Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-02-02
a MATTER OF VITAL INTEREST.

In the Assembly, declaring that no license
tax for sale of liquors at retail shall ex-
coed seven dollars a month, has created
storm of indignation since the RECORD
UNION exposed the outrageous character
and the deep-laid purpose of the measure.
1t is now understood that whisky has
taken such alarm that it will graciously
consent to amendment of the bill SO as to
place the figure at Sl2 instead of 81 per
mouth
But this will not do, for while that figure
isnot insufficient, the provision is to remain
that the sum paid shall cover all State,
county, town, township or municipal liquor
licenses. The bill must be wholly aban-
doned, and this business of licensing left,
as now, to The towns, counties and cities.
Why should it not be so; have not the
people of California cities the capacity to
Judge of their own needs and to govern
themselves in this matter of issuing liquor
licenses, as we'll as in granting licenses to
merchants, in the levy of taxes for roads,
street lighting, police, water supply and
other purposes Wherein are they weak
or Enthusiastically, that in this single bus
mess Of licensing the selling of liquor they
must be deprived of the right given them
by the Constitution to determine what
license fee the bar business shall pay to
the community that protects it?
The truth is the Equr interest is in des-
perate fear of high license, and this
measure in the Assembly is an at
tempt to prevent it obtaining in
this, as it has in other States The bill
Is the result of a conspiracy to compel the
people OF Los Angeles to cut loose from a
system that has worked admirably; to
force San Diego to submit herself once
more to free saloons; to compel Suffer
county, with her one liquor bar, to aban-
don her safe haven of sobriety, order, and
the smallest criminal record known in the
State, to admit an unlimited number of
saloons to her territory, and to consent to
the inevitable result of an increased record
of crime and poverty.
AS if it were not enough to attempt
legislation that flies in the face of settled
political principle that government should
be brought as near to the people as pos
sible, and the right of local selfgoyern-
ment interfered with only when the public
interest makes it absolutely necessary, this
infamous Assembly bill proposes to punish
every city and town in the State for hav-
ing heretofore entertained even the
thought of requiring the liquor business to
bear fair share of the cost it creates in
town and city government To accom-
piish this end, the bill provides that all
License collections for sale of liquors shall
be taken from the towns and cities and
given over to the counties.
The liquor license tax in the city of
Sacramento is now of two classes, 81 so
and So per month, respectively; the aggre-
gate collection in the city amounts to
$4,000 per anuum; this sum the bill Will
strip nom the city and transfer - the
county treasury. While the result would
be to very slightly reduce the lighter
county tax, it would compel the tax payers
OF the city, already overburdened an !
taxed as are those Of but one other CITY
in the State, to raise 513, 500 more per an
mum than now. Our aggregate quarterly
saloon license IS now $50 so per quarter
for city and county, but this bill reduces it
by 50 so so that, ss 6nality, the income
OF the tax roll 10 meet the expenses of city |
and county government will be very much
reduced.
Since the lower order Of liquor interests
have 50 wantonIy and unprovokedly made
this vieious assault upon the people, it is
IN order for the people to reply, and the
response should take the form not only of
emphatic protest against the bill in ques-
ton, but, since that measure is clear in
dieatiou Of the intention of the low-saloon
interest to tighten its grip upon the throat
Of California communities, the response
should also take the form of demand for
higher license than is now collected
And it should not be less than is imposed |
10y San Diego, Los Angeles and other |
cities and counties that, having tried the |
experiment, cannot be driven to aban-
don its virtues, unless the outrageous
bill under discussion unfortunately is en-
acted into law
There never viii be better oppor-
tunity than the present to settle this mat |
ter, so far as Sacramento is concerned In |
stead OF 800 bars, 200 of the better class
will answer, aud instead OF $4,000 license !
from liquor selling, we may just as well
receive $4,000 per annum. This accom-
piished, our heavy tax rate can be brought |
down the coming spring to one cent on the
dollar, and, as a result, the home-seeker
who is now turned from eur doors will
come and abide with us, and Astounding
prosperity, enlarged industries, lessened
cost OF local government and general con-
tent will prevail, as experience proves
is the case wherever the experiment has
been tried To the credit of the pro-
prietors of the better class of saloons in
Sacramento be it said, that they are OPP
posed, from the beginning TO the end to
the infamous bill San Francisco has
spewed out upon the Legislature, and are
in favor Of high license and its imme-
diate establishment.
THE ESSENCE OF THE MATTER.