Omaha daily bee., 1883-06-11
German Approval Of High License

German Approval Of High License.
Chicago Tribune.
When the reform license bill now
now pending before the Illinois legis.
lature was amended q few weeks @
in such manner as to make q wide dis
tinction between a tax on the sale Of
beer and a tax on the sale of all kinds
of liquor, the Stasts-Z ,ltung came out
with a distinct approval Of the bill,
not withdrawing the figure proposed
at that time for the beer license WAS
$3.50, or 800 more than the present
rats in tho bill. The Stats. u ,isuug
has Indicated on mora than ouo occa.
sion that the license bill in this shape
would be acceptable to the Germans If
''local option" were done away with,
which 1t regards az false in principle
because 1t threatens ''personal free.
DOM wherever 1t leads TO local pro.
hibition. THIS theory has called out
a statement from the Stasts.A z,tger,
g German paper published IN Lincoln,
Neb., relative to tho operation Of the
Nebraska Law. In that state the
law exacts a license fee Of 81, COO from
saloons In cities containing moro than
10, 600 inhabitants and $500 In the
smaller cities and towns, and 1t makes
no distinction between beer and
whisky saloons; there Is also a local.
option law which enables every local
community to decide for Itself wheth-
or or not it shall attempt prohi oition
OF the sale and consumption of liquor,
and the the Staats. Anzeiger of Lin.
coin bears testimony that the high.
license law has taken the wind out of
the sails of prohibitionists, and that
the communities which formerly pro.
hibited, or tried to, the sale of liquor
altogether have decided, since the pas.
sage of the high license law, that the
traffic can be regulated batter under
that law than by an attempt at pro.
hibition, which really never prohibit
ed, and that they have, almost with
out exception, awaited themselves of
the license tax, which In Nebraska Is
set aside for the benefit of the schools.
The Nebraska German newspaper
then goes on to give q favorable &C
count of the practical operation of the
high. license law, and to show that
the Germans of that state who q. first
were opposed are now included among
Its stauuchest friends and supporters.
L. says that during the consideration
OF the bill by the legislature, the
brewers were Its principal opponents,
but that these same men have since
found the law to be advantageous to
them. Tne sale of beer has not bsen
diminished, but the saloons have
passed into the hands of moro re-
sponsible people, and the brewerles do
a safer business than ever before.
The Anzeiger then sums up the ad.
vantagss by actual experience Ia Ma.
braska te be: Q) A large re.
duotion In the number Of lire.
spopsible and dlsreputable saloons,
which In some places had
become formidable In extent and evil
character; (2) vastly better saloons
and more responsible keepers; ~ the
sale Of better articles of drink; az
great elimination of drunkenness, be.
cause the saloonkesper is not now
tempted to take the last nickel of the
drinker or to seek the patronage of
sots and l~oaters; (6) large reduction
OF local taxation on all other citizens.
TO this the German paper adds that
the price of beer remains at FIVE cents,
that the sizs of the glass 10 the game as
before, and that there has been 40 re-
stratnt upon personal freedom OF the
drtnker. Ii concludes by saying that
1T has become convinced by actual
experience that high license as uni.
yersally prscLiced In Nebraska Ia bene.
heial ana popular" This testimony
Is the more valuable because 1t comes
from q German authority In q state
where no effort was made to conelliate
German sentiment by a discrimination
IT. favor of beer.