, 1874-11-27
The Gallon Ordinance in
Bloomington, Ill.
lis UttOr Failure to Arrest tho Evils
Of Intemperancc.
Suits Under the Iowa Liquor Law,
Ono Lady Claims $4,000 Dam-
ages, and Another $32, 600.
BLOOMINGTON, I'LL,


1r WORRIED.
Special Dttpatch to 1Ae Chicaao Tribune.
BtooMINaroN, ILL.,, Nov. 28.-Aa much interest
Inns boon manifested in ali por!ions Of tho State
regarding tho result OF tho experiment In thls
city to control or suppress tho OWLS of intom-
perancs BY what is known "a tho
pnon1n1ronY on GALLON ORDINANCE"
perhaps Btatomont from ono rho has been
careful obHorver may not be wholly uninterost.
ing.
This ordinance wAs adopted In June Inst. aud
took effect the lat Of July. 1t was, Of course;
tho result Of tho crusad!ng movement; but it
waa not what tho advocates 6f Prohibition OK
poctod. Previous to tho city election, Tho City
Council submitted tho question Of Llconso or
No License to tho popular vote. Contrary to
the expectation OF most people. tho
majority votod against License. The Council,
having Pledged itself to carry ont tho will Of tho
pnople, at ouco not about the work Of fixing up
M ordinance. At this point II Was discovered
that tloro vaB difroronco OF opinion among tile
people as to tho o1sont to which tho Prohibition
was to Co. aud tho aamc dilforonce Of opinion
oxintod among tho members OF tho Council.
Some olaimnd that tho wholo traffic, both wl1ole-
sale aud retail, should bo prohibited; while
otaors claimed that the voto simply noant Tint
tho licensed snlo by tho glass WAS to bo prohibit.
cd, leaving tho traffic to DO carried on under tho
provisions Of the Btnto law. This Wow Of tho
caBo obtained iu tho Council, md the ordinance
was adopted by vote Of II to /. That it would
rRoyE FAILURE
in 1eesoning tho evil, WAS proplesiod from tho
start. Tho P.oh!bitoDists had but Ntsla oonA-
donco In It, becauso 1t did not 70 far enough;
and the Lconne tnen olamed that, under It. tue
traffic would DO continued as horesoforn, aud tho
City Treasury would recoiyo no bonolit from
the roven1o brought In under tho L!cenao sys-
tom. Under tho LceuHe system thcre were
thi1tY.three saloons in tho city, each Of which
paid ESQ per mouth, or aa aggregate of 900
At first tho Indications Were favorable to tho
law, althoNsh apparently moro beer and liquor
were drank than before. TAig, howeyor, Was
only acemIngly 30, from tho fact that the orli-
uauco did not allow purchnsora to drink on tho
ing tho beer would go upon tho street aud drink
tleir beer out at gnllon.ynugs. It Was only d
short timo, however, before tie machinery for
DoD0lNa THE Law
wna perfected and that 1t MAS dono efectunlly.
may be judged from tho fact that not hali-a-
dozen convictions hayo beon secured III tho lyo
mouths since Tho lat ot July. The authorities
attempted to prove violations Of tho law; but,
IN nearly every case, the Witnesses haa forgotten
glass or not and probably not q fine has been
IIaid into tue City Treasury under this ordinance.
In q short time tho Haloon-mon found that
they could soil with impnnity, and, for tho past
three months, it is probable that everybody who
wanted liquor or beer by the glass havs obtained
all they desired without any trouble whatever.
Al thero was no liconso to pay, but any ono could
soil BY tho gallon who could give bonds, the
number Of saloons .~..
BxoAN 70 1NoREAsE;
and 1t ia cl1imed tint thoro arc moro safoons In
tho city today than thcro was before the 1Ht
Of July.
Undor these circumstanceB. It ID not strange
that tho Council have takcn the hack track, and
restored tho Lictneo ayeten1. Whatever might
lnve boon the oaeo with Prohibition 1t is certain
that nn ordinance under which liquor can bo sold
Of drunkenness. or poroeptlbly diminish tho
amount Of Iiquor aold a,d drank. Thooretionl-
II, tho thing looted we'll on lapor; but, praotl-
cai1y, 1t did not work to tho batisfacton Of
any one. Notther party waa aattafled with 1t,
The Prohibitioniats doniad TINT 1t was their
bantling and refused to take Its failure aa an ill.,
dlcation that thair theories were wrong; while
tue Taxpayers woro toEtlcBs under the idea
that tue Treasury was rocotvlng nothing
in tho shape Of royonl,e. III fact, the only
class That appeared to DO aatisaod With tho stua-
ttouwas tho
FALooN-KEErERg,
who dotlantly yiolntea tho Law, and saved their
1icenso-monoy, aud laughed to dorison ogory nt-
tompt to punish then,.
That the repeal Of the ordinance will bring on
a cloaoly-contestod battto at tho next election,
thore ia no doubt, as tho crusaders aro already
rosult may DO, it a impossible to toll; but. from
present indications, tho License llon will carry
the day, At all events. Bloomington will not
be i'll . hurry to re-ennct Its Gallon ordinance.
Next yoar Bloomington will lavo 4 high License
law, OF regular old-fashiouod Maine law.