Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-12-03
THE HIGH LICENSE sYsrEn.
opiaieu Divided - 60 That Method OF y
strictiux the Liquor Trsnse.

0piaiou Divided - 20 1hst
.tricting the Liquor Trsnie.
The renewed Recommendation in the annual
report OF the District Commissioners Tor saop-
ton Of the high license system 10 restrio. .he
liquor traffic in this city has set 10 thinking
many persons engaged and Interested I'm sseA
traffic and others who would prohibit ~
In their report they say; This system "a
been and is being tried in many OF the s,ases
and cities Of the country and found 20 produce
most desirable results in the decrease on NO,
lent crimes and yagrancy and propotuo'anA
increase OF happy homes and famines.
With these enyiahle results aiso come great
reduction in the court and police en-.
penses and decreased poor house and vork
house population. The experience m tho-e
communities also shows that high license ices
put the business into the hands OF dealers VIC;
rs rule. are ohedicnt 90 the Law and heipfu
to the executive officers and agents Of the mn-
inequalities affected
The Commissioners estimate that q good
law OF the Kind recommended would raise not
less Than $4,000 of District revenues. when:
with like sum from the United States, would
give from this source alone S600 600 for yearly
improvements. The amount raised last year
tiSS9i Was upward Of si57.ooo. The Commits
slohers most respectfully nrge the early pss-
sage of one Of the bills tH.E loos5 and ioo<s)
presented at the last session of Congress"
PUBLIC OPINION Is DIVIDED
as TO whether the adoption Of the high license
system would prove beneficial or not The
liquor dealers themselves are not all OF the
same opinion. The hotel keepers. a rule.
taNor The adoption OF snch a measure. while
many OF the saloon keepers who sell chespes
urlnhs are opposed 10 an increase IN the amount
OF the license tax. There ar, a number OF
them, however, who would willingly pay tbs
increased tax.
VIEWS or A LIQUOR DEALER.
person identified with the liquor interests
told STAR reporter today that he thought
congress would soon adopt the suggestion
mace by the Commissioners. The liquor men.
ne said. as class favor the proposed change.
,ihey are satisfied with n moderately high
license. Should the tax be increased 90 S250
or even $50 he thought there would be 800
or soo persons nov in business who would b.
able TO pay il.
-. - There Is To lodging the question" he said.
fnDhc 'cntnnent in favor of high license and
stringent laws L. growing every day. and some
| action Is bOund TO be taken. There is a senti
Heht against the excessive use of intoxicants
ana the continuance of corner grocery saloons
mat cannot Ice overlooked. and some action In
these evils"
""onld such a license cause an increase in
the price OF drinks. asked the reporter.
| Not at al lac responded. 1t would 70
sun IN breaking un many places where cheap
hSnof Is sold and where most OF the patrons
|
would be that the laboring people who drink
wonld get their liquor by the bottle from
| wholesale establishments. Tney would
qnenily get better iiquor for less money and
Would have more money left for their families"
| Inc temperance people are also divided on
! the nigh hceuse question, MANY II them hold
ing that nothing short of prohibition will rem
edy the evil There are others. however
among their number who believe that high
license l. the first stepping stone toward pro-
bibition and for that reason they are willing TO
accept it.
HIGH LICENSE UNJUST"
IF my vote could decide the liquor question
! there would he no liquor manufactured"
said Mr.. Frank Hume. but inas-
much as the liquor business
is recognized I don't think it, Just 60 throw
every obstacle possible in Its way. A high
license law would do no good. IL you
want 10 stop the liquor business commence ut
! the root. 1heu again high license Inv would
not be just. as Il would put all the business in
the hands of a few wealthy ones"
THE ". c. 7. L. AGAINST IT.
The proposal Of the Commissioners has not
met with favor at the hands of the women's
Christian Temperance Union. The members
of that Organization are in active hostility
against IT, and when they once get started they
arc not easily stopped. They are determined
to have nothing 10 do with high license and are
ready to fight To the end, be il bitter or sweet.
/ Mr.. Geo. ". Ia Fetra, the president Of the
! W. {. I. T.. was seen by STAR reporter this
| afternoon and asked ii the Commissioners
proposition was likely 10 be favorably received
| by the women Of the district.
| by no means. said she. "Ne are heartily
opposed TO II. This suggestion of high license
Is nothing more or lees thsn - scheme of the
republican party 70 keep ga the good side Of
the prohibitiouists without alternating the liquor
vote. But II viii not do. Halfway measures
| will not suffice.
| IT MUST BE PROHIBITION.
ct must be prohibition. That is what we
are coming to- High license has been tried
and has proved failure. Ii simply makes the
liquor traffic respectable, and 80 far AZ il does
| that il docs an inestmable wrong. IL may do
away with few Of the lowest eroggeries. but
that is in the interest of the so-called respect
able saloons and think that the liquor men
| themselves would, a rule, favor high license
for that very reason. The law should
put its ban upon the liquor business
| and not compromise with the wrong
| When men realize that when they go into
| a saloon 10 take drink they are doing an ille-
gal and underhand deed. drinking will 90 n
large extent cease. Prohibition with officials
who really favor the enforcemen of the Law Is
| the only thing that Will ever remedy the evil.
The W. c. I. L. is partisan in sense. 1t will
support airy party that will maze prohibition
| its main issue"
| MRS MouLroS's PROTEST..
Mrs Fl. d. MouIton another hard worker q
the union. was equally vehement in her pro-
test against high license. Il wish" said she
| THAT the Commissioners would only see il i'm
| the same light that we do. Some time ago one
! of them asked us if would not rather
| have one hundred saloons in the CITY
| than one thousand. We told him that we
| most c. rtninly would not. One is as bad a. q
dozen. and il simply discriminates in favor Of
1 the rich saloon keeper What difference does
| it make TO a mother whether her son
| gets drunk in groggery or in
| gilded palace. The Commissioners state
| in their report that high license has proved
| such a glorious panacea wherever il has been
| tried This is not IL does not diminish
| drinking. crime or immortality in the slightest
| degree. The liquor traffic is a growth Of evil
| and should be rooted out 1t doesn't do the
/ least bit of good simply To put fence around
| it, and very weak fence at that"
/ MRS. WILLIAMS SUMS IT UP.
Mrs. T. A. Williams summed il up as follow.
1.-THE only effect of high license is TO make q
COZ ner in the liquor market. 1t does not put a
stop to drinking nor drunkenness. nor does il
diminish either single bit. IL does no good
| To compromise with evil thing. The proper
course is to wipe il out There Ia
no principle in high license. II IL
| ONLY policy. The liquor traffic is an
undoubted evil and as such should be stopped
| II il is wrong 10 allow liquor to be sold il
should be prohibited entirely. II is against the
principles of the w. C. T. Y. ever TO license and
| thus TO legalize an evil"