Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-03-15
FARCICAL LIQUOR LAWS
THE OLD. OLD STORY OF THE FAIL
URE OF HIGH LICENSE.

1t Works All Right as a Revenue Meas
IRE and a "Breakwater Against Prohibi'
tion," but 1t Does Not Curb the Evils o.
the Saloon-More About Omaha.
From the voice.l
OMAHA. Neb.-There is no attempt in
Omaha to attack the facts given and the
charges made in my recent letters to the
Voice. The 81 900 high license law is ad
mitted by every candid person to be q
complete failure except as a revenue meas
ure. Mayor Broatch has written letter
to Robert Graham, of New York, in which
he gives a table explaining what he calls
4the increase in the liquor traffic. " This
shows that in 1880, when the license fee
was only $50, the city had 1852 saloons,
while at the time the letter was written
(January, 1850, the license fee being ST.
900, the number of licenses issued for the
ensuing year was 24O, which, according
to the Mayor, would probably reach" 250.
The Mayor gives the number of DRINKS
for the year ending Dec. 81, 1888, as 1855,
letter to the Voice. He says that it is i'm
possible to give the number of "drunks :"
during the last wear of low license, since
the police records for that period do not
show the facts desired. But he does not
claim that 81 900 high license has in any
way reduced intemperance or operated as
temperance measure. Intelligent Omaha
people would laugh at him if he should do
that.
Absolutely the only uses of this $1,000
law as it is executed here are, first, to raise
revenue for the city from the rum oles
and encourage the prostitution license
business; second, to enrich the liquor
monopolists and strengthen their terribly
powerful influence in politics and promote
their ability to defy the law with impunity
and immunity, and third, to 1psist and
postpone Prohibition.
Every observer i'll Omaha who has the
virtue of frankness will admit that this is
truthful statement. The best friend Of
the liquor interests and most outspoken
opponent of Prohibition the Republican
Omaha Daily Bee, says in an editorial en-
titled "A Word of Timely Advice"
The retail liquor dealers of Omaha are
again in turmoil over what they deem to be
a great menace to their interests Tile. ia
threatened enforcement OF some of the long
violated provisions of the high-license law.
-CoRREsPoNDENTl. Like the bull who tries
to buck the locomotive. these men are silly
enough to force a conflict which is sure to
end i'll disaster to themselves more than to
any one else. -. The Bee believes in
cLlpiCluG VIC INV Ill every GSScNlldl pdI-
ticular. and it regards such strict enforce
ment as the only breakwater against pro-
hibition. /. +.
Now, we venture to give the liquor dealers
piece of friendly advice. This paper cares
very little whether it passes Us the friend
or the enemy of the saloon keepers. 1t is
opposed to prohibition. both from self
interest and principle. 1t does not want to
subject Omaha and Nebraska to tho blight
ing effects of prohibitory legislation. The
only effective way to block prohibition is to
rigidly enforce high license. Unless the
liquor dealers prefer to be made outlaws,
they had better show some RESPECT for law,
and keep their hands out of the charter and
off the City Council.
The interference of the saloon keepers
with the City Council is demoralizing and
intolerable. Ii the retail liquor dealers OF
Omaha know what is good for them. they
will dismiss their fool friends, quit plotting
cease to NEEDLE with the Council, and try
to observe the law as near as they can.