Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 February 1911 — HALLECK DRUGGIST'S BILL UP FRIDAY AFTERHOOK. [ARTICLE]

HALLECK DRUGGIST'S BILL UP FRIDAY AFTERHOOK.

Bill Preyed To© Deep for Quick Die* petal mad Was Made Special Order After Short Discastdoa. , The Indianapolis News of Wednesday gives the following report of the diseassion of the Halleck bill to regulate the sale of liquor by druggists: The question of regulating liquor sales at drug stores, as presented in a bill by Senator Halleck, proved too deep for Die senate to solve in a hurry this morning, and after two amendments had been offered, the senators decided to make the bill a special order for discussion next Friday afternoon. The bill, in its original form, required that all prescriptions and applications for liquor at drug stores b< properly identified and filed by the druggists and kept by them for one year as public records. Penalties were attached for the violation of the provisions by the druggist, and violation by any applicant for r liquor who should make a false statement One of the penalties provided that on the second offense by a druggist; his license as a druggist would be subject to revocation.

In explaining the bill, Senator Halleck said he came from a “dry” district, which probably would remai.. “dry” under the new option law. “Practically all the blind tigers we have are in disreputable drug stores,” he said. “Under the Beardsley law, as It now stands, there is no way to use the prescriptions or applications as evidence of law violation. The supreme court has held that prescriptions are the personal property of druggists. At present, if a druggist submits his recoords to the grand jury he is submitting private matter which might incriminate himself, and, therefore, he is immune from punishment.” The bill, Senator Halleck said, amends the Beardßley law so that the druggists’ prescription and application records shall be open to public inspection or grand jury as evidence of law violation. < Senator Parks, who said he had been a druggist for thirty-eight years, declared he did not oppose a drastic law agairlst law violating druggists, but he thought the bill proposed would be an unreasonable hardship on all druggists. He thought the present law was sufficient if it were enforced in the various communities. Senator Gers, a physician, came to the defense of the druggists, saying he believed that, as a rule, they were trying to do a “fair and square" business all over the state. The bill, he said, would open up their professional secrets to the public. That would make the bill unconstitutional, he said. ■ - r - v - : - An amendment to the bill was offered by Senator Long, which would strike out of the bill all reference to applications for liquor, and would authorize druggists to sell liquor only on a physician’s prescription. The Long amendment left the records open only to the Inspector of the prosecutor, or any person authorized by a court to make such an inspection. The bill, with this amendment, is favored by the anti-saloon forces. R. C. Minton, attorney for the Indiana Anti-Saloon League, was in the senate , chamber endeavoring to aid in having the measure passed. He said liquor selling at drug stores should be subject to more strict regulation. Senator Tilden spoke in favor of the amendment. He said many druggists of the state were freely selling liquor without requiring the proper prescriptions or applications, and that there is not now any effective method of stopping such sales. A substitute amendment was offered by Senator Curtis. This substitute amendment would allow the druggist to sell liquor on the presentation of a prescription or an application by e person who is not in the habit of becoming intoxicated. The Curtis amendment would give only the prosecuting attorney access to the druggist’s records, which could be used as evidence in any court. Senatqr Brady, a physician, said this amendment would suit the physicians, as it would not open up their professional prescriptions to everybody, and would permit liquor to be sold on' written application. “Physic'ans do not want to be the agent of druggists,” he said. '• At this point Senator Clark moved to have the bill reprinted with the amendments offered, and to consider the bill as a special order of business Friday afternoon at 2 o’clock. The motion was carried. Several druggists of the state have protested against the bill in its original form. They say It is too drastic, and fear that the provision that their licenses as druggists might be revoked on a second conviction, might be enforced unfairly. Senator Halleck has consented to the modification of the bill as sot forth In the Long amendment A lazy liver leads to chronic dyspepsia and constipation—weakens the whole system. Doan’s ReguleU (2G cents per box) correct the liver, tone the stomach, core constipation.