Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-05-31
IN HIGH LICENSE CITIES.
A LAW THAT FAILS TO PROMOTE
TEMPERANCE

Chica-o-Ihe Increasing Arrogance and
Political Power of the Liquor Men Under
the High License System.
From the Voice.
There is no end of testimony to the
failure of high license MS q temperance
measure everywhere. Almost weekly fof
more than a year the Voice has presented
the weightiest evidence. Fresh evidence
of equal strength is accumulating all the
time. 1t is not necessary to seek for
particulars They come unsolicited from
doodle system is or has been on trial.
There is scarcely high license city in
the United States for which startling
facts have not appeared i'll our columns.
In every detail the theories and claims of
| the high license people have been shown
to have no practical value at all. Drunk
enness and crime are not in the slightest
degree checked by high license; the
amount of liquor consumed is not dimin-
ished; the restrictive features of liquor
laws are not better enforced; the liquor
dealers do not become law-abiding citi-
zens: the offensive influence of the saloon
in politics is not modifed-all these
things have been proved over and over
again.
And still the evidence pours in.
The typical high-license cities Of the
West are Omaha, Chicago, ST. Louis and
Denver Omahas record has been pre-
scented repeatedly. There is no great city
in the United States where the proportion
Of arrests to the population is SO large, or
where the liquor-dealers have been SO
| free to violate the restrictive regulations.
And yet the saloon-license fee is $1,000,
uniform. On the third page is contin-
uation of the striking table printed last
rsy-ip NO vic oft
of Nebraska as to the results of the meas
| IRE.
In recent number of the Chicago
Inter Ocean the presiding Judge of one
of the courts gave this picture Of the sit
uation in that high-license city:
| You may ransack the pigeon-holes all
over the city and country, and look over
| such annual reports as are made up, but
they will not tell half the truth Not
only are the saloons of Chicago RESPONSE
| Die for the cost of the police force, the
% justice courts, the Bridewell, but also
for the criminal courts, the county Jail, q
great portion of Joliet. the long murder
trials, the Coroners Office, the morgue,
the poor house, the reform school, the
madhouse. Go anywhere you please and
| ky is at the root OF the evil The gam
| bling-houses of the city and the bad
| houses of the city are the direct outgrowth
| of the boon companions of drink. OF all
| the thousands of prostitutes Of Chicago,
| the downfall of almost every one can be
! traced to drunkenness on the part of their
parents or husbands, or drunkenness on
| their own part.
of all the boys in the Reform School
at Pontiac, and in the various reforma-
tories about the city, IS per cent. are the
children Of parents who d ed through
| drink or became criminals through the
same cause. Look at the defalcations-
| fully 80 per cent. of them come about
through drink and dissipation. Go into
the divorce courts-fully 80 per cent. of
the divorces come about through drink, or
drink and adultery both. OF tho insane
or demented cases disposed of in the
court here every Thursday, !, moderate es-
innate is that 20 per cent. are from alco-
holism and its effect. I saw it estimated
the other day that there were II, 900 desti-
tute boys in Chicago who were not con-
fined at all, but are running at large.
l think that it is a small estimate. Mon
are sent to prison for drunkenness, ard
| County Agent and the Poorhouse provite
for some. 1t is Il direct expense to tie
community. Generally speaking, these
families 80 to destruction. The boys
turn out thieves, and the girls ard
mothers generally resort to the slums.
The sand-baggers. murdercrs and thugs
generally of to-day who are prosecuted in
the police courts and the criminal courts
are the sons of men who fell victims to
drink. The percentage in this case is
fully 50 per cent.
Il have studied this question for years,
and have passed upon criminal cases for
Years, and know whereof l speak. This
saloon that saloon the other saloon
saloons. saloons, saloons figure con-
stantly and universally III the anarchist
trials. Conspirators met in saloons; dy-
mantle was discussed in saloons; bombs
were distributed over saloons; armed rev
olutionists were drilled above, under, or
in the rear of saloons; treason made as
slgnatlon in saloons, and time and time
again witnesses say, We went to- such
and such "a saloon for wine or beer
There is not a country under the sun in
which turks SO much treason, revolution
and murderous treaty as in our saloon
of the United States, and notably in all
large cities. These saloon pests harbor
thieves, thugs, ouse-breakers, anarch-
lists, robbers and murderers. Nine-tenths
of the aw-breaking in America is Matched
in saloons and the admitted fact is pal
lated by the axiom that saloons are head
quarters for town, city and even national
election gerlymandering. The liquor
counter is the scatfold on which half
hundred beautiful, vital American thiaps
are nssassinated, and on which scores Of
horrid public plaques are glorited."
The high license saloons of Chicago
took an active part in the recent munich
pal election. Three Democratic saloon
Keepers and one Republican ex-brewer
We're chosen members of the City Council
In st. Louis. where the license fee is
$500 a year. the saloons have given fresh
evidences of their determination to null
lify all laws. In order to act the Sunday
closing law at defiance, they compelled
the Democr tic party to nominate a noto-
nous saloon advocate for Mayor and their
power was great enough to secure his cleo
ton against the united eiiolts of the bet
ter elements. The sway of the brewers
in ST. Louis deteats every effort for re-
form. They send to III. State Senate
each year Mr.. j. c. McGinniss Republic
c"nleader. who is their attorney and their
special agent.
q mixed ticket was successful at the St.
Louis election. The saloons, while SUP.
porting Soonan DEM for Mayor. in
dorsed part OF the Republican ticket,