Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-10-17
DUB LONDON LETTER.
THE TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT AND
ITS EFFECT IN ENGLAND.
Local opticn Promised-Hard Statement
About New York saloon-Keepers-
The License system.
LONDON, September 81, 1888.

LONDON, September p, 1888.
The decrease last year in the revenue
from beer and spirits of over million and |
q half dollars is a fact which proclaims |
with unmistakable emphasis the rapid |
growth of temperance sentiment in this |
country and the practical change for the
better which has taken place in the habits
of the people This, however, is only one
encouraging fact out of many. A most !
wholesome transformation is observable in
the attitude of the Christian Church |
toward the liquor question. Outside the
pale Of the Establishment it is exceptional
in these days, almost disreputably SO, for a
minister to use intoxicants as a beverage, |
and it will not be very long, at the present
rate of progress, before the dissenting |
bodies will take as strong a position of
hostility to this custom as is occupied by
their brethren in the United States. 1t is
worthy of note, in passing, that the dis
senters of England invariably
LEAD THE REFORM VAN,
Whether the change contemplated be in
the realm of morals or in the arena of
politics the Established Church, though
it occupies All imperial position, and yields
commanding social power, being virtu-
ally only follower, and often, too, where
the highest veal of the people is con.
cerned, very unwilling follower. But
a IL 81 g. ltrkr fhal
present crisis with q promptness and
energy that are altogether unusual, and
which augur the best of results both for
the Church itself and for the cause of tenn
perance. Another hopeful sign is in the
quickened consciences OF the magistrates,
in whom the license power is vested.
These gentlemen are beginning to appre-
ciate the trust they hold, and to under
stand that the public is keeping a close
watch upon them. Under
THE LOCAL OPTION MEASURE
Which Mr.. Gladstone promises to intro
duce at the next session, this licensing au-
thority will pass into the hands of those
who will be directly amenable to the vot-
ers for their conduct; but, meanwhile, it
is gratifying to observe that reform meas |
ures are being adopted on mild scale by
the powers that be-. At the Brewster
Sessions recently held, at which licenses
are renewed for the year, those on the
bench showed q sense of responsibility |
such as they have rarely evinced before. |
They evidently felt that public houses had |
become far too numerous, and that the |
time was ripe for the Inauguration of a |
wedding out process. When it is init |
mated that there are
NEARLY 10000 SUCH PLACES
In the United Kingdom, your readers will |
see the reasonableress of this conclusion,
and will only wonder that the Magistrates
should have delayed SO long in forming it.
Another matter of surprise will be that
these functionaries did not proceed at once
to give vigorous effect to their convictions
on this subject but at this point condem-
nation must be tempered with charity.
American critics must bear in mind that
the public house is an institution which for
centuries has been almost as strongly in.
trenched in the affections of the British
people as their national church. Up to
quite recently the masses have seen no
harm in it, but have looked upon it, rather,
rs the fountain of many innocent comforts
and blessings. The policy has been to let
1t alone, and, certainly, where nothing has
been done for so long, the least advance be-
comes important and should be heartily ap- |
plauded. Accordingly, it is no small mat
ter that 80 many benches gave notice of |
their purpose to
CAREFULLY EXAMINE ALL APPLICATIONS
Made to them at the next session, and to |
renew such license only as seemed to be
really demanded by the wants of the sur
rounding community. But some of the
magistrates did more than this. To GER
tain class of licenses the bench here and |
there showed most Incorporating hos.
tility, sweeping them away by wholesale,
one Court striking as many as sixty from |
the register in a single day. These were
"off licenses, held mostly by grocers, en-
sitting to sell liquor for consumption away
from the premises. OFF, many of them
now are, with vengeance, and the whole
system is threatened. for it has been dis
covered that the eminently respectable
process of having your drinks brought in
grocer's wagon encourages bibulousness
among class of people who otherwise
would be temperate and sober, particularly
among women. Touching the latter point,
public sentiment has been aroused by tbs
published
OPINIONS OF THIRTEEN EMINENT PHYSI-
CLANS.
These gentlemen are unanimous in their
views, and one of them, whose testimony is
fair sample of the rest, writes $50
many cases of secret drinking have come
under my care, amongst ladies especially,
that 1t would be useless just mentioning
one or two-many to the entire ruin of
their families. In nearly every case it has
been discovered that the liquor has been
obtained from grocers, and | believe that
no teetotal pledges or any other temper
ance movement will do the good that the
total abolition of grocers' licenses would
do. / know lady who once or twice a
month breaks out in the most fearful state |
of intoxication. In her case it is always |
obtained from the grocer, as she would be |
ashamed to go to the public house"
THE PRESENT LICENSE SYSTEM.
The question of how to deal with the |
liquor traffic being just now one of absorb.
ing interest in so many parts of the United |
States, it may not be amiss to give sum.
mary in this letter of the laws regulating |
the traffic in this country. First as to
licenses. A license to sell beer to be con-
sumed on the premises costs SIT so year,
and the premises covered by it, to meet
the requirements of law, must be of an
annual value of from $50 to $50, accord
ing to location. A house for which q
license to sell both beer and spirits is
sought must have at least two public
rooms in which these articles are sold, and |
one in which they are not, exclusive of the
rooms occupied by those keeping it. In
cities having not less than 100, 900 inhab.
itants the annual value of such place must
be not less than $3.50, while in
places of less than 10000 the