Evening star., 1934-07-29

kilt OABAtAsA0kA1At - ~" fS~sSS ~
More significant, perhaps-rural
communities, wherever they get a
chance 10 express themselves at the
polls. are almost uniformly voting
themselves dry by local option.
Trouble In 81 Beer.
CurIously enough, the trouble in
these States had its origin more In
the 80 beer, which preceded repeal
of the eighteenth amendment, than in
the enactments concerning hard
LIQUOR. In Missouri and Indiana the
legislatures accepted the theory.
written into the national beer law,
that beverages of 80 per cent alco-
holic content we're non Intoxicating.
Hence. their sale was permitted
virtually without restriction.
In Missouri, for example, anybody
can sell beer by paying $40 license
fee. There Is no restriction as TO
hours, sale TO minors. or any OF the
other usual limitations. The land
ecape was thickly dotted with these
beer places six months before the
eighteenth amendment was repealed.
This was the period in which all
of the old inhibitions against liquor
had broken down and nothing had
been enacted to take their place. ON
cials generally regarded prohibition
as ended and they made no further
Efforts to enforce it.
Regulation Is Defied.
What occurred in Missouri and
Indiana was that the beer saloons,
before December 6, 1888, became ON
cially constituted "blind pigs" They
sold hard liquor as well as beer with
out restraint and they have continued
TO do so, with large measure OF offi-
cial sanction, ever since. In both
States, also, the beer saloons, backed
by the brewers, have blossomed into a
political power which elective oficials,
for the most part, fear to oppose.
Thus, there has been created o sys-
tenn of liquor selling, largely outside
the law, but vested with q species of
legality, which Is defying all efforts
ut real regulation. -.
one Of the most disiiI1sfoned men
in America is Col Harry scullin, ex-
else commissioner OF st. Louis. A
wealthy manufacturer and q teeto-
taller, Scullin was one Of the leaders
in the fight for repeal. He opposed
the eighteenth amendment, because
he said, 1t was subversive Of all law
and order, and he argued that the
community would be much better of
with legal sale under strict regulation
When he was rendered the job OF
putting his ideals into practice, Soul
lin could not very well refuse, and he
has been one OF the busiest men in
st. Louis ever since.
License Insurance Dropped.
The first shock came when he an
nOunced that he was ready to receive
applications for licenses. The law
said the retailers of hard liquor must
pay license fee of $500, to be equal
ly divided between city and State
The first day, he did a fairly good
business. The next day there was a
sharp falling off. and, on the third
day the large corps of clerks, assem-
bled for the expected licensing rush,
sat almost idle at their desks. Word
had spread among the beer sellers
they would simply be putting theil
heads In halter by taking out the
more expensive license. and that they
could go on selling hard liquor any
how.
That this policy was deliberate was
disclosed by the fact that 1901 beer
saloons had taken out Federal per-
mits to sell hard liquor and less than
a third of these applied for State IL
censes. Now, after several months OF
operation, there are in the neighbor-
hood Of 1900 places in st. Louis fed
orally licensed and fewer than 90C
State licensed. There are something
like 5000 beer saloons, most Of then
selling hard liquor. 1t is safe. to a.
sumo that the liquor sold in at least
1000 of these places, which do not
have even q Federal license, is en-
tirely of the bootleg variety.
A complaint made recently against
one of these places, for example
charged that two drinks, one of whis.
Ky and the other of gin, were sole
to the raiding officers for a tota
charge Of 30 cents. Police say tht
price of IS cents drink is quits
common. Obviously, the liquor sole
is not tax-paid.
Progress Is Slight.
Col. Scullin has not accepted thi
situation lying down. Fully backeS
by the city police. he has been do
ing his level best to wipe out the il,
legal traffic, but he admits he has no
made much progress. First of all, thi
courts have ruled that a specific salt
must be proved as a basis for convic
tion. The mere fact that a place i
rsided and a large stock of lliei
liquor found is not sufhcient basi
for q complaint, And, since the po
lice wear uniforms, 1t is not dificul
for the proprietors to spot them.
Even where convictions havc beel
obtained. the culpritS generally havu
been fined not more than S25.
Col. Scullin charges that the brewer
constitute the main support Of tn
beer saloons.
Every beer salesman is an excis
commissioner, he said. They 6
around telling the beer saloons to G
on selling liquor until they are caugf
and then viii be time enough TO appl
for a regular license. More than tina
the brewers resist every effort
increase the license Zee on the bet
saloons or to impose limitations o
them. 1t is quite plain to me that tn
brewers want prohibition back, an
they are going to get ii.
Tax Twice Voted Down.
"Just nov we are trying to put
city tax of cent a gallon on bee
10 help meet $2.600, 900 bond matur
ties. We are only asking that u
beer tax supply $500, 900 Of this. bJ
1t has been twice voted down by tn
CITY Council. Fortunately, We have dii