Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-04-21
HIGH LICENSE.
ATempsrsncs Man Relieves 1t Preferable
10 Prohibition.
WuFFT INC Anil On

WHEELING, April 20.
To Tie E'isor cf he Register:
SIR: Being sincere friend Of temper
ance, IN the sense of divine Injunction TO
be temperate in all things" l can see
nothing in the present status of the tenn
Perance question, but an almost hopeless
ENHANCEMENT Having the highest re-
spset for the motives Of the advocates of
prohibition, may be allowed to say. in
ali candor, but with sincere regret
thai from my standpoint, they
are pursuing very unwise
policy. No matter whether they be re-
gardId as political party. or otherwi,e,
should they succeed in securing thu Con
stitutional amendment they seek which.
to say The least, is exceedingly !Ouotful-
the result will be the same They will
dSd, in the end, that wbie they have oh. 1
tainsd the shadow the cabstanee has elu' k
ed their grasp: or, iP.1'heI words, "pny 81
bition does not y-Ohibit." So far the
reading and opervstion 60, thid. BE. =
conclusion p (which have aythe mere :
yurd the 'ensft arising fre discussion b
agitaticl oil the subjective of quite as
g ep TO me to be pro-
mn harm as goOdut, high license, as n
From my stauafd Crosby and others, .
idvocated By HGcable measure that has .
: .Ie most .Jed, reducing the number Of "
. ', oeen The States and municipalities
ItoO Z has been adopted a. the rate OF q
~, IS per cent. This reduction amounts t,
.LDpSmething when it is considered that il :,
made up of the lowest class of saloons, r
,mmonly known "a ''dsggeries."
| am aware of the objections usually =
lade against high license, such as st
ives moral sanction to the business and
.akes it respectable" l see but very
tile weight in these objections; but it
i'll be time enough to answer them when
ley are presented in due form. shall
1utsnt myself at present with stating o .
~ reasons Why consider high license as
ne most practicable mode OF suppressiog |
be evils resulting from the sale ard drink t
x of Intoxicating liquors.
Although high license does not aim at .
ntire prohibition, regarding it as imprac-
cable, it does, nevertheless, propose to do Z
and that not little. 1t does
ropose to restrain, to large degree, the
wills contemplated,
The idea of licensing saloons, know to I
e abhoreut to the minds Of many; and, /!
! depended on ME, there would not be !
ingie saloon in this city, o. elsewhere
"a. believing that this cannot be effected,
5 q reasonable man, EN- bound to do the
ext best thing can, and this next best, e
= | see il, wGGli be to 20 before the Legis-
sture with an application for the adoption {
+ high license law, with such restric- !
ions, safe guards, and penalties, as might
,e deemed eXpedien;.
Il would geem 10 be most Just that the
,ublic mt large, who have to bear the bur-
lens arising from the sale and abuse Of in
oxicatiDg drinks, should Mt least have the
,ensfis of heavy license imposed on deal
u. l! the salooniSts will dance, let them
,sy the fiddler, and il the public cannot
,et whole loaf, Jet them he content with
lalf q LOT. "A half loaf is better than
10 bread" five cannot get rid Of all the
wis in the world at once, common sense
yoIld say: est rid Of as many as you
an In this world it is often choice of
wills, and wise man will choose the
EAST. The Quixotic Will say: If l cannot
10 what l would, will either do moth
ny OF oppose such other measures IS
many wise and good men may deem p!ac-
.icable and exTedieat.'
Thus we have, in this case, an illCstra'
ion % the old proverb, 'EXtremes often
meet" Does 1t not seem strange that
wise and good men for mere abstraction
sill throw themselves solid against Il MEAS
nre which might result in untold benefits
to the unhappy millioas: Does it uo'
seem pasSiDy strange to see, at the present
day. Prohibitionists and The lowest order
bf salOOnis:S moving forward hand in glove
in opposition to measure which is believed
by many OF the wiSest and best citizens Of
our country to Re the most desirable and
sxpedieut? .
have spoken Of the Lowest order of
For, if l mistake not, many
IF the better c'asS OF saloonis,s-and there
CERTAINLY is y hett.r ciasss-are in lsy"r e
~ 49,