Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-04-04
ONO lIaUoR LEaIsLATIoS.

OHIO LIQUOR LEGIsLATE0N.
Hon. DAVID WAGNER, the "West
Virginia member" OF the Ohio Legisla-
turc, made THE REGISTER y call yes
tcrday, aud conversed freely upon Ohio
affairs and the work of the Legislature.
The latest phase, he said, in the political
and Legislative world over the river was
the passage and excitement. over the
POND bill, which imposes n heavy tax
on saloon-keepers for carrying on their
business. The bill isinconsistent with the
statute which prohibits the sale of liquor
to be drank on the premises where sold,
and inasmueh as it embraces the features
of a licenssJrw, under another name,
Mr.. WSGSNER, believes it to be
unconstitutional. 1t gives q mo-
noroly of the ret all liquor
trade to few who will be able to pay
the tax, and objectionihas been raised
against il on the ground that it seeks
generally to harass . business against
which a prohibitOry statute has been in
effeetual. This bill isintOlerant of the
views and customs of large portion OF
tie people of Ohio. 1t has received
the favor of a Republican Legislature,
not on principle or merit, but at the inn
perious demand of an cxalting sO-Callcd
temperance element.
The Ohio people are fully alive to the
importance of the measure in Il political
sense, and it is the opinion of many
shrewd observers that the effect of its
passage will be to dethrone the admin
istration party at the fall election.
The following is the first and ne oi
the principle sections nf the hill
That every person engaged i; the
traffic of intoxicating liquors thall,
within thirty days after the fixing
effect of this act, and in the first SSeek
of Nav in each succeeding year shcre-
after: and every person hereaftGz' en-
gaging in such traffic shall befOie en-
gaging therein, and in the first w'%k OF
May in each succeeding yearther, after,
during his continuance in such tkatlic,
pay into the treasury Of the Proper
county, upon the certificate O$ the
county auditor, rs follows, tO-wlt:f
When his place of business is LOCATED
not within any village or city, nor SSith-
| in one mile thereof, 800; when WShln
"A village having population "a less
than two thousand by the next proceed
ING federal census, or within one mile
- . I Mill fnt
village or city, having Il population OF
I less than ten thousand inhabitants, or
within one mile thereof, 500; %hen
Within any city of the second-ClaSS,
having population Ofte thousand IN
habitauts,, or more, or within two miles
thereof, SD: and when within any city
of the tirst-ClasS~, or within two ruileS
thereof, 500.
Each salOou-kecpcr il 10 give bond i'll
the sum of 81 900, with two SuT"tiC~
worth double the sum, for the faithful
Observance of the terms of the act. Sell
ing liquor without paying this tax sub
iccts the offender to q fine of not more
than 81 ,UT nor less than 500, or impris-
onment in the county Jail for not more
than one year or less than thirty days,
or fine and Imprisonment at the diScrc-
ton of the court. In prosecuting
nifcn>eS under this act an indictment
by grand Jury is not necessary. The
cases are to go at once on information
before the Court Of Common Pleas. The
taxes raised under the act are to go,
two-thir,ls to the townships, villages
and cities wherein they are collected,
and onr-third to the general county
fund.
The liquor dealer, declare that this act
will destroy their business, and especial
" i'm the cities. where there Is strong
competition, as they say the saloon
keepers cannot afford TO pay a tax OF
three hundred year. The friends OF
the bill assert that a reasonable number
of saloon Keepers can; that the act will
> estfnatecf crfdt -tfrcrc y I sf'oon m OHIO
for every thirty adult males, a prepos-
tcrou~ly large number. The number is
large because hitherto the saloon busi-
ness there has escaped taxation. Under
the constitution the business cannot he
licensed.