The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-01-09
THE SCOTT LAW.

The tax it places upon saloons is very moder-
ate one, and discriminates between the several
classes of public drinking houses. There is
local option feature connected with it, so that
it works actual prohibition where the public
sentiment demands and will enforce it, while its
taxation and regulation clauses do not leave
towns and cities at the mercy of free whisky,
which is and must be the practical condition
of large aggregates of population if an I'M
bending prohibitory law prevails, without tax
ing into the account the differing factors in
the problems presented in differing communi-
ties. The Ohio liquor dealers have petitioned
for the repeal of the Scott law; therefore, it
may be taken for granted that the liquor sell
ers and dealers are not so well pleased with its
operations as they were with the non-licensing
clause in the constitution put into that instru-
ment thirty years ago, in the supposed inter
ests of temperance. What Governor Foster
has to say of the workings of this law is of in
terest and value. In his message to the Cen
eral Assembly he says:
under its provisions more than 1850 sa-
looms and places where the traffic has been car
ried on have gone out of existence, and if the
law is permitted to stand, the number retiring
from the business will be materially in
creased"
This is worth special attention. 1t is official
testimony The Governor recommends Ger
tain amendments which will make it more
efficient so that when villages under the local
option feature have prohibited the traffic, sa-
looms cannot be located Immediately on the
village line but outside of their jurisdiction.
The Governor again says, after telling the
Legislature that the repeal of this law will not
be tolerated by public sentiment:
with perfect ease, without cost without
friction without lawsuits it silently and
| swiftly put out of sight more than 4 800 sa-
loon signs, and poured into the treasures of
the State revenue of nearly s., 000 900 with
which to mitigate the sufferings and evils due
to the business"
Now, here is a law that does something
practical, and does the same thing, in degree
at least, that prohibition would do, according
to the claims of the advocates of prohibition.
For Rev. T. A. Goodwin, in letter to the
Journal replying to Dio Lewis, a few days
since wrote:
prohibition does not pretend to cure men
of the vice of love of drink, but it does pre-
tend to lessen drinking by just so much as
places of public tippling foster and educate
that vice, and in that it succeeds to charm"
With 1880 saloons less in the State of Ohio
there will not be so much drinking, so much
misery, so much crime, so much expense as
before, and with the local option feature con-
stantly working, and local sentiment con-
stantly developing, the number of saloons
will be steadily growing less as the area of
actual freedom from the existence of saloons
grows larger and larger. In States like Iii.
nois and Missouri and Nebraska, where "high
license" prevails, the number of saloons is
very considerably diminished, and, according
to Mr. Goodwin's logic-which is unquestion-
ably sound-there is less intoxication and
crime. Without one word against prohibi-
ton, and without one word against those who
believe in it and are working for it, but in the
interest Of present practical restrictive legisla
ton against one of the most gigantic evils of
the day, we cannot understand why there
might not be an absolute union of all temper
ance sentiment and of all temperance work
upon some such law as the Scott law, whose
operations have been so efficient and salutary
in Ohio. This is what the Jour
nal has constantly urged, always be-
lieving and saying, that such a union of
effort could be made without in the slightest
degree abating.belief or work for the ultimate
of any individuals particular opinion. Ohio
is better off with 4, 500 less saloons and with
So, 000 900 in the local treasures to go to the
poor fund and to swell the revenue out of
which criminal expenses must be paid, than it
was when it had free whisky under a senti-
ment as impractical as it was honestly enter
tanned.