Evening star., 1934-01-17
D. c. LIQUOR BILL
PASSED BY SENATE;
DEBATE IS BRIEF
License Measure, Approved
With Many Changes, Will
Go Back to House.
DISPENSARY PROPOSAL
SUMMARILY REJECTED
Committee, Amendments Passed
Without Record Vote-Law
Hailed as Model.

AAoAASo oS 03OuOks
Moving with unexpected speed, the
Senate this afternoon passed the
private license plan of liquor control
for the District, as already adopted by
the House.
A motion by Senate Capper, Repub-
lican, of Kansas to substitute the Gov
ernment dispensary plan, was beaten
without roll call, after which the
private license measure was declared
passed.
The Senate, however, had approved
more than score Of changes in the
House bill. AS a result, the measure
now goes TO conference for adjustment
Of differences.
pointed the Senate confereeS as fol.
lows: Senators Reynolds Democrat, CT
North Carolina; King, Democrat, of
Utah, and Capper, Republican. OF
| Kansas.
Offers Several Changes.
After the defeat of his dispensary
substitute, Senator Capper offered a
series Of proposed changes in the pri-
vate license bill. out they also we're
voted down without record votes. The
most important of these would have
prohibited liquor licenses within 400
feet OF churches or schools.
! The passage of the bill came with
! suddenness that surprised crowded gall
| leries that had expected the liquor ques-
lion to be debated throughout the day.
! Within the space of two minutes, how
ever the diSpensary substitute was voted
down. along with several last-minute
amendments to the license plan.
| In all. debate on the measure had
occupied only two hours.
The House probably will name It's
conferees tomorrow. After they agree
on the differences in detailed provisions
of the bill the conference report will
come back to both houses for approval.
/ 1t is probable the bill will go to the
White House before the end of the
week. If the President signs it. the
District Commissioners Immediately will
appoint the three members of the
Liquor Control Board and transmit to
Congress, through the Budget Bureau,
requests for the appropriation which
must be available for the boards ex-
penses before it can function.
Since the bill requires two weeks
notice on all applications for licenses,
It has been estimated that legal sale
of liquor probably would begin in the
lowing week.
Predicts 1000 Places.
Capper, in offering the substitute dis
pensary bill, severely criticized the
Sale-by -the-drink plan, as embodied in
the private license bill He declared
this would permit return of the saloon,
and predicted there would be at least
1000 places in Washington selling
liquor. Under the dispensary system,
he said. there would be between 25 and
80 places where hard liquor would be
sold
The liquor traffic is vicious" Capper
said, and the profit incentive should
oe entirely removed. The liquor con-
troll measure for the District should
encourage temperance and the private
license plan would not do that
Capper also declared his bill would
permit sale Of beer and wine in hotels,
restaurants and clubs. but personally
he believed all alcoholic beverages. in
cIuclng beer and wines, should be sold
In Government dispensaries. He read
to the Senate pleas from the Washing
ton Federation of Churches and the
District Congress of Parents and Teach
ers urging adoption of the dispensary
plan.
All of the Senate District Commit
tees amendments to the House bill
were approved by the Senate without
record votes.
Amendments Are Listed.
Among the amendments adopted
were the following:
Prohibiting drinking of liquor on the
streets or other public spaces increas-
ing from 80 TO so the number of rooms
hotel must have to obtain a liquor
license; giving the Commissioners
power to limit the number of licenses
of each class and the number in any
given locality; reducing salaries of the
Liquor Control Board from $4,000 to
SIS, 1000 year and removing the require
ment that at least one member must
be woman; allowing business places
that are in existence from the date the
bill passes to obtain liquor licenses even
though they are within any restricted
zones the Commissioners may establish
around churches and schools.
While licenses might be denied such
places for other reasons covered by the
bill, if they were in business when the
bill passes they could not be turned
down on the ground of proximity tc
churches or schools. This section i.
applicable to places that have beer
selling 80 beer.
No change was made in the House
provision forbidding the granting Of q
license if the owners Of majority Of
the property within 600 feet of the ap-
plicant's place object.
In addition to the committee amend
ments, the Senate adopted two pro-
posals made from the floor. One. by
Senator Walsh, Democrat. Of Massa.
chusettS, prohibits the sale Of spirituou,
liquors on Sunday, which formerly ws'
left to the discretion of the Liquo'
Control Board. The other by Senate
Lonergan, Democrat. Of Connection
would prohibit sale Of liquor on Christ
mas day.
For two hours before passage the
was general debate, with Senator Re,
nolds explaining the private license b
and defending II as preventing the r
turn Of the saloon.
Reynolds declared the cardinal fe~
ture of the license bill would bring tt
sale of liquor into the open, factC
which would lead to temperance.
AS a prelude to the explanation {
the bill Senator Reynolds attacke
some of the statements made by Ser
ator Sheppard of Texas in his eight
eenth amendment anniversary speecl
Yesterday in the Senate. Despite Sen
ator Sheppard's statement, he said. tn
object of the repealistS in eliminatir'
the eighteenth amendment was to re
turn temperance to the country an
! collect taxes on commodity which hat
gone untaxed for 13 years.
Reveals Bills Aim.
I'VE have aimed in this bill 50. IA
as Is possible" Senator Reynolds said
ito return to the American people som