The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-01-12
HIGH LICENSE QUESTION
A Saloon Keepers Argument Against
tho proposed Legislation.

A Saloon Keepers Argument Agains
thcproposed Legislation.
To the Editor of the Philadelphia Times.
have no doubt that you mean well il
advocating q very high license. and yor
say in your articles that high license i:
the only remedy with which to wipe ou
all direputable places. have a Ions
experience in this business and gave it 9
good bit If thought and study and deisre
most sincerely to have our business lifted
out Of the miro which unprincipled oil
disrspusable people have dragged it into
but must say that high license will no,
do it to any extent or remedy the evil
And why? We have different sorts OF
drinking places. There is the nicely fix
ed up place. where you observe sign.
''Ladies saloon upstairs" where nice look
ing young girls go and young and older
men go. and where inferior champagne
is sold for high prices, and plenty of it.
and where these young girls get general
ly ruined. These places make plenty of
money. High license, you will admit.
will not break them up. Then comes a
lower class of such places, like those on
Race and Vine and Eighth and Ninth
streets, in the same neighborhood, where
a lower class of men and women go,
where they have public and private
rooms up stairs and where plenty of poor
stuff is sold at double prices. These
places max plenty of money, know.
High license wouldn't shut them up.
ttAn Ill III
Vine and Race streets where they have
small rooms upstairs. where all drinks
cost 25 cents. These places also make n
good bit Of money. \ high license
wouldn't bother them much. then
there are the concert saloons. Some are
stylish looking, but really low Ind vicious
resorts, where money is very freely
spent. High license wouldn't breaL.
them up. Then there are low concer'
saloons. There is a sample of them IN
Walnut street, below Ninth. They take
in a nice little pile OF money every night.
/ don't think high license would break
them up. Ther. there are a great many
saloons where games are play ed. poker.
and the like. They could stand high
license. Then there are the low rum
mills. The stuff they sell should not be
allowed to be sold. Such places are a
disgrace To- any community, but the
keepers of great many such places
rich. Only the other get
day a man that kept one told me he
made IS. 900 in three years and had sold
out and bought farm. Now, high lie
csnse wouldn't break SO very many Of
this class up as is supposed, and besides,
how many Of this class would sell with
out any license7 The higher the licen.e
the more W, uld take the risk to sell with
sout any.
Now let us come to a respectable sa-
loon. A respectable saloon ia only pat
ronized by sober, respectable men, who
generally don't spend much money. A
respectable saloon keeper has to keep
good wines and liquors and sell them at
moderate prices. Therefore his profits
are only fair and his general expenses
are much higher than disrepntable
place, and his income is not very large.
Therefore respectable saloon keeper is
not able to pay q very high license. II
you would make n canvass or even an
inquiry you would And that verv few
respectable saloon keepers ever made
much money, and the few that have
made their money some years ago. when
there were better times and the saloons
fewer. f4- III
would suggest a license law which
would be satisfactory, in a financial
point Of view, to the city or state and
fair to the saloon keeper: Require \ man
to furnish ample security that he will
keep q respectable place, and that at
least twelve property owners in his
neighborhoOd shall sign his bond or rec
comend him worthy to receive a license.
and further frame it so that if neigh
bor or the police shall prove that sa-
loon keeper sells liquor to drunkards,
idle characters, or harbors thieves or 9th
er worthless characters, or allows lewd
women to frequent his place, that should
be enough cause to revoke his license.
II some such a license should be enacted
and enforced the temperance people
would have little ground left to work on.
But high license alone will not do much
good and it would break many rpspecta-
Bile places up, and dis reputable and low
groggeries would still flour sh. licensed
and unlicensed. THoS. HECKLER.
No. 1914 South Fifth Street.
THE ALLEGED LYING OF NEWS