Evening star., 1936-02-09
LIMIT ON LIQUOR
|. STORES PROPOSED
Burroughs Group Draws Up
Amendments for Beverage
Control Act.

The sale Of an liquor In the District
would be confined exclusively to $50
"off- sale" liquor stores under an
amendment to the alcoholic beverage
control act proposed by the Legislation
Committee of the Burrough Citizens
Association.
The amendment was proposed after
the committee had made o survey of
existing liquor control laws and regu-
lations-a survey authorized by the
association at the January meeting
when the Guyer prohibition bin was
voted down.
Explaining its recommendations. the
committee said the sale of liquor
should be confined to these $50 stores
because 1t Is the only way to eliminate
the temptation to children who have
free access to drug stores, grocery
stores. lunch rooms, restaurants, etc.,
where liquor now Is sold freely " .
and where the closest kind Of contact
and temptation is placed before then" I"
The committee emphasized that in
its recommendations, the word 'liquor"
wss not meant to include light wines
and beer" for public sentiment looks
upon these commodities more as o
food than as an intoxicating beverage"
ESQ Stores Seen rs Ample.
Limiting the sale to these $50 stores
would allow one store to approximately
every 1000 people, the group said,
adding these would be ample to serve
the needs Of Washington.
Since the committees amendment
would eliminate all "on-sale" ddspen-
saries. such establishments as night
clubs, tap rooms, cocktail lounges, etc,
would be prohibited from selling liquor.
The committee did not indicate in its
report whether drinking would be per-
mitted in such places.
Committee spokesmen said 1t was
their belief that when the association
opposed the Guyer bill which would
provide for bone-dry District Of Co.
lumbia, its primary reason for this
action was the dread of return Of
the bootlegger with his poisonous con-
coctions; period when citizens were
shot down by over-zealous enforce
ment officers, and their homes in
vaded promisciously and without con-
sideration to constitutional rights re-
garding illegal search and seizure"
while, therefore, we have gone on
record as disapproving dry extreme. "
the committee stated, certainly we do
not approve wet extreme"
Liquor Stores Numerous.
The group declared that ever since
the repeal of prohibition, the District
has issued licenses for the sale Of
liquor, almost without restraint, with
the result that today liquor stores are
dotted everywhere through our city"
One other amendment proposed
would make it unlawful to import any
liquor into the District without pay
ment of the prescribed District tax.
The committee said its survey revealed
that under the present law much reve-
nue. escapes the District because local
dealers purchase liquor in bulk lots
from various wholesale houses outside
the District without paying any tax on
the purchase into the Districts
Golfers.
Until present conditions are recti-
fed" the committee said IN closing,
''our children will continue daily to be
thrown into contact with liquor, with
attendant temptation "' and those
Of us who are wet but temperate
must realize that we are jeopardiZing
our rights and freedom by giving am
munition to the rabid drys to call
attention to existing conditions as an
excuse for again advocating dry
District Of Columbia"