Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-01-11

Public interest in the liquor traric reform Is re-
vtved by the publication Of oficial statistics TO
show the effect OF the high-lcense law In force In
Minnesota The number Of saloons IN the state
has decreased some sixteen hundred. In winona,
where the population includes a great many mill
hands only one saloon Is In operation. In place Of
the eight or ten that used TO be there Caledonia
has four instead OF It's former fifteen.
From other states come reports OF the same
tenor Illinois, with It's uniform tax OF five hun.
dred dollars on general saloonsrnds the num-
Der OF these reduced by onethird and the revenues
OF the state from this one source alone Increased
from seven hundred thousand TO more than four
and a half million dollars. chicago, OF course
makes the most interesting showing. With her
population increased az the rate 10 justify under
the old ratio, some six thOus nd saloons she has
actually less than four thousand, while these con-
tribute about two million dollars a year to the
tax-receiver's chest, against two hundred thou
sand OF old.
Missouri has maximum license OF twelve hun
dred dollars and a minimum Of five hundred and
fffty. The revenues have more than trebled under
this rule, and the people are 30 well pleased with
the result OF the dimInutiOn In dram-drinkng that
IN thrry-rour counties and eleven cities they have
forbidden the liquor traffic altogether, under the
lOcal-OotlOn law.
In Michigan the high-Iicense law, which leyies
five TO eight hundred dollars on every wholesale
and three 20 i've hundred dollars on every retail
dealer and which Is supplemented by a local-op-
ton law has reduced the number OF saloons In the
state from a normal total OF ten thousand 10 less
than I'VE thousand. and raised the excise revenue
10 nearly nine million dollars.
Nebraska, with a license fee Of one thousand
dollars in cities and five hundred dollars elsewhere
has seen her saloons cut down In number between
one-third and one-half and her revenue from this
source Increased flve-fold
Ohio has a local-option law which forblds for
NAL license, but permits any county or town TO
regulate prohibit the sale of liquor as II sees t
and eyies tax OF two hundred dollars on all gen.
eral liquor stores and one hundred on beer-saloous
This tax has shut up nearly twenty -one hundred
saloons. More than five hundred Others have been
closed By the edict OF local authorities, and the
liquor tax collected has reached about the sum OF
two million dollars
These figures which are drawn from the Official
records are highly significant. They Indicate
that the high-lcense movement Is at least keeping
pace with the movement for total prohibition, II
not actually overtaking II. They no not answer
the argument, so frequently raised against the
system that IL narrows the privilege OF one whole
trade To q class Of rich men while shutting the
poor entirely out OF IT, but they show that there is
something attractive TO the popular fancy In the
idea OF rails ng by taxation an Insurance fund, as
IL were. to recoup society, as far as dollars and
cents will do IL, the damage IL suffers the
exeesSes In which some Of its members persist In
INDUCING.