The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-12-11
TEMPERANCE LEGISLATION.
Plan Suggested by John Bright in
His Birmingham Speech.
Whist Can Be Done by Allowing Corpora
tions the Local Right to Legislate Re-
neutrality-suspicious. of High License.

trust to the corporations an additional power
in relation to the temperance question, and
remarked: A committee Of the town coun-
Gil appointed to work under an act OF Par
lament might surely be trusted upon
matter of this kind. May 1 suggest what
should be done? l would enact that no cor
poration in the kingdom in any burrough
should increase the number of licenses which
at present are granted | mean in proper
ton to the population. The question OF
whether, if the population largely increased,
there should be other licenses granted is an
other matter, but assuming, as l think one
may fairly assume that with the present
population the licenses are at any rate suffi-
cient there should be no extension OF them.
Then l would establish another limit that it
should not be in the power of a corporation
or their committee to reduce the number of
licenses where the population remains the
same to one half do this because in legis-
lating on a matter of this kind violent
changes are not necessary and are not
wise, and | think we have no right to
bring about the depreciation of property
that would take place if it were believed
that the committee of a corporation could
at once, i'll very short time, suppress all the
public houses within the limits of their au-
thorities Therefore, l would put a limit of
the kind | have mentioned, and, more than
that | would enact that with regard to this
bill; and TO these limits it should Itself fix a
term, say of ten years, during which lair
experiment might be tried as to its working.
at the end of the time the temperance opin-
ion of the country might be advanced, light
be stronger, and might require of Parliament
measures even more, will not say severe,
but more comprehensive than that which L
have endeavored to enact. Now, there is one
other point which appears to be most essen
tial. You know it has been the opinion OF
the present government l think Mr. Glad
stone has himself once or twice mentioned
that.it would be desirable to apportion some
specific tax to the purposes of corporations,
boroughs and the counties with a view of
easing the pressure of local rates. Well, now,
suppose that Parliament were to pass a law
of the kind which am about TO describe with
respect to every borough Qor would cOnfine
the bill | am suggesting to boroughs) | would
take that as the great experiment., and after
seeing its workings it might be extended
to the counties. Suppose we are
to take the town of Birmingham as an in
stance l believe the taxes paid by all the
public houses and sellers OF alcoholic liquors
to the government comes to something like
would transfer all the charge OF Els, 900 a
year from the chancellor of the exchequer to
the finance minister, if there be such an Off
Ger, of the corporation of Birmingham. l
would give TO the corporation the power,
within certain prescribed limits, to add to the
amount of the charge laid upon the houses
IN which these drinks are sold. In all prob
ability ii may not be necessary to extend 1t
much, perhaps not to extend it at all; but
think, as the temperance opinion grows in q
borough it might be necessary and desirable
that they should take that one mode OF pre-
venting the increase of licenses-by making
the taxation upon them somewhat heavier.
You grant a monopoly when you grant
license and you have a certain rightto make
change for the preference Now, what will
you do with this Els, 900 year? You might
employ it to remove portion OF your po-
lice tax; you might employ it for the pur-
pose OF removing a class of houses in certain
neghborhoods which are injurious and far
too numerous, giving compensation-a rea-
sonabie compensation-to the owners and &C.
cupers of those houses There is a
class of houses breaking the law occasion
ally. All those the corporation may sup
perss at once, as the magistrates might if
they were faithful and strong enough. But
there is another class Of houses which do
not openly break the law, but are injurious
from their excessive number, and from their
being conducted in a manner Which is found
TO be hurtful to the district where they are
placed. The corporation might select all
those and remove a number OF them, and
make compensation out of the Els, 600 a
year and by a self-acting machinery your
temperance opinion would elect a trustee
and well-chosen committee The corpora
ton, through its committee, would deal
with this matter; it acts just according to the
pressure and the point of the temperance
opinion. 1t would withhold licenses if pub
JIG opinion were in favor of their being with
held; it would suppress houses that were in
furious and proAigate and ill-cOnducted
and, in some cases, it would also suppress
houses by paying fair compensation TO all
those who are interested in the property con-
nected with them
o EFFECT OF RESTRICTIVE LEGISLATION.
Now, if this plan were adopted, what would
be the result? Clearly this-that the houses
where intoxicating drinks were sold would
be fewer, they would be very much more
respectable in their character, and there
would be no confiscation of property.
think what you call dram-shops would,
under this system, be probably entirely got
rid of, and the licensed victuallers
throughout the town would be of a class
that would be far more in. harmony with
public opinion and that would be a good
thing. have myself often been panied at
the language which has been addressed to
large body comprising many respectable and
honorable men on account of the conduct
and the condition of small minority of
them. Well, under this system, l hope that
the licensed victualers who would remain,
and no doubt many would remain, would be
OF a character that would save them from
attacks of this nature, and that it would be
found that they are much more in harmony
with an honorable and moral public senti
ment than a great many of their brethren
have been in past times. We must seek to
remove some of the odions features of the
trade, and the machinery would be self-act-
ing, AS the temperance opinions strengthen
so would this action strengthen, until that
state of things had arisen which the moral
sense of the population felt to be sufficient,