St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-01-25
PROHIBITION VS.. LICENSE.

The friends of legal prohibition of
the manufacture and sale of all manner
of intoxicating drinks are sanguine
that their theory is the only correct
one, and that if they are true to the
principles of their cause they will
eventually bring the world to see it in
the same light; while the friends of
high license are equally Sanguine that
their policy is the best invention so far
discovered to mitigate the admitted
evils arising out of an unrestricted and
irresponsible sale of intoxicants.
In Davenport, To-, under strict pro-
hibition law, there are, according to the
Gazette of that city, 173 saloons in
full operation aud without any
effort at concealment. This is in
city of $4,000 inhabitants. In other
parts Cd Iowa similar story is told,
which goes to illustrate that prohibition
does not prohibit-at least in that state
to very encouraging extent.
On the other hand, a citizen of Chi
cagO who has been an advocate of high
license, after having observed the work.
ings of that system in that city, comes
out in the public prints and points out
some of his reasons for believing that
the high license plan is not the proper
one. He says:
This revenue feature Of our high license
law is one most loudly praised by the advo-
Gates of high license here, but in fact it is the
most Objectionable feature of the law 1t
operates as bride upon the voters. 1t dead
ems the conscience of many a taxpayer so
that he is Wiling to vote for a continuation of
what otherwise he would not tolerate.
He declares that the evils flowing
from the liquor traffic have not dimin-
ished bnt increased there under high
license, in support of which he produces
the following statement:
The population of Chicago has increased
from 49, to 1887 about 35 per cent accord
ing to the most extravaganza estimates. But
the consumption of beer has increased 81
per cent, and arrests have increased SO per
cent during the same period. So where does
the restriction" from high license come in?
The retailers paid to the brewers for the
i ,6I4, 146 barrels of beer consumed in Chi
last year Sc per barrel, or a total of $40. O44,-
$50. The retail price of beer was cents per
glass. Out of each barrel, or four kegs the
saloonkeeper sells $50 glasses This makes
the total sum paid over the bar to the saloon
keepers for beer last year in Chicago S37,-
66S,2S5.
The significance of this expenditure can
be better understood by comparison with
some other things. Last year there were
erected in Chicago 1888 different buildings.
with an aggregate frontage of lis 500 feet, a
distance of over twenty-one miles. This
twenty-one miles of houses and business
blocks cost $19, IT'S, 100. These figures come
from cur city building department. This
shows that we spent nearly twice as much
for beer in Chicago last year as we did for
homes and places of business. This estimate.
too, does not take into account the amount
spent for whisky, rum, brandy, gin, wine and
other intoxicating drinks besides beer. The
sums spent for these drinks, if we could get
at the statistics, would be more startling
still.
The amounts received from liquor licenses
in 1887 in Chicago were:
From saloon licenses go. O2I II
Wholesale liquor licenses. 56,19S 30
Total. . - So.Oos. DO as