The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1949-02-25
CONTINUED from Page One,

pensive imported wines and ''rotgut'
whisky The Mexican rum ICON
tanned, dirt, straw, blowflies and
bugs" 1t was filtered at cost of
$7,50 and the price cut almost in
half in an effort to move it.
Included in the report is a copy
of an order placed by Wallace, per-
sonally, with Seattle distributog
for 1000 cases of rum and tequila.
''Total cost to the state of the
above liquors." the committee re-
ported, twas $154,500, plus freight
and federal taxes. Auditors en-
ployed by the committee estimate the
state lost, by reason of the purchase
of this and other dirty and unsafe
able liquor, an amount in excess of
100000. This loss is covered in
the boards records by the item cost
of sales'-a bookkeeping entry which
is neither honest nor intelligent I'M
der the circumstances.
The committee said these pur-
chases were protested to Governor
Ford by Mcdonald, then the admin
istrator, and later Mcdonald was
discharged.
The large inventory of non-stand-
ard brands created a new problem,
the committee report says:
''The state thus entered upon the
war rationing period we'll fortified
with verminous, undrinkable liquor,
but the credit of the state was
stretched to the breaking point
There was no money left which could
be invested in saleable liquors. Vari-
Gus patriotic citizens at once came
to the rescue and there ensued the
strange situation whereby some doz-
ems of associations and persons ord
cred and paid for their own liquor,
stored it in the state warehouse and,
in violation of the law and regula-
lions of the board, acted as whole
salers of liquor"
The transcript of testimony before
the committee includes an exhibit
showing the liquor board purchased
5000 cases of Jack Rose whisky
from Treasure State Associates, with |
offices in the Pittsburg block, Hell |
ena. Another exhibit, the commit
tee said, discloses:
Thousands of cases of whisky
were purchased and distributed
throughout the state by illegal hold
ers of federal basic permits. Among
those most active in the wholesale
trade were L. Sasich, Billings; Crown
bar, Butte; Thomas H. Alley, Helena
Maurice Egan and Egan & Co., Hell
ena; the Mint, Helena, and Oxford
bar, Missoula.
tom Alley and others were in
dicted under federal laws in connec-
ton with their activities as whole
salers but all went scot free so far
as the state of Montana was con-
cerned. They were aided and !
abetted in their illegal actions by the
liquor control board and its admins
traitors.
at seems to this committee that
when such men as H. C. Brinck,
slot machine operator and a black
'atchel man; Tom Alley, an ex-wrest-
er, the Egans, operators of the Mint
n Helena, a gambling institut ton;
William Daniels, trucker who lost
20 much liquor enroute and who re-
used to testify because he might in .
.riminate himself, and who employed
Jus Wright Brown as a driver, whose
present address is Montana state
Prison, Deer Lodge, Mont, and Eddie |
Newman, an ex-convict, were able
o obtain great amounts of liquor to :
took the liquor dealers of the state, |
When the state of Montana, with all l
is resources and credit could not do {
t, then there was something rad
cally wrong in the Montana liquor
ontrol board" i
Bankers and Liquor II
Although the liquor boards regu-
atoms provide liquor may not be !
tored on any premise not licensed =
n accordance with law, the commit l
ee found:
During the period, December %,
GAP, to December 8, 1915, the First Il
RATIONAL bank of Helena stored 9,241 Il