Evening star., 1935-04-11
Missouri 'Wet" Says Enact
ment Will Bring Return
of Saloon.
CLOSER INSPECTIONS
URGER AS SUBSTITUTE
Prettyman Tells House Subcom-
mittee Aims of Bill Amending
Liquor Law.

An attack on the Dirksen bill, de-
signed to abolish Washington's So
called hidden bars" was made by
Representative Cochran, Democrat, of
Missouri at a hearing today before the
Judiciary Subcommittee OF the House
District Committee.
Describing himself as wet as the
Potomac Cochran said he feared en-
ectment of the bill would lead to re-
turn of the old-time saloon and even
tually to another prohibition.
Specifically Cochran urged that the
Dirksen bill be withdrawn from the
House calendar and the public given
en opportunity more fully to express
its views He pointed out that the
measure was unexpectedly reported
favorably by the House District Com
mittee without the consideration of
the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board.
Asks Closer Inspection.
keep the bars hidden" Cochran
declared. but prevent chiseling and
cheating with proper inspection
Representative Better, Democrat of
New York. author OF another bill to
abolish the hidden bar said he had
net changed his basic views. but that
he believed the Commissioners should
be vested with authority to determine
the type of establishments allowed
TO sell liquors by the drink IN the
open.
"Chiseling is going on in some of the
smaller establishments, he declared
'Drippings from the overflow from beer
taps are being caught in pitchers and
sold. Cheap whisky is being sold for
high-grade liquor
The hearing was called primarily
on bill sponsored by the Alcohol
Beverage Control Board to tighten the
existing control law. but the subcom-
mittee did not have an opportunity
to near all of the witnesses who want
ed to testify.
Prettyman Outlines Aims.
The purpose of this bill was outlined
by Corporation Counsel E. Barrett
Prettyman. He said the proposed
amendments to the law are intended
to correct certain conditions which
have grown up since repeal.
The major amendments provided in
the bill are to prevent drinking in
licensed on-sale establishments after
the legal dead line; increase in the
penalties for repeated offenses of in
toxication and drinking in public; and,
give the A. B. c. Board the power to
suspend as well as revoke a license
Prettyman said that the board had
found certain violations that do not
merit such a drastic penalty as revo-
cation of the license.
Pfettyman also proposed another
amendment to prohibit wholesalers or
manufacturers from giving or selling
to retailer anything except liquor
that costs more than 81.
Representative Dirksen, Republican,
of Illinois. member of the District
Committee which passed on Washing
tons original liquor control act. said
that "a mess" had been made out of
this legislation. but he did not be-
lieve the law should be cluttered up
now with number of restrictive regu-
lationS. He said he believed two
thirds of the restrictive regulations
should be eliminated and dealers and
the public put on their sense of honor.
Would Put Public on Honor.
1T is Just a lot of tom-foolery,"
Dlrksen declared to wrap a lot of
restrictive regulations around the
liquor control act. Bring it out into
the open and appeal to the sense of
honor"
Prettyman disagreed with him He
declared that if there is going to be
regulation of any kind it must be done
by arbitrary rule.
George w. Offutt, chairman of the
A. B. C. Board, urged the subcommit-
tee to approve the proposed amend
ments after explaining the necessity
for them.
Another hearing will be held on the
A. B. c. bill next week. Chairman
Palmisano has tentatively fixed the
date for the hearing for next Tues
dav.