The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1883-09-05
Free Water versus Free Whtskey.

The high license law of Illinois became
operative in that state not long ago. Be-
fore its provisions went into effect in
Chicago the licenses of several thousand
saloon-keepers of that city were renewed
for one year, at the old rate, by Mayor
Harrison. The legality of the mayors
action was questioned at the time, and it
was hoped that the sellers of beer and
whiskey would yet be compelled to take
out licenses under the new law. For
lack of law or of prosecution this expecta-
tion has been disappointed. The saloon.
keepers own the mayor, run the city
council, levy, collect and disburse the
taxes-and so, by the connivance of
the democratic municipal government, the
taxpayers have been defrauded of more
than million dollars which the law re-
quired should be paid into the city treas
ury. The householders, outraged by the
subserviency of the authorities to the
liquor-dealing interest, will make a pow
erful effort at the next April election to
wrest the power from their hands. Num-
bering one hundred thousand, they pro-
pose to GUST the four thousand saloon
keepers from the control of city affairs
and manage things to suit themselves.
They intend to make the dominant and
demorslizipg class which is now collect.
ing from the community $l2,OO0,O00 an
nually for Intoxicating drinks, and which
has given in return only drunkenness,
rufianism, riot, robbery, poverty, pau
perism, crime and heavy expenditures for
the protection of the community and the
punishment of criminals, contribute a
million and half of dollars toward re-
pairing the injury and ruin it has caused
The issue these householders propose to
make is free water Us. free rum" They
will demand that the tax on water for
household purposes be removed. They
propose to let beer and liquor-dealers
hereafter haunt the treasurer's Office in
city hall, and out of their abundance con-
tribute to the public revenues the money
which has hitherto been saved from small
earnings by self-denial and severe economy
to pay water taxes. A half million dol
lars has been paid annually for water for
cooking, washing, drinking and bathing.
On the great majority of the householders
the water tax bears heavily, and to them
"free water" would be boon. Out of
the million and more of new revenue
which the high license law will raise from
the saloons the purpose is to confer this
boon. There is something of poetic as
we'll as abstract justice in this proposed
turning of the tables upon "rum." Not
only is it hoped that the traffic in intoxi-
eating drink will be compelled to give
householders free water, but that The
number of saloons will be reduced thou.
sand or more by the rigid enforcement OF
the new law; and other benefits, moral
and economic, will also come from bet.
ter control of traffic which, in the pres.
emit condition of public opinion, it is moi
possible utterly to prohibit. The Tribune
is of the opinion that the average alder
man has sense enough to see where the
majority of votes is and where public
sentiment is, and with sorrow will say to
himself Z" If the fight is made between
free water and free whiskey, my saloon
and my saloon-keeping brethren must CO.