The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1884-12-28
INCREASE THE LICENSE.

South of the city, within eight miles
of the corporation line, there are eight
saloons where intoxicants are sold; be-
tween the State Road and the Franck-
lin smelter there are eight of these places
and there are sixteen in South Cotton
wood ward. It requires no argument 10
prove that the number is entirely too
large. Considering the number of pat
rons. those who frequent these estab-
Hshments must drink often and pay
dearly in order to keep up the
expense. There is one way, and
only one. whereby these county
saloons can be reduced to reasonable
limits, and a great evil abolished. That
way is to increase the license fee, and
thus make it impossible for the saloon
men to pay expenses. The liquor IL
cense in this city is $500 per quarter,
and it is this high charge which IS re-
ducing the number of drinking places.
The profits from good many drinks are
swallowed up in this tax of 1888 a day,
including Sundays when the saloons
are presumed to be closed. Just across
the line'marking the limit of the corpora
ton, the license is $40 quarter. The
county court has the same power with
reference to the county that the city |
council has in the city, in the matter OF
fixing the license rate within the limits |
of 500 and $1,000 a year. The
council has acted upon the theory
and it is the correct One-that
high license puts a check upon
the liquor traffic, and brings the bust
ness under better control; more money
for the corporation might be made by
reducing the license fee, THIS allowing
more saloons to open; the license tax Is
the chief item of expense to the dealer,
costing in some instances, we are told,
more than the combined expenses OF
the establishment otherwise. We as
sumo, however, that the community is
more interested in checking and con-
trolling, if it cannot suppress the
LIQUOR traffic than it is in making money
from the business; and this applies
with as much force to the people of the
county as to those of the city. Fewer
saloons, and they of a more respectable
character, as they necessarily would be
if higher license were charged, will best
please the people, even if the county
treasury should not get quite SO much
money from the business.
It need not be explained that none of
the iquor-selling places in the county
are low, vile dens; the frequent dis
turbances reported from them, the
rowdyism that may be seen in them, and
the character of large proportion of
their patrons, are sufficient expose and
comment.
The evil cannot be cured, but it may
be iessened; there will be dives and low
drinking places and rowdyism, drunk ;
enness, fighting, cutting and shooting
growing out of excessive drinking; but
we belieye by decreasing the number of ;
these dens, the disturbances and Of .
lenses against law and order which /,
they incite will be proportionately de-
creased. 1t is the duty of the county ! !
authorities to do what they can in the ,
interest of peace and morality; one =
thing they can do in that direction is
the imposition of a higher license fee =
which Will close up number of the vile
dens which are doing so much towards !;
the destruction of the morals and man
hood of our young men. Apply the :
law with the view to making the liquor
business expensive to those engaged in
it and those who drink, and not with
the idea that the traffic should be en-
coUraged because of the revenue de-
rived from it.