing that
.taverns" and other features are In
corporated in the Baltimore City liquor
| bill, is said to be operating here. al
though no liquor lobbyists are registered
! with the secretary of State.