The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-01-28
A HIGH LICENSE LAW.

to support high license law We make no
doubt the Republican senators will do the
same, and that sufficient number of Demo
Gratis in both houses of the Legislature can be
found who will unite with them in the passage
of this practicable and important measure for
the regulation Of the drink traffic. The
journal favors high license and local option
as the most practical form of legislation for
the treatment of this ever present question;
but, in the present state of the case, 1t is
probably useless to talk of local option, and,
therefore, the only thing left is to unite
heartily and earnestly for high license. The
words recently written by Vicar-general Bes-
sonies and the words uttered by Father
Shideler are true and brave. The Catholic
Church is rapidly taking advanced ground on
the temperance and Sunday questions, and it
will not be long until it will shake off COM
pletely and unanimously the questionable
responsibility it has so long borne with respect
to the two evils of liquor drinking and Sum
cense we recognize the value of the strong help
men like Fathers Bessonies and Shideler can
give and we are also glad to record testimony
to the very powerful and important assistance
given to practical temperance reform
by the various temperance organizations
Of the Catholic Church, particularly the
young men, who are so largely and enthusi-
astically banded together in the inter
ests of sobriety and good government.
lief need either be entertained or abandoned.
The prohibitionist, the local. optionist, the
licensist, and the man who thinks but little of
and cares less for methods, but who is earnestly
anxious for results, can unite heart and hand.
Prohibition nowhere prohibits, whatever meas
ure of good does result from it. There need be
no controversy about that proposition. Neither
in Maine, nor in Kansas, nor in Iowa is there
anything like a complete observance Of the
prohibitory laws; and in places where the pub
lie sentiment is not up to the law the result
is defiance of the statute, decentralization
of public sentiment on the observation of all
law, and, practically, free liquor. All that
prohibitory laws do in the States where they
are in vogueis to reduce the number Of places
where liquor is sold. That result is reached
both by local option and by high license, and
we are therefore unable to see where any
man, however extreme prohibitionist he
may be, has ap inch of tenable ground to
stand on, in opposing the enactment of either
local option or high license, where prohibi
ton is out of the question.
Take some figures: In Chicago, before the
Harper law went into effect, there were 300
saloons; now there are 600 less. Is not that
reduction worth something's And this reduc-
ton has been made in the face of the fact that
the local authorities and the City Council did
all in their power to render the law of no eff
feet. The Tribune well SAYS 'if the license
fee had been exacted in advance there would
have been a reduction of probably 1000 in
the number of saloons in the city" In the
State of Missouri the law now in force there,
after one years trial, has decreased the num-
Der of drinking places in the State from 5000
to 3, $50, and che number of places where
strong drink is sold from 3,469 to 2,115; has
increased the revenue from licenses from
$438, 900 to 81, l64, 000 and has shown
| i
first or last, to intemperance. In the State of
Ohio the Scott law demonstrated its value be-
| fore presumed party necessity demanded its
annulment by the Supreme Court The re-
suit of that judicial prostitution is we'll known
No one single cause so greatly contributed to
| the overwhelming defeat Of the Democratic
| party, at whose behest the infamous act was
done. The Governor of Kansas gives his
| opinion: "a high-license system will eradicate
intemperance more rapidly than any other
means. OF this am convinced beyond
doubt by the history of Kansas for the past
three years.
The State Of Wisconsin is agitating the
high-license question before its Legislature,
now in session. The Chicago Tribune gives
the Badgers the following advice: First
They should make .he minimum tax $500,
and let the local authorities go above that
where they see reason for higher tax. Sec
ond-Local option should be retained, so as to
give community which thinks it can pro-
hibit the sale of liquor entirely the opportun-
ity to try prohibition. Third-The dram
sellers should be held responsible to parents
and to widows and orphans for the damage
they may do" The States of Penn syIvania
and New York are both moving for high