The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1939-01-27
LIQUOR BILL
HAS SENATE
BADLY SPLIT
Walker Cocktail Measure
Makes Slow Progress !.
in Busy Season

A cyclone struck the Territorial
Senate chambers at 1880 o'clock
| this afternoon, bringing the hereto
fore smoothly organized roof over
that house tumbling down upon its
members.
Storm center was Senate bill No.
10, Senator Norman r. Walkers
measure to allow sale of hard liquor
by the drink, but the cyclone ripped
outward from that. center in every
direction until it touched and elicit
ed the opinion of every member on
the liquor question. wf
No noticeable progress having been
made at the end of an hour of heated
discussion, motion finally passed
to continue the bill in second read
ing so that the Senate could get
on to other business.
Amendments defeated
All proposed amendments to the
bill were defeated today, but Sem
ators could see another storm brew
ing for the time the bill comes again.
During what one member termed
field day of oratory on the liquor
question, Senators exhibited SO many
varying view on what should be
done about the propscm that it APP
peared likely discussion of a liquor
bill will not be completed until the
Ia cf fJox, rf tho eaccia,>
Senator Henry Roden, who offered
an amendment to scale license fees
from $500 to $1,000 according to
population of the place where the
bar would be located, in contrast to
the provision in the original bill
/ calling for a flat ST. 500 license, said
at one point:
If it were in my power to des-
troy all the liquor there is in the
world today and to make il impos-
sible to produce more liquor I would
do that. But there is no use talking
about abstract ideas. We know we
cannot be rid of liquor and must
pass as good law as we can to re-
gulate the use of liquor"
Scale OF Fees
Senator Roden's amendment, sub
sequently lost when the vote on it
was four to four, would have provid-
ed $1,000 license for dispensaries
in towns of 5000 or over; $500 in
towns of less than 5000 and on
towns from 500 TO 1000; and 5000 in
towns of les than 5000 and on
steamers plying the inland waters of
Alaska.
An original motion by Senator
Victor c. Rivers to lay the bill on
the table was defeated by vote of
/ five to three, with Senators Coch-
ran and Sullivan supporting the
! move. This division with varia tons,
held throughout the discussion and
voting on amendments.
| Club Feature Defeated
Defeated was an amendment by
Senator Rivers to change the bill
into one providing for hard liquor
licenses only to clubs. @
Defeated likewise were moves to
re-refer the. bill to the Judiciary
Committee and to return the bill for
specific amendment N 1T
A motion by Senator Joe Holman
to allow the $500 license for beer and
wine dispensing to stand, while re-
quiring an additional license cost
ing 500 to permit sale of hard liquor
by those dispensers who wished to
do so, lost for lack of second.
Senator Walker moved to ado
a section providing for return tic
dispensers of the portion of present
licenses not expended, if they wish
to go out of business, but later he
withdrew the amendment.
Speaking in support of the bill
as written, in the belief that sale
of liquor by the drink is more in the
interest of temperance than, sale by
the bottle, was Senator James Pat
terson of Valdez. who left the very
1rfstee Il s3E3E1.sssSec fsysLz4sf3