The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-01-28
"High License"
Communicated.

In the News OF a few days ago en- eminent
Catholic divine ventilates his views on the
temperance question and, OF content with
giving the article the simple weight of his
name, he afixes thereto the initials OF the
august position to which he has been ele-
waited, SO that it is not only August Bssso-
mics, as man and priest. who speaks, bat
August Bessonies, V. G.-Vicar General
representative of the Holy Father him.
self who says that he would be
better pleased il, in the bill now
pending before the Legislature they would
fix the license at 81, 900 instead of $500. And
what are the reasons urged by this eminent
divine which would justify such an exces-
sive burden being placed on the saloons /!
We now have probably 500 saloons in this
city. license of ST. 600 would probably re-
duce this number to $50 or even 200; but is
there any reason to suppose that the 80
would sell any less intoxicants than do the
500, or that it would be any purer or less
poisonous. Not at all; nor does Father Bss-
sonies suggest that such would be the case.
Is it not probable that the quality would be
deteriorated in order TO increase the pro fl Is?
True, the Father does say: 1T will decrease
pauperism and crime" Bat how? If it
does not decrease the quantity sold or i'm.
prove the quality, how will il decrease
psnperlsm and crime, supposing intoXicsnts
to be the cause Of these? The Father saws.
But have no doubt that high license, ad-
yocated even by many saloon keepers, will be
measure that will be acceptable to the largest
portion OF the people" But who are the
many saloon keepers" who are in favor of
high license? Read on little further, and
you Will ind this: II have never heard any
objection to it except from keepers of small
saloons Then 1t is the keepers of large
saloons who are in favor of it, Why? Be.
cause 1t will crush out the smsll saloons
ard leave the business concentrated in the
hands of the weslthier who can spare 81, 900
to pay for license, and thus shut one more
door against The poor man. add one more
link to the chain which is gradu-
ally being forged to bind the
poor TO their lot forever, and con-
concentrate one more monopoly in the
hands of the rich. Is there any claim that
the small saloons are any less reputable aud
orderly and lawabidng than the larger ones,
or that they sell lntoxicants that are any
more impure and poisonous? Nothing Of
the kind; and, In fact, the reverse is true.
1t is the wealthy, fashionable, aristocratic
saloon that keeps open all night and on Sun
day; that has its wine room, or gamblin.
dttdCnutnI hnu persieJently evades and vlo-
lates the law. 1t is the fashionable and
aristocratic saloon that presents the most
allurements to our best class of young men,
and annually draws thousands of 1r best
young men into the vortex of dissipation.
Is 1t objected that poor man is less compe-
tent to manage a saloon than a rich one?
Not at all. The whole argument seems to
be that it will decrease the an nber of
saloons; not that it will elevate the char
acter OF them, or that it will
decrease the quantity or improve
the quality OF the liquor sold.
To decrease the number of saloons may be
desirable object, but to exclude the man of
moderate means from engaging in the bust
ness simply on account of poverty is Ger.
tainly not the better way to do it, and is not
the plan We would expect to see advocated
by an eminent teacher of morals. No on
Objects to reasonable license, such
as man of moderate means can
paw. Now, suppose you add to that
3 ttrict supervision of saloons by the Off GERS
rigid analysis Of all liquors sold, with fine
and imprisonment for selling impure liquor
and forfeiture of license, and q prohibition
of their renewal for three violations OF law;
would net this be better, would not this
weed out the disreputable saloons. and re-
duce their number in the right way?
To this Democratic Legislature 1 can only
say: Beware of being made catspaw of to
pull chestnDts out of the fire that the Re.
publicans have left in the fire for twenty
years of almcst continuous administrator.
Jan. 26 i'll.