The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1888-03-23

Tic effort to secure q stringent high license
law for Hartford county in the place Of
the present or IN amended prohibitory law
gives interest to everything relating to the
operation Of high license laws in other places.
We therefore publish the following, from the
Baltimore Sun:
The saloon-keepers are having an anxious
time in Pennsylvania Just now, where the
stringent license law is going into effect and
many people heretofore in the business are
being knocked Ual" by The license courts
These courts make HE most minute inqui-
ries into the character Of saloon-kepcls who
seek renewal of license, and who are requir-
cd TO give bond and 10 have the assent of
neighbors. In Philadelphia the decisions of
the court on applications from seven wards
created CONSERVATION among the saloon-keep-
ers by the large number of reflections and the
restrictions under which the traffic is being
placed. More than so per cent. of the whole
number of applications were rejected. Out
of727 petitions from seven wards only 335
licenses were granted, as against 1871 sa-
looms operating in the same wards under the
old license
In the city and county of Eric the number
Of saloons has been reduced about 25 per
cent, and all over the State the percentage
ofreduction is very lnrge, and the people arc
taking an active interest in the opportunity
which the law gives of curbing the traffic
In PiLtsburg, for instance, where the license
court was densely packed with applicants,
their hackers and bOndsmen, large dcega-
tions of ladies', of theChristian Temperance
Union were present, actively engaged in
their circumstances In other parts of the
State the crusaders and prohibitionists
Fare taking an active part with view of stop
ping the traffic altogether, but their remon-
strances do notappear to have been effectual;
on the contrary, they experienced n decided
check in some localities.
In Erie the court filed an opinion on the
wholesale circumstances which the temper
ance people piled up, in which it was decid-
ed that general renionsrance, on the ground
that all license is unnecessary, was, in fact, a
petition to nullify the law by refusing to cX-
ecute it," The Drohibtionists, it seems, had
made extra efforts in this locality TO stamp
out all saloons, having commissioned over n
hundred young men and young women to
circulate remonslrances, but they ovcrstep-
ped themselves, and in making common
cause against all petitions for license failed
to accomplish anything, the % per cent. re-
duction having been ordered by the court ir-
respective of them. Nevertheless the pop.
Mar interest and wa,chfulness of the opera
tions ofthe license courts is having the effect
OF wedding out the saloons and taverns and
restricting their Numbers
High license has been tried Tor seven years
in Nebraska and 1t has had the effect of re-
duclng the number of saloons and gradually
removing the liquor question from party pol
itics, but, generally speaking, its introduc-
ton into other States has been resisted alike
by the liquor interest aud the prohibitions
ists
The Sun, commenting upon the high
license system, says
AS to the revenue feature of the new mode,
1t is calculated that in Philadelphia-a city
of quite million of inhabitants-the total
number of licenses, including hotels and
restaurants, beer gardens and saloons, will
he about 1000, which will yield the aggre-
gate of n million of dollars. One hundred
dollars of every license goes to the State,
which will thus leave the city net revenue
of$S00O0O. 1t is calculated that the result
will be even better than this estimate, which
is made on the basis of the wards where de- |
cisions have been already rendered by the |
license courts and the aggregate of The wards
footed up. In the State of Ohio, where high |
license prevails, the revenue from the liquor |
traffic is upwards of three millions of dollars, |
and sufficient TO meet all The ordinary ex-
penditures Of the State government The |
new YORK Legislature has high license bill |
on its third reading in the Assembly, but its
passage is doubtful, and bill to the same ef-
feet has been introduced in the Maryland
Legislature, though it will hardly have the
chance of consideration even at this stage of |
the session. A number ofthe States are re-
sorting to high license for the revenue it |
brings, and the testimony wherever the plan
has been tried is strongly in its favor on
these as well as moral grounds One of the |
effects of giving mun high license fran
chlse, il has been found, is that it becomes |
his interest to have the law enforced and to
aid in bringing violntors to justice The
tendency of the system is to drive the baser
clements out of the business and put the
same into responsible hands; it reduces the |
number OF saloons in proportion to popu- |
lation, and places the traffic completely I'M
der lawful control there is less drunkenness
and better order; it dcpriycs the saloon to
some extent Of its undue and mischievous
influence in politics. These are some of the |
advantages claimed for the system where it
has been tried, and the subject is one which |
forces itself upon consideration.