Evening star., 1933-01-02
81 BEER LEGALITY
ARGUMENTS TO Be
HEARD SATURDAY
Six Hours Are Allowed for
Discussion Before House
Subcommittee.
DILL CLINGS TO IDEA
OF BREW TEST BY JURY
Morale Rather Than Constitutional
Issue May Determine Pres
ident's Attitude.

The constitutionality of the House 80
per cent beer bill viii be argued before
a subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary
Committee next Saturday, it was deter
mined by the judiciary Committee to-
day.
Six hours will be allowed for the
hearing on the legal phases Of the bill,
three hours for the opponents and three
hours for the supporters OF the measure.
There was some discussion In the
committee on the proposal Of Senator
Dill that an actual test of the intoxi-
eating qualities of 80 per cent beer be
ordered by the committee, but Senator
Dill did not press for vote on the pro-
posal.
Senator Dill is a member of the sub
committee which will have charge OF
the beer bill and indicated after the
meeting this morning he had not en-
ttrely given up his idea for testing the
beer to determine its constitutionality.
Committee Seeks Speed.
The disposition of the committee Is
to speed up action on the beer bill and
get it to the Senate and the Finance
Committee as speedily as possible so
that it may be brought to a vote.
Senator Norris, chairman of the Ju-
dietary Committee, said it had been
agreed the subcommittee would sit all
day Saturday and wind up the hearing.
The hearing viii begin at $50 am,
with 21s hours allotted to those op-
posing the bill on constitutional grounds,
then hours to those upholding the
constitutionality Of the bill, with a
half hour left to the opponents, who
will close the argument.
The subcommittee to which the beer
bill was referred is the same as that
which has had charge of the resolution
proposing repeal of the eighteenth
man Blaine of Wisconsin and Senators
Borah, Hebert, Walsh Of Montana and
Dill
Only seven members Of the Judiciary
Committee were present at the meeting
today. Nine members constitute a
quorum However, Chairman Norris
ruled that sufhcient number of the
committee was present TO take action
on sending the bin to a subcommittee
and to authorize hearings.
Norris Opposes Hearings.
Senator Norris said the opponents
and supporters of the bill would have
TO arrange among themselves regarding
the disposition of time to the wit
nesses who will apear before the sub
committee. The drys have been insist
ent upon hearings. Senator Norris
himself was not inclined to grant hear
ings because he believed everything has
been said that could be said regarding
the beer bill
Discussion of the beer bill at the
committee meeting showed a tendency
on the part of the members to write
into the bill penalties against the
manufacture and sale of beer with an
alcoholic content higher than 80 per
cent by weight. If this course Is fol-
lowed, Senator Dill pointed out after
the meeting. it would not be necessary
for the committee to declare beer Of
less alcoholic content non-intoxcating
and contitutional. If this language can
be adopted, he said, the test proposed
by him to determine whether the
beer Is intoxicating or not would not
be necessary. The committee did not
undertake to fix on 32 per cent as the
alcoholic content above which beer
should not go. The percentage was left
10 later determination.
Senator Dill said he had laid before
the committee his ideas regarding test
OF the beer to determine its Intoxicating
qualities and that some of the mem
bers had urged it would delay report
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