Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-04-25


notwithstanding these side issues the gen.
eral ticket of Democrats was carried
through triumphantly. l mention this to
show that high license was not an issue. 1
do not believe that majority of the peo-
pie favor high license; and as was elect
ed as an opponent to that issue must
confess that as my opinion is unchanged
it is my duty to follow the instruction Civ
en- me by direct vote of the people. am
not fanatic; and while have decided
convictions on all public topics 1 have
never tried to cram them down other peo-
pies throats; nor have ever tried to make
others live by any other rule than the
standard erected by their own conscience.
During the recent contest professed pro-
hibItionist drank three hot whiskys with
an influential and broad gauge Republican
two nights before election. That is none
of my business, but that was probably his
way of conducting a high moral, high IL
cense campaign to successful issue, and
he has probably ere this settled that mat
ter with his conscience.
By the we'll arranged admirably executed
tactics entered into by the minority of
your honorable body at the time of the
passage of this ordinance, the majority
was placed upon record of which every
avenue for Breakdown" was securely
fenced up. In the future there will be no
question as to where they stood or what
they meant by their votes. The high IL
cense figure was reached by the minority,
by the prohibition split from the majority.
Then the majority refused TO reconsider,
and finally voted for the high license not
withstanding that they refused to vote for
the measure when it was an amendment.
If high license was an issue at the election
why did the majority refuse to vote for it
when the unexpected opportunity was
presented? Was that an honest response
to an expressed public sentiment?
l have never by word or inference been
asked to, nor pledged myself to pursue any
course so far as the liquor license in this
city is concerned. The only public express
sion of sentiment on this subject ever
made by me, that 1 can now recall, was my
veto message to the council of this city
seven years ago in which 1 took grounds
that fully endorse to-day.
The liquor traffic is a Republican
nurtured, national as well as state, foster
child. 1t grew and f1ourished and was
made respectable calling as long as it
danced to the Republican fiddle. Its deal
ers were classified as merchants, and the
white-aproned manipulators behind the
bars were called clerks; they were admitted
to the parlors of the first families; the
best seats in the churches which their
money helped to build, were none to good
forthem; and they were generally conceded
to have estlmable families and promising
children. Now that they refuse to longer
remain the dubes and tools of the party in
power they are called '"rum-sellers' by the
press, and from the pulpit, and their ouce
estimable families and promising children
are stunned and scoffed at by the ''re-
formed" and purified"
AS public measure l believe the execu-
tive's approval of this ordinance, or its
passage notwithstanding the veto, would
prove public calamity. In my opinion
it would SO shake public confidence as to
cause our securities to decrease in value.
Real estate would shrink from present
prices and business generally would become
stagnated. And why? Because a majority
of the capitalists and men of small means
who are buying real estate, building blocks,
mills, workshops and homes in Minueapo-
lis at this time are men who are not pre-
pared to live under the old Blue Laws in
this the nineteenth century. AS general
proposition l state the fact, without trying
to explain why, that there is not a prosper
Gus city in the United States where the
sale of liquor is prohibited or held down
by an ordinance like the one under consid-
Grafton; nor is there dilapidated town
with decreasing inhabitants and business
that mo license" law is not in force.
The moment corporation commences to
deprive the masses of their personal liber-
ties just so soon do those who have any
spirit left take Horace Greeley's advice and
''go west"
A 81, 800 license would be, virtually, pro-
hibition to all except a few rich saloon
keepers in the city. Do the members of
your honorable body wish to go on record
as the representatives of the rich when
nine out of ten of our citizens are door
am thankful that the time has not yet ar
rived, although there are mutterings of its
approach in the near future, when a poor
mans vote is not as powerful as the mil
lionaire's.
am not prepared to say how this $500
license would operate in this community:
nor am willing by my aid, to try an ex-
pertinent which has worked disaster to all
great cities in civilization where 1t has
been tried. If the ordinance should be-
come law l presume all the saloons in
the city would open their places as drug
stores, employ cheap doctors to sit at the
front doors and write prescriptions for
liquors and beer, which would settle the
dilemma surely.
On the otLer hand suppose the license
law, as now presented, is passed that all
the liquor dealers go on with their business
and decline to take out licenses that in
trying TO enforce the law 1 have four hun
dre6 of them arrested every month, and
that they all demand jury trial. If both
of the municipal judges were to sit twelve
hours each day and dispose of four cases,
to the exclusion of all others, not more than
one quarter of the cases could be tried. By
such combination if the extreme penalty
of 500 was imposed it would let the sa-
loon men off for about one-quarter of the
tax you seek to levy
Was this $500 license intended for rev
enue or prohibitory purposes If for the
former-on the usual ground that that
which creates the snecessity for policemen
must be taxed for their support-then a
800 license is sufficient. During the last
year the expenses of the police force and
municipal court were $50, 037.41; while
the receiptS from licences and fines i'm