The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-01-06
A NOVEL LICENSE LAW.
Effective Regulations That Have Succeeded
Prohibitory Laws in Atlanta

Prohibitory Laws in Atlanta.
New York Evening Post.
When short time ago it was announced that
the city of Atlanta, Ga. which had been prohi-
bition, or dry" for two years, had by popular
vote renealed its prohibitory law and gone
"wet," the general supposition was that the
liquor interest had got the upper hand in
the community. It is evident shat this was far
from being the case. The chief reason for the
repeal of the prohibitory law that as it
not enforced the city suffered from
what WAS practically free rum It was sold
with little or no disguise. and yielded no reve-
nue. whatever TO the city. Inc results were
great increase in drunken ness especially among
the negroes. and the necessity of increasing the
direct taxes upon the real and personal property
TO supply the deficiency caused by the absence
of revenue from liquor selling. The people of
the city got tired of this situation and voted to
drop sentiment and apply business methods to
the problem. They were convinced that pro-
hibitlon was failure, and they now going
to what rigid license will do for them.
The new license law, which their Common
Council has recently passed by unanimous vote.
is the most stringent measure of the kind which
has yet appeared It fixes the license fee at
ST., 500, and makes it optional with the Mayor
and Council to grant any licenses at all for par
ticular localities The intention is to have no
licenses granted for the worst portions of city,
but to confine saloons to the most freQaented
parts OF the principal business streets. Whole
sale gallon licenses for selling are entirely
revoked. Every person applying for license
will DO obliged to prove himself OF good charac-
ter sobriety and discretion. He must file
description OF his place and the afhdavits OF two
good citizens that he is fit person to be trusted
with license. He must furnish q bond tor
81 900, signed by two freeholders who havo no
interest OF any kind IN the application: me
put out a sign. Licensed Retailer Of Spiritous
Liquors, and must carry on his business openly.
He screens, or blinds. painte
glass; and cannot conduct his business in q base
ment. He cannot allow gambling, cards billiards.
pool, or tenpns to be played in his place. IL g.
drunken person is found on his premises his
Iran will hQ raw ad a
on Christmas or Sunday or after IL o'clock in
the evening on other days His license cannot
be transferred or made to cover more than one
place. If a person be convicted twice of drunk
enness the street his name and address will
be furnished to every licensed liquor-dealer in
the city, and any one OF them convicted of SELL
ing liquor to such person will have his license
revoked.
In nearly every respect these provisions are
more rigid than those of Northern and Western
laws. No State has law placing the fee as high
81. 800, but several have laws with loca-option
clanses, which operate to raise it above that
point in certain localities. The Atlanta pro-
vision in regard to bondsmen. that they shall
have interest in the application for license. is
similar to the provision of the new Pennsyl-
vania law that the bondsmen shall mot
be engaged in the manufacture of
liquors" Both provision aim at the
same end-that is. TO prevent brewers
and manufacturers from opening and operating
saloons in large numbers by supplying the CAPT
tai and liquors, and employing dummy proprie-
tors. This practice is carried to great lengths
IN all our large Cities ana IN none more so than
in New York. It has been demonstrated in
Philadelphia that this provision in regard to
bondsmen has done more than the high fee or
any thing else in the new law to cut down the
number of saloons. It ought to be part of all
future high license laws.
The provisions of the Atlanta law in regard to
open selling, the location of saloons, signs, and
various forms of gambling attachments, are not
TO be found in any Northern laws. and were
such proposed here they would be met with
overwhelming opposition. Still they are all in
the interest OF sobriety and good morals, and it
would be a great gain for every city in the land
If they could be enacted and enforced If the
disastrous experiment which Atlanta has made
with prohibition leads to legislation salutaTy
as this, the result is full Of encouragemenI 1t
may be that other communities, which now
suffering from the prohi bitory biuuder, will
work out their salvation similar way. Ii
so, the indirect good which will flow from the
prohibition movement will be more than justif-
cation for il.