Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-03-09
Prohibition and High License
Gross Swords in the City
Of Brooklyn.
Prohibitionists Invite the Friends
OF High License to a Joint
Discussion.
Speeches by Hon. Dormam b. Eaton.
Prot. Samuel Dickie, Clintons
Il. Fisk and Others.
Does Temperance Reform Need the
National Prohibition
Party?

National Prohibition
Party?
From the Voice of New York
About 1900 people attended the High
License Prohibition debate at the Brook
Ign Academy of Music under the auspices
OF the Kings County Prohibitionists. The
speakers were Hon. Dorman B. Eaton,
Chairman of the New York Citizens Com
mittee on High License; Prof. Samuel
Dick!e, Chairman of the National Pro-
hlbltlon Committee; John Brooks Leavitt,
Of the Church Temperance Society; DR..
II. X. Carroll, of the Independent, and
Gen. Clinton B. Fisk, w+o discussed the
questions. Ought the Legislature at
Albany to Pass High License Law" and
Does Temperance Require National
Prohibition Party?" E. r. Ide was made
permanent chairman, and the affirmative
of the question, "Should the. Legislature
at Albany Pass High License Law" was
opened by Gen. Eaton, of st. Johns
Guild, this city. Gen. Eaton's argument
was substantially as follows:
MIR. EAToN's ARGUMENT FOR HIGH IL
CENSE.
Both prohibitionists and high license advo-
Gates seek common object, the suppression of
the liquor traffic. High license men believe
that portion of the profits of saloons now used
SO largely ~ q political corruption fund should
pc confiscated by the State to support in part
the expenses OF dealing with the pauperism
and crime produced by the traffic. Prohibition
science. Conscience is not a reasoning faculty.
Every restriction imposed on the saloon is in
one sense a prohibition. 1t is better to destroy
9 part of an evil, which we are unable wholly
to suppress, than to leave it unrestrained. Lii
cense ia not permit, but restriction. To call
u permit is false use of language. The OBJ
lection that the extra amount of money received
under high license acts as bride on the COM
munfty to retain the liquor evil is q libel on the
American people. All great reforms advance
by gradual steps. High license is a step in the
direction of absolute suppression of the saloon.
The objection that high license makes mo-
nopoly for rich liquor dealers is the objection of
ndemagogue BESIDES there is no evidence that
this is the fact.
MIR. Eaton quoted statistics showing
reduction in the number of saloons in Chi
cago and Missouri, and the increase in the
amount of revenue collected by the appli-
cation of high license, and the diminution
! in the number of arrests in this city under
the application of comparatively high
license from 1866 to 1870.
PROF. DICkIE'S REPLY-HOW HIGH IL
CENSE BENEFITS THE LIQUOR-DEAL-
Frs.
Prof. Dickie, for the negative, was
greeted with enthusiastic applause. He
said:
! Prohibitionists grant that high license yields
more money for the public treasury, but we
have no faith in the wisdom of this method of
filling our public. Golfers. We license the
then tax it to pay tor their partial support.
On the same principle we might license small
pox If We could sell sufficient virus to pay the
| doctors bills. The money received through
licensing the saloons is q process of bribery
to every voter. Applause.7 Prof. Dickie
here quoted the figures already given in the
| cago from 1900 in 1882 under $50 license to
| 4,l93 in 1887 under $500 license. He had re-
city. who told him that high license had closed
up the least dangerous and smaller saloons To-
Gated in the suburbs. Not a den Of vice, not
a dive, not a saloon in the Black Hole of Chi
cago has been closed by high license, said the
Chief. The speaker read interviews with Chi
cago liauor-dealers, which he had lately pro-
vored high license, as it increases our bust
ness, greatly helps trade" and keeps the
smell fellows out Of business many Of these
ereseat SCI OF
friend of mine in Lincoln, Neb., has just
interviewed leading liquor-dealers there on the
asserting that although there has been a
slight decrease in the number of saloons un-
der high license there is no decrease in the
total sales and consumption of liquors." Oma-
ha in 1881, under low license. had one saloon to
44O population; now, under license Of 81, 600
she has saloon to every sls people; Lincoln
not single one of her thirty-two saloon keep
ers will 60 out Of the business.
Prof. Dickie quoted the Chicago Trib-
uae Us asserting that high license is bar
to prohibition, and read letters from dis
tillers of Nebraska and Illinois, published
in the Voice of the last two weeks, assert
ing that high license is "a grand law for
the trade. He denounced high license as
un-American, un-Republican, and I'M
riui m mn
another, not because of inherent ability or
character, but because he is possessed of
more money than another.
II it were not for license under the recent
decision of the Supreme Court, We could abate
the saloons as common nuisances. Thus high
licanse operates as q temporary safeguard
against total suppression.
MIR. LEAyITT WANTS TO THROW ASIDE ALL
EVIDENCE.
Mr.. John Brooks Leavitt, of the Church
Temperance Society, now took up the cud-
gel in support of General Eaton and high
license.
Professor Dickic he said, has given US the
strongest argument against high license have
ever heard lapplauseb but alter all it's the same
old one. Wedont want high license to prevent
high license, I frankly admit. is contradictory,
But we are dealing now with New York, and
don't care what Nebraska men think about it
MI hsavtt wanted to tnrq y a @
Sc to drink liquors. as the Yoice, the national
prohibition organ, admits, it is not wrong to
sell 1t, and therefore not wrong to license the
sale. Will prohibitionists lot the patient die
while waiting for what is at present imposs ible,
rather than accept our medicine?
pRoHIBIT1oN1sTs ATTACK THE TRAFFIC, NOT
THE ACT OF DRINKING.
Prohibitionists, said Prof. Dickie, speaking
for Judge VIM. J. Groo, who was to have been
present, do not claim the act Of drinking to be
sin per Sc, but we do claim the open traffic is
an injury to the public and should be made q
crime. He quoted the Public Leader Of Detroit.
Bo'yort's Wine and Spirit Circular, ana The Bar,
showing that liquor dealers dread prohibition
and will accept anything in place OF it, and
that the present tariff agitation is due some
the liquor question. He quoted interviews
with q number of liquor dealers Of New York
and Brooklyn doing large business, obtained
would increase their business and that "the
higher the license the better it is for the trade.
DOES TEMPERANCE REFORM DEMAND A
PROHIBITION PARTY?
The SECOND uuastion "Does TemDerance