Evening star., 1934-01-07

lishment. Hotels, restaurants and clubs
would be allowed to serve beer and wine
only.
Il know there is a very strong senti-
ment in Congress and the country,
Smith said, to take away the element
of sale by the drink for private profit
Fundamentally the question is whether
you are going to return the saloon OF
grog shop IN modern form or whether
you are going to keep your promise tc
the people of the country to prevent
the return of the bar. If you don't
want the return of the saloon, then
believe a diSpensary system should be
adopted.
The bill of the Commissioners per-
mits the sale of hard liquor by the
drink and you can drink just as much
liquor in variety of forms as you are
able to pay for. The only difference
between this and the old saloon is that
you will have to drink your liquor sit
ting down instead of standing up"
Smith also pointed out that the Dis
trict liquor problem gives members Of
Congress the first chance since repeal
to show what they believe would be
the best method of regulating the re-
turn of liquor to a legal status and
to carry out the promise to prevent re-
turn Of the saloon.
Protests Tax on Wines.
Judge Marion De Vries. counsel for
the Wine Producers Association and
Grape Growers League of California,
protested against the proposed tax OF
so cents a gallon on fortified wines,
and 20 cents a gallon on light wines.
He said the highest tax ever levied
by the Government during the war was
l6 cents a gallon on wine Of IA per
cent and under and increasing accord
ing to the alcoholic content.
The suggested tax is SO unreason-
able, so unfair, and so out of harmony
with all taxes heretofore levied upon
beverages, it would seem that the mere
statement would be convincing of its
injustice"
He suggested that should it be neces-
sary to tax wine in the District, that
no levy be placed on light wine and
those of higher content be taxed not
more than 10 cents gallon.
E. c. Brokmeyer, counsel for the DIS
trict Pharmaceutical Association, argued
for the private license plan in prefer
ence to the dispensary system, ana sug
gested one amendment to the Commls
sioners' bill relating to the licensing O
hotel drug establishments. He en-
phasized that drug stores do not wan
TO serve liquor on the premises as con
templated for restaurants ana notes
Committee members engaged him II
lengthy discourse on the differences be
tween bottled-in-bond and blende'
whiskies.
Wcmen Indorse Measure.
Miss Elizabeth C. Harris. represent
ing the Women's organization Tor DIS
trict liquor control, which grew out o
the recently disbanded women's organl
zation for national prohibition reform
strongly indorsed the Commissioners
bill with minor changes. She expressed
confidence that an able board OF con
troll would be selected and that sucn
board should be given broad dlscre
tionary powers. Any danger accom-
panving such power, she said, would b
more than Offset by the disadvantage o
having the law too specific as to details
because of the difficulty Of gettini
SUBSEQUENT changes through Congress.
Miss Harris advocated reasonably higl
licenses to do business, with low taxa
ton on the beverages. In opposing tn
dispensary idea, she said its advocate
saw thew fear return of the saloon unde
the private license bill. She urged dis
pensary advocates to remember tina
elimination of bootlegging is just as i'm
portant following repeal as preventing
| the return of the saloon, and sn
doubted that the dispensary system
would eliminate the bootlegger.
| Issac jacobson, representing the DIS
trict Grocery Stores, co-operatlV
group, favored the private license plan
| IL stores
Urges Ban in Chevy Chase.
Edwin S. Hege of the Chevy Chas
Citizens Association presented the ple'
| of that group that no liquor establish
ments should be permitted in the Chev
Chase area He pointed out that OF tn
$50 city squares in the associations ter
ritory. only have any commercial
projects and these do not occupy nearl
all of the eight squares. AS to the gen
eral problem for the entire city, n
urged careful consideration be given tn
dispensary system. He expressed tn
belief there would be more sobriety
hard liquors are confined to packag
| sales.
Several times during the hearing
committee members asked advocates o
the dispensary system if they were ia
miliar with the difficulties South Caro-
lima encountered under dispensar
plan some years ago.
Representative Smith answered thi
objection by referring to the Rockefene
Foundation report which he quoted a
stating the South Carolina dispensar
plan failed because it had in it the pri
vate profit factor. Smith said thos
running a dispensary in county wer
paid according to the amount sold.
The dispensary system also foun