Evening star., 1947-02-13
Alcoholism: Illness or Crime?
Legislation Would Seek Some Other Treatment
Than Ten Dollars or Ten Days
By GeOrse Kenned,
First of q Series of Three Articles.

nan 1 Ell DOH
By Geors
First of q Serie.
A bill introduced into the new Con-
gress would declare the chronic alcoholic
sick man and would place tax on
every gallon Of liquor sold in Washing
ton for his medical, psychiatric and
and other scientific treatment"
Both provisions of this legislation
sponsored by Representative Hebert,
Democrat, of Louisiana, would cause
marked changes in dealing with one
of society's oldest problems.
The declaration that the alcoholic is
sick rather than criminal would force
complete change of policy and practice
on the part OF the police and the courts.
A Scent tax stamp on every fifth Of
liquor sold in Washington would reafiZe
81 ,250,000 to deal with this problem.
This Is sum far greater than that
currently spent on the custody Of those
sentenced for drunkenness and null
tiple OF the money realized by fines.
And" as James v. Bennett, director
Of the Federal Bureau Of Prisons, whose
idea it was, says, "it is tax that most
drinking persons would be willing to pay
--aS insurance.
The multiplication Of the nickel into
more than a million dollars is this:
Last year more than 5000, 900 gallons
of spirits whisky, brandy, rum and gin)
were sold in Washington. Practically
all of this was sold in bottles containing
a fifth Of gallon. That is 25,000,O00
f1fths. Multiply that by sos and the
result is one million and quarter dol
lars. The language Of the bill is Il to
3 per cent" tax on the retail price. At
present average prices for liquors a
nickel tax on a fifth would be about
per cent.
A Hundred Arrests Each Day.
However, the District Government is
planning to ask Congress to double the
present so cents gallon tax on liquor
and Vernon West, corporation counsel,
who served with Mr.. Bennett on the
Hebert committee, reserved judgment
on the method of financing.
The total of arrests for drunkenness
in Washington is as astounding as the
sum Of the nickels on each bottle of
liquor. The Metropolitan Police Depart
ment statistical Office has so far totaled
the 1916 arrests through November.
That total is 81 900. It is likely that
when the December figures from the
precincts are added it will amount
to $4,000. That equals the 1943 war
time peak.
A breakdown as to>sex and color of
the $1,000 1916 arrests so far tabulated
shows that 28,639 were men; 3,007 wom-
en-18,098 were white; 1888 were
colored.
Thirty-four thousand arrests for
drunkenness year means almost 100
day-94 to cite the mathematical aver
age. But the figures do not mean that
$4,000 residents OF transients have been
run in for intoXication. How many in
dividuals are concerned is impossible to
arrive at. About half of those arrested
for drunkenness leave $40 collateral bail
at the precinct and allow it to be for
feited by failing to appear to contest
the charge. There are many repeaters
among these. A study of the 5000
arraigned in the District Of Columbia
branch of Municipal Court, still popu-
larly referred to as the Police Court,
showed that 1000 repeaters accounted
for 5000 appearances.
Mr.. Hebert is of the opinion that If
those in the liquor trade were smart
they would be for his bill Prohibition
is likely to return if this problem is not
ameliorated, he says, and he is confident
the bill would do that.
Milton Kronheim, who as Washington
distributor of National Distillers prod
ucts has the largest wholesale liquor
business here, is unwilling for the trade
to take the blame which is implicit in
the bill. He says:
''The down and out repeaters who
make up the bulk of the big Monday
morning appearances in Police Court
have not been drinking legitimate tax
paid liquor. They have been drinking
cents a pint-instead of So q pint
whisky. The trade is willing to do
whatever it can to help solve the prob
lem Of alcoholism, but not to accept
stigma that 1t does not deserve"
Alcoholism and the Courts.
The Hebert bill points this up: There
has been change in informed thinking
about the problem of alcoholism but
there has been no change in the prac-
tice OF the police, the courts and the
prison system.
Judge Walter Casey of Municipal
Court, who has prepared paper on the
subject for the Bar Association Journal,
says:
when I first sat in this court a
drunkard was brought before me. I
said, Ten dollars or 10 days That
seemed to be the thing to say and I
went on to the next case. Why did I
do that? Merely because 1t was what
my predecessors had DONE"
Judge Casey Is Of the opinion that
Washington police make too many arrests
for drunkenness. Sometimes, when I've
asked, I have discovered man was
arrested in his home block" he says.
"I ask the police why they didn't take
the man home. They say he was in
violation of the law"
Maj. Harvey Callahan, superintendent
of police, says there has been no general
order to police stating any change in
policy in arresting inebriates as long as
he can remember The rookie policeman
is taught to arrest any one whose con-
- Greenlan,