Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1880-03-19
Communicated.
License VS.. Prohibition,

We glean the following facts from tho very
Instructive report OF tho results of an invlsli>
gRtOn relative to drunkenness and liquor SELL
irg under prohibition ard loerso legislation,
contaioed in the Tenth Annual Boport of the
Massachusetts Bureau of Statistics Of Labor,
issued rs pubic document in January. 1879.
This investigation was undertaken at tho spe.
clal request of Governor Rice, whose object was
to place on record statement, as basis for an
Intelligent consideration of the question, Of as
reliable character as could be secured by I'M
partial statistics. These statistics arc drawn
from official soulccs. and, as far as tho figures
are c>rc,rned. arc thoroughly reliable
Tho years 1874 and 1877 were selected for
comparison, because 1874 represented tho last
full yoar uuder tho operation of the prohibitory
law, and 1871 the last full year under the Ii.
ccnso law. The advantages resulting from this
selection OF yoOrj, ii any, are on tho side OF the
prohibitcry law, because that law, 10 1874, had
boon in operation for number of years, whilo
the oenso law, in 1877, had only boon in iolcs
year and half.
-Four circulars wore prepared and addressed
by the chief of tho State Bureau Of Statistics
OF Labor to town clerks, city clerks, chiefs of
polloa. to standing justices, clerks of district,
municipal and polio, courts, and trial Justices.
These circulars solicited information regarding
tho salo ct liquor, prosecutions therefor, and
arrests and convictions for drunkenness for the
prohibltory year 1874 aud tho liconso year 1877.
Tho completeness of tho investigation may be
seen from tho following statement:
Circular " A. WAS sent to 325 town clerks ;
322 answered.
Circular "B' was sent to 10 city clerks; 10
answered.
Circular 'C'' was sent to 10 chiefs of police !;
l9 answered.
Circular "D' was sont to 1872 oouet and trial
justices; l3O answered.
From the Information thus obtained aud tab.
ulated 10 dotai in tho report, tho following
totals arc derived:
ARRESTS FOR DRUNKENNESS:
Uoder tho prohibitory law. 1874, 2s044
Under tho license law, 1877, 2O,657
CONVICTIONS FOR DRUNKENNESS:
undcr tho prohibitory law. 1874, 23.9Sl
Under the license law. 1877, 1852
NUMBER OF PLACES WHERE LIQUOR WAS II.
LEGALLY SOLD:
Under tho ,rohibitory law, 1874. $500
NuMEER OF PLACES LICENSED TO SELL LIQUOR:
uadcr tho lc.nso law, 1877, 5,273
JUDGEMENTS ON COMPLAINTS FOR ILLEGAL
SALES:
llodor The prohibitory law, 1874. 3,644
undrr Tho llo0nse law, lS17, 1858
10 will thus be seen that the LuMbor Of Or
rests for Drunkenness under the operation of
ihe license low, during the year 1877, as com,
pared to the ptohibitory yoar 1874 shows de-
crcas, cr fully Twenty-Five per cent. In tho
number OF conVictou4 for drunkenness the diff
creacc in favor oil tho lcease year is ut the
sano rate. The uunber OF places where liquor
Was iNegally sold uade- tho prohibitory law OF
1874. wsa arear by 3%G titan The number of
I,iacc5 licensed ia 1877. 1t is evident from
;hcso rc;uras that the prohibitory law failed to
prohibit, or even regulate tho salc of liquor,
while 1t is equally apparent that the license law,
as legislative measure not only regulates the
sale Of liquor, but decreases drunkenness.
The obvious teachings OF tho above arc con.
cjusig" Ii favor Of the license system.-Amni,
ca" Vine md Grape Grocer.