The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1888-04-27
THE HIGH LICENSE FARCE.
CUPIDITY OF THE INDIVIDUAL.
TAXPAYER.
Speech Of Professor Samuel Dickie, of
Albion Michigan, delivered at AS
sOcIafIOn Hail, Philadelphia,
AprII IIih, 1883.

granted that we are all agreed that the
dram shop is an evil thing in society. |
want briefly to discuss the relative merits
and dement's Of the different ways that are
proposed on the part Of the people of deal
ing with that evil thing. AS | 60 up and
down the country of late discover that a
large number of the newspapers, both
Democratic and Republican, are charged
and surcharged with the merits and plead
ing the cause of High License as the only
way of dealing with the American saloon
Having read with some degree of care
nearly everything that the advocates of
high license have to save in behalf of their
methods, find that we can summarize all
their arguments into five points, viz:
1st, That high license puts money into
the public treasury.
Cd, That high license decreases the num-
Der of the saloons.
3D., That high license improves the char
acter of the saloons.
4th, That high license decreases the con-
sumption of ardent spirits; and
9th, That high license is step toward
Prohibition.
| have not time to discuss those five
points as | should be glad TO present them,
but must consider them 18th great brevity.
When our opponents tell us that high
license puts money into the public treas
ury, we grant the statement without de-
bate, but it does something more. Besides
putting money into the public treasury,
of the liquor traffic. [Applause. A con
tinuation of The liquor traffic breeds pau
perism, deease, insanity crime. To care
for the panpers in our asylums; to look
after the insane in our State institutions;
to provide for and punish the criminals de-
mands the existence OF the asylum, the
jail, the penitentary the court, the police.
But the Jail, the penitentiary. the court and
police will take money ont of the public
treasury, and SO we find the argument
leading us round and round in this miser-
able circle, that high license puts money
into the public treasury and provides the
process whereby all the money that high
license puts into the treasury is taken ont
again, and the lamentable feature Of the
case is that at best the advocate Of high
license can simply maintain that high IL
cense pays part, bat not all, OF the expenses
entailed upon the people by the perpet-
uation of the traffic.
But they tell us, in the second place,
that high license decreases the number of
saloons. | think on a careful examination
of the case, about this will be found to be
true--that upon the immediate adoption
of high license law 10 any given State
there usually does occur a marked decrease
in the number of saloons; bat in the course
of one or two years, when the men engaged
in the liquor traffic have come to accom-
modate themselves TO the new order of
things, we find that experience in different
states bears out the assertion that in the
long run high license has not materially de
creased the number of the saloons.
| was in Baltimore some weeks since and
picking up a copy of the Baltimore Sun
| read an editorial which was relating the
beautiful features and successful operation
of high license in the city of Chicago /
observe that the further we get away from
Chicago the more beautiful and the more
splendid are the features of high license in
Chicago, and those who live in that rum
cursed city are very much surprised when
they come down on the Atlantic border
L. 81, /, a1at,t 4,
situation of affairs in Chicago, and to con-
trast that recollection 18th the statements
of the Eastern press concerning the sue
cess OF high license in that city. Let me
say to you tonight my friends that high
licensed Chicago is one Of the most rum
ridden cities on this entire continent |
went not very long since to leading OH
cial OF that city, and said to him, Sir, is
it true that high license has decreased the
number of the saloons in yonr city p The
man answered quito promptly, "les, sir,
it has decreased them some. asked him
about the character Of the places closed up.
"Well,n said he, ''to tell You the truth,
high license has not closed the saloons pure
ana simple Ill Inc Clly u SHicaSo, pue IL
has closed up few groceries where bar
was kept in the rear of the grocery, out on
the outskirts of the city, doing a small
amount OF business, the least Objectionable
places where they sold the least quantity
of liquor and dealt with a small number OF
customers" But pressed the point upon
him. said, s'Sir, how is it in the central
part of the city, in that black quarter oil
Chicago where mans life is scarcely safe
after dark, has high license closed up any
of those dens where the social vice that
shall not be here mentioned by name is
coupled with the high licensed saloon ~
and he said mot one. They are open in
the central parts of the city, running wide
open, every place where thieves and things
gather, every place where bad men and
bad women clink their glasses together,
all these are running continually in that
great city, Sundays and week days, day
and night, seven days in the week, twenty
four hours per day, at least large MAJOR
ity OF them" lie, however, called my at
tention to the fact that although the num-
L.