Emporium Stuck Up

Manhattan's wide open wet emporium called Cordials and Beverages at No. 201 East 44th Street (TIME, Feb. 10) rose from fame to notoriety last week. Starting quietly, events marched to an imposing crescendo:

First, according to the proprietor, a person with the mien of a policeman entered Cordials and Beverages carrying a copy of TIME, pointed accusingly to the story of the shop's booze-selling, demanded $75 hush money, received it.

A later visitor to the emporium was told: "We already got our $75 back.today. Business is grand!"

To reassure a timid patron, one of the clerks brandished a copy of TIME, pointing to the paragraph which quoted a chemist's report that one sample from the shop contained 45% alcohol, was nonpoisonous.

"Sure it's O.K., lady!" cried the clerk. "You can see for yourself. Me--I give this gin to my old father!"

Then notoriety brought to the emporium a tough customer with a pistol. When he had departed taking considerable cash with him, the proprietor called the police, bawled to a large crowd which had collected: "We been stuck up!"

Efficient, the police came, took down a description of the gunman, promised to try and catch him, but had not at last reports interfered with the rushing business of Cordials and Beverages.

Rhode Island Referendum

The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation, always independent, was the last to ratify the Constitution, has never ratified its 18th Amendment. The Rhode Island Legislature lately toyed with the fancy idea of proving that Amendment unconstitutional. Last week, after a disorderly session, the R.I. House of Representatives passed a Senate bill for a referendum on Prohibition in November.

Legislative dissension arose, not over the referendum but over its form. Democrats, wetter than Republicans, demanded that the electorate should vote yes-or-no on repealing the 18th Amendment. Republicans, more numerous, more noisy, succeeded in making it a question of retaining the law. Democrats complained that, since yes is more easy to say than no, the Dry side might win through sheer voter-thoughtlessness.

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