Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1889-07-26
The Reform Broken Down.

The letter Of Judge White, of Allegheny,
10 his successors in the Quarter Sessions is
about as severe n criticism Of the Supreme
Court license decision as any yet delivered.
He advises them in effect to increase tho
number of retail licenses, because IF the
Wholesalers and bottlers the discretion as
scsskajlers amounts to nothing. 1t results
only in Increasing the number of quart and
jug establishments witneat restricting the
traffic or diminishing the evils ofiptemper-
ance. Those wholesale and bottling houses
which sell by the quart, jug and bucket to
the neighborhood, believe cause more in
temperance and are greater evils than reg
ular retail houses
Tn.wamrer language and more sounding
phrase, our own Judge Gordon made sub
stantially the same comment on the first
reading of Judge Parsons decision, which
he pronounced s'calamitous to the cause of
sobricty, good order and morality" and
predicted that the result would be ''ungov-
ernable, unnumbered and unamenable bot
tie shops and beer gardens throughout the
city," Judge Gordon's language and pre-
diction were considered ill-judged and in
temperate in some quarters at the time,
but his conclusion il exactly the same as
that reached by Judge White and solemn
ly placed ON the records of the Allegheny
Court Of Quarter Sessions two weeks later.
Who will say that the conclusion of these
license judges "a to the probable result OF
the Supreme Courts Wholesale decision is
not sound oncf
Gottlich jain promptly pushed the su-
prcme Courts opinion to its logical con-
clusion when he purchased 1000 quart cans
and did rushing business by selling beer
to the thirsty by the quart within six days
after the decision was rendered. All bot
tiers and wholesalers have notice that this
style Of liquor selling can be carried on
with safety and profit under their whole
sale license. As many OF those holding
wholesale license are according to the tes-
timcny Of the License Court. 'men of no
torionsly bad character. -convicts, com
mon drunkards and men who for years
have led most abandoned life. it is ev-
dent that the wholesome restraint on the
liquor selling business which this city and
State have enjoyed for year past is at an
end
The retail vendcrs have been on their
good behavior because they had reason to
believe that unless they maintained good
record that they would be refused a license
next year. But now they viii ask, what il
they should be refusedf They will have
only to put in an application for whole
sale license which must be granted as a
matter of course, unless il is shown affirm
atively that they are not citizens, or not of
sober habits or not of good moral charac-
ter, and even these objections can not be
made against them unless preceded and
supported by remonstrance.
IL il evident that the reign of the growler
has set in. Some restraint il thrown about
the sale of single drinks, but no check at
all il placed on the sale by the bottle. the
quart can, the pitcher and the tin kettle by
any one holding so-called wholesale Ii
cense. The Legislature never intended
any such result, but its wholesale act was
not skilfully drawn, and the Supreme
Court has construed il so as to destroy high
license ~ reform measure.-Philadelph
Press.