St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-02-08
ST. PAUL MATTERS.
Three Arguments on the Saloon QUESTION
From Three standpoints, in
Church.
Rev. DR.. Dana Tells of the Duty Of the
Church to the Working
man.
Some Interesting Questions and An
swers on Political Issues
I'm Dakota.
A Vain Attempt of a Confidence Man
General Local News
GlobuleS.
ON THREE SIDES.
Speakers Discuss the Temperance
Question.

First Methodist church. Third street. ON the
relative merits of prohibition, low license
and high license. On the platform We're the
nastor of the church, the Rev. S. q. Smith,
the Rev. w. w. Satterlee of Minneapolis,
the Hon. w. p. Murphy, city attorney OF
ST Paul. and Mr.. j. q. Pyle. The meet
ing was largely attended, and the proceed
ings were opened with prayer, after which
the pastor introduced the Rev. w. w. Sat
terlee, who favored prohibition and thought
that paving a higher license meant paying
for higher lawlessness, and the spread OF
alcoholism due to the number OF saloons,
would undermine the Republic were it not
for the progress of prohibition. Here he
cited figures showing how the party Ia
favor of prohibition had increased
everywhere The party, he said, which
leads the fight for high license,
does it merely for party purposes. They
are the slaves of eXpediency and must obey
that arbitrary master, but the prohibition
lists are actuated by high moral motives and
are not compounding with sin. The high
license men say it is better 10 have halt
loaf than no bread at ALL but it is a stone
and not bread they offer, as drink cannot
be classified as bread. The st. Paul pro-
hibitionists should take heart and manfully
hold their own and by work, prayer and
hope they would eventually root out an evil
that ruined its boys, crazed its citizens and
opened the gates of perdition to virtuous
womanhood. 1t was now proposed to sell
the privilege of doing i'll at a higher price
for revenue purposes and those advocating
this point to Minneapolis, where, since
the introduction of higher licenses, there
was less crime and drunkenness. But those
so reasoning forgot to state that four-ilfths
of the city were prohbitionists. He con-
cIuded by advising the people of st. Paul to
do something practical by standing fast for
prohibition.
FOE LOW LICENSE.
The Hon. w. p. Murphy followed. He
said he was hardly as well qualified as he
should like to be to talk on such subject
and it reminded him of the saloonkeeper
who said that when man talked temper
ance to him he liked to listen to man OF
experience. He had never kept saloon
and could not therefore talk from expert
ence. The church ever since the days OF
John Wesley had taught temperance and
propriety, but not prohibition. Thirty-fouI
years ago there occurred one of the most
active legislative contests in this state on
the question of prohibition. A strong party
desired to put the Maine liquor law in
force and after months hard fighting the
bill was defeated by one or two votes. II
was tried another year, but also defeated,
and that was the last of prohibition in this
state. There were now two issues be-
fore the public - that of prohibi'
ton and high license - three
fourths of those who advocated the latter
were Prohibtionlsts in disguise. LII be a
crime to sell liquor the crime is not pal
lated by selling it under a high license
Those in favor of high license are actuated
by the motive that it reduces their taxes
proportionately to the amount collected
from licenses. He was opposed to grant
licenses at an differentiation, as il would
do as much injustice to the community a:
selling any article of merchandise below its
cost. The butcher has to take out a License
in order that irresponsible people may no
sell diseased meat to the public. and thu
Paloonkeeper should also be compelled Il
pay for license sufficient to maintain thu
police force. and the charge of 500 on eacl
saloon produces a revenue of 500, 600
sufficient for that purpose. He did not be
Iieve that Minneapolis had been benefited
by placing the glicense at $500, a
there were just as many saloon
and thousand blind pigs
The advocates boast that it will draw out o
the business 200 saloons, ana would do ol
the outskirts of the city a great injury to
very respectable and worthy class of citi
Zens who see no moral sin or crime in sell
ing glass of beer. 1t would virtually Os
tracise these men, and the whole schem
was gotten up to accommodate rich salool
and hotelkeepers on the main streets an
around the depots. He did not see the lie
cessity of higher licenses, as there was II
city more orderly and in which less Grim
and drunkenness existed than in st. Pau
notwithstanding its 600 saloon licenses
nor was there any city where law and orde
was better enforced. After thirty years
experience it was his opinion that this que'
ton did not depeod upon high or low !
cenSe; it depended on the manner
which the law was enforced. He was
in favor of allowing the citizens of any Il
caity to have a voice in the granting of
license and if they objected it should not
given. He said also that the man who sol
to minor should have his license revoke
and should not again be permitted to e
into the business, and he should be pun
ished if he kept open after midnight. I'll
advocates of high license lose sight of the'
facts, and it is better to regulate than too
traciZe or prohibit. AS for prohibition
would simply drive people out of the eli
and be injurious TO many manufacture
industries.
FOR HIGH LICENSE
Mr.. J. G. Pyle advocated higher licens
and said that the state will either tax
prohibit. Prohibition was wrong in primo
pie and worse in practice, and If CARR,
out in eXtenSO it would include many slim
lants beside alcohol, and many an arde
prOhibitonist would miss his cigar or CT
of tea. He condemned the doctrine
Thou shalt not because another shalt not
He showed that prohibition was fallac
and by mass of statistics demonstrat
that in Kansas IFS stronghold ii M
driven the LIQUOR traffic from the saloon
the drug store. and after thirty years
trial in Maine it mas proven an absolute ia
ure When low licenses flourish there we
giganic abuses, and all that the people C
out against is the legitimate outcome Of Il
licenses. A license was not privilege b
tax, and if it were raised to $500 inste
of 500 it would lessen the number of Il
groggeries. and this is the only remedy
evil that cry to high heaven for suppreSsio
A high license would sweep away 80 7
cent. of the existing groggeries, and
man who has to pay $500 and give bon
cannot afford to break the ordinances. III
is therefore protection to the communal
as it transfers in some measure a salo
from den into a laW-abiding concern, /
it was not in the gilded palaces, but III I
low dens that took the wages of the POI
that the evil was done High licer
reduced taxes, cleaned out dens and
creased revenues. Its effect was IN,
beneficial in Chicago, where 700 saloo
were driven out of existence. There "
no break in the record which has found
high licenses most powerful engine
produce temperance reform, where
granting low licenses is to admit the alb
lutte supremacy of the saloon.
Rev. Dr.. Smith complimented Rev.