The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1884-02-16
License Low. License High, Prohibition.


with regard to the right or wrong of the
manufacture and sale of alcoholic
liquors, one thing is certain, all civil
lied governments have excise laws lev
ying sort of special tax on the sale of
alcoholic liquors as a beverage. For
instance; the law of Oregon prohibits
the sale of ardent spirits as Il beverage
u,lless the vendor shall first pay fixed
sum for the privilege of selling. The
question presents itself to every intel
ligent person, why prohibit The drink
seller from selling by the glass, when
the druggist can sell the same article
and IN less or greater quantities than
the saloonist, without license? It can
not be for revenue purposes, for the
constitution says all property shall be
taxed equally, and the saloon keeper
pays taxes on his goods the same as the
dry goods merchant. Why should he
be compelled to pay ten times as much
more In proportion to the dollar valua-
tion of his goodsl Why discriminate
between the vendors who sell under the
sign "saloon," and tue vendors who sell
under the sign "druggis.l" If it is
right to sell liquor as q beverage at all,
it Is unjust to make the vendor pay
more taxes than the person who sells
tea, coffee, sugar, clothing or hardware;
and If, on the other hand, it is not right
to sell it, perse, it ought to be prohib-
tied entirely, just as the sale Of obscene
literature, the passing of counterfeit
money, the prohibiting man or woman
from wearing the apparel of the other,
the prohibition of importing from an
other State diseased animals, ETC., and
for the same reason-the public welfare
requires it. Ii is not the character Of
the article sold. nor the amount, but
the manner i'll which, and the purposes
for which liquor is sold that has led our
legislators to semi prohibit on a condi-
tion, not of right, not of Justice or NOR
ality, but that of dollars and cents,
when it is known that the privilege is
for the very purpose Of debasing soci-
ETY..
II it is legitimate business, why
| hedge il about with conditions that the
vendor shall pay so much, give bond
to keep an orderly house, not allow
gambling, hot sell his stuff to minors
o drunkards, close his place of Lusi-
ness on the Sabbath, etc, none Of
which (sase the payment of the license)
he faithfully observes. No such re-
strictions are imposed en- the merchant,
grocer or druggist.
If the sale of ardent spirits as a 5ev.
erage works an injury in society, that
sort of traffic ought to be prohibited
But, says the advocate of license, you
can't prohibit it, therefore restrict it
burden it with license; make the vendor
pay into the common treasury a sum
that shall reimburse society for the
cost and expense it causes. Well
Mr.. Advocate, ycu have tried restric-
tion, TIED low license and high license,
and all have failed to prevent crime
for -tentks of all the criminal
cases originate in the saloons OF among
their habitues. Tho amount the traffic
pays into the common treasury will not
cover more than ten per cent. of the
cost it causes, to say nothing of the un
told misery, sorrow and suffering con
sequent uron the traffic Laws pro-
hibiting theft, arson and MURDER do
not prevent entirely the conmissisn OF
these crimes, but no sane person will
pretend that such laws are unjust and
Ineffective in preventing crime. Sc
too, a prohibitoly liquor law would no,
perhaps, put an entire stop to the sale
Of it, but it would, no doubt, very much
lessen the sale and consequently lessen
crime. ". F. BENJAMIN.