Evening star., 1940-03-04

that the A. B. c. Board reports to
the District Of Columbia Commis-
sioners.
The A. B. c. law "is not a good
law" in the opinion of Wilbur La
Roe, prominent transportation at
torney and chairman of the Civic
Affairs Committee, Washington Fed
Grafton Of Churches. 1T is an ex-
tremely loose law and was drawn
In the interest Of the liquor people,
not the public" says Mr.. La Roe.
As seen by Mr.. La Roe. 'the i'm
portant consideration is to approach
this matter from the standpoint of
the public interest. We want q de-
cent city. Starting with that pre-
mise, it necessarily follows that we
do not want an absurdly large num-
Der of liquor stores, nor do we want
them too flagrantly advertised. Nor
do we want them in or adjacent to
our residential areas.
La Roe Hits Situation.
The present deplorable situation
violates all Of these fundamental
principles" Mr.. La Roe contends
The number of stores where hard
liquor is sold Is as great as in the
whole State Of Ohio, with its 7,OO0,-
600 people. Twenty or 30 stores
ought to serve all the reasonable
needs of this small community.
THE present stores are flagrantly
and blatantly advertised with large
neon signs, most of them red, max
ing the Nations Capital look like a
redlight district or like the Bar
barry Coast" Mr.. La Roe asserts.
mo public interest is served by
urging people to buy liquor or to
buy 1t in particular store" Mr..
La Roe pointed out.
The above diversity Of opinion
aside, it can be said effectively
that close reading of the law by
any one familiar with liquor con-
troll laws and regulations discloses
earmarks of careful handling of the
industry viewpoint. Judged by the
inclusion Of provisions favoring the
industry, as well as by the omission
Of those against the industry which
could have been included, the $3.50
ALLEGATION Of industry-public con-
sideration shapes up like the we'll
known lone horse and one rabbi"
recipe.
The act is notoriously deficient
from the standpoint of the protec-
ton of the public interest.
There Is no simple facility in the
law for the expression of local
option sentiment within a given
area Of the District on the sale of
alcoholic beverages, The Commis-
sioners are authorized under rather
general language of section 7 ito
forbid the issuance of licenses for
manufacture, sale or storage of alco-
holic beverages in such localities
In and such sections and portions
Of the District Of Columbia as they
may deem proper in the public in
terest." The only attempt to trans
late this provision into action, the
Takoma Park instance in the early
years Of repeal, proved abortive.
Expression of Takoma's sentiment
pursuant to that provision was pre-
cluded when the courts enjoined
the planned local option vote.
A large share Of the public re-
action against the liquor trafic here
todly undoubtedly is traceable d.
rectly to the absence Of q workable
local option safety valve. The local
option privilege is given the public
In fully two-thirds of the As wet
States. It is pertinent here to re-
mark that even whisky distillers
vote dry" in local option election,
involving sales in or contiguous to
residential areas in which they re-
side.
The Regulations.
Appraisal of the Alcoholic Bev-
erage Control Act would not be COM
plete without covering the regula-
tions promulgated under 1t in order
to implement the law. There Is
room for question whether the exist
ing regulations even 60 50 far Al
fully to implement the existing law
The District of Columbia Com
missioners are charged with the re-
sponsibility Of promulgating suitable
yegulatiouy. A. . matter q proc