The Washington times., 1934-01-23
BILL s AUTHORS
FIND FOES IN
OWN RANKS
Hotel and Restaurant Men
Urge Private License Sys-
TEN as Adopted in D. c.
BY JOHN E. TAYLOR
washington Herald Staff Writer

washington heEAu St1tA "EItoE
RICHMOND, Jan. 23.-Actton
of Congress in making the Dis
trict of Columbia liquor law one
Of privately licensed on and off
sales has thrown a monkey wrench
into the well-oiled machinery OF
the Virginia committee which
drafted the State diSpensary sys-
tenn plan for sale of hard liquor.
At the joint hearing last night
of the House and Senate Finance
Committees, two members Of the
committee which drew up the
proposed dispensary sales system
defended it against a wave OF
opposition from within their own
ranks and from hotel and res
taurant men from all sections OF
the State.
After their statements in behalf
Of the committees bill, there fol-
lowed the pleas Of hotel and
restaurant men, a former head
of the Charlottesville division OF
the Crusaders. anti-prohibltlon
organization, and members OF
the General Assembly opposed
the dispensary bill.
Louis A. Goodman, represent
ing the Restaurant Association
of Richmond, said the diSpensary
systems history was replete with
failure and there is no reason
to believe Virginia could do better.
uoN nnRondS Dian
Delegate Wilbur c. Hall of Lou
doun, chairman of the house H.
nance committee, said extremes
committed by vets and drys have
caused the breakdown of all laws
of liquor control. The proposed
Virginia diSpensary system is
much more liberal than the Que
bee system, after which it is mod
eled, he asserted, in that the
Quebec system permits the sale
Of beer and wine only with meals.
The State dispensary system
eliminates profits and takes poll
tics out of the liquor traffic, and
people will begin drinking beer
and wine in preference to hard
LIQUOR. Hall declared. The pro
posed liquor control board should
have the right to revoke licenses
for sale of beer and wine, the
only on-sales allowed under the
dispensary system, without the
right of appeal on the part OF the
licensee. 1t is a good weapon to
hold over their heads, the chair
man said.
Answering the hotel mems
pleas, Hall said the Eighteenth
Amendment was repealed to pro-
mote temperance, not to aid the
hotels. He said the hotel and
cafe proposals meant favorltism
to the larger cities. If the bill is
to be changed at all, it should
state specifically only registered
guests could buy a limited number
Of drinks at certain hours, he de-
clared.
Drank It Faster
One of the greatest arguments
against the Eighteenth Amend
ment was that man had to buy
more from a bootlegger than he
needed at one time, and, as con-
sequence, drank it faster, de-
clared Bernard P. chamberlain,
Charlottesville attorney and for
mer head Of the Crusaders there.
He also asked that private licenses
be granted hotels and restaurants.
c. o'Conor Goolrick, former
senator from Fredericksburg, one
Of the committee which signed
the majority report calling Tor
state dispensaries, who said ne
aas fought prohibition since when
t has been damned unpopular"
% do so, asked the committee:
"Who the devil wants to
drink whisky with a meal?"
He branded the hotel and res
iaurant mems plea as "camou-
.lage" and said to permit them
% sell liquor by the drink to
persons who could afford to pay
ancy prices for it would be like
he Eighteenth Amendment
class legislation.
The committee adjourned at
l1:15 until 8 o'clock tonight.