Evening star., 1937-04-29
CHURCH AND CIVIC
LEADERS BATTLE
NEW LIQUOR RULE
Oppose Permits Within 400
Feet of Places of
Worship.
DISCRETIONARY POWER
ASKED FOR OFFICIALS
Move Before A. B. c. Board Given
Support by Representative
Palmisano.

Spokesman for religious and civic
groups battled with representatives of
the liquor industry today over a pro-
posed amendment to regulations which
would give District officials discretion
ary power to issue liquor permits to
places within 400 feet of churches To-
Gated in business areas.
The hearing was conducted by the
Alcoholic Beverage Control Board,
acting under directions from the Com
missioners, who will decide on the mat
ter after receiving a report on the
hearing.
The liquor dealers were supported
In their request for the amendment by
Representative Palmisano of Mary
land. member OF the House District
Committee.
Lead Attack.
Leading the protest against the sug-
gested change were Rev. Albert JOS
eph Mccartney of the Covenant
First Presbyterian Church, speaking
for the Civic Affairs Committee Of the
Federation of Churches. and Rev.
William L. Darby. secretary of the
Federation of Churches.
The proposed amendment would
apply to class A permits, or those
issued for the sale of bottled liquor
goods Of all kinds. The amendment
acting chairman of the A. B. c. Board
and Isaac Cans, a member. They
held the present rule worked an un-
due hardship on owners of business
property within 400 feet of churches
also located in business zones.
Rev. Mccartney declared there was
no particular merit in the proposed
amendment and added it might have
an adverse effect on the churches in
the future if not at present.
Palmisano not only approved of the
proposed change, but vent much
farther. He proposed, as his personal
view, that the entire section which
prohibits the issuance of liquor per-
nits of certain types to places within
400 feet of churches, public and pri-
vate schools, colleges and universities
should be eliminated from the regu-
lations
In framing the District liquor law
Congress placed confidence in the
Commissioners and in the Alcoholic
Beverage Control Board" Palmisano
said. I'VE ought to continue to have
confidence in these officials. They
should be the judges and they should
respect the wishes of the community
in which a liquor establishment is
proposed"
Palmisano argued there was no
merit in permitting residents of Chevy
Chase, who are members of a down.
town church, to prevent the issuance
of a liquor permit to place in the
downtown section. His argument was
that residents or property owners of
the immediate neighborhood should
be given the right to decide and that
the A. B. C. Board should respect
their wishes.
Brig. James Asher of the Saliva
ton Army registered strong protest
I'VE feel that the places of religious
meetings are sacred and should be
protected from the influence of the
liquor business" he said. He urged
that there be no change in regula-
tions as to the distance between
churches and liquor stores.
Speaks for Citizens.
William H. Ramsey protested the
change as spokesman for the Six
teenth Street Heights Citizens Asso-
citation and the Northminster Church.
I'VE have done our best to keep
liquor stores away from the North
minister Church." he said, but we
already have two of them nearby.
However, by the application of this
400-foot rule we were able to keep
q third place away from the church."
Max Shulman, an attorney for
liquor dealers, declared objections to
the change were unreasonable and
based on misinterpretation of what
was suggested. He argued that adop-
ton of the rule merely would shift
responsibility from church officials
TO the A. B. c. board He referred to
an amendment to the A. B. C. rules,
adopted recently, which permits is
suance OF liquor license to a store
within 400 feet of church if the
written consent of church officials
can be obtained.
Shulman said he knew of cases
where the church officials did not
have any objection to a particular
license, but had refused to give writ
ten consent. He made the point that
some church officials did not want to
place on the record that they had
approved issuance of a liquor permit
Protest against the change also
was registered by Rev. Walter H
Brooks, colored, of the Nineteenth
Street Baptist Church, and Charles
M. Pidgeon Of the Society of Friends
which has meeting place at Eight
eenth and streets
A number Of. attorneys for liquo,
dealers spoke for the change.