The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-04-16
HIGH LICENSE.

baltimore has had year of high license
|. 80 'no results are summarized thus: The
Hunhoer OF saloons has been reduced 20 per
4 CENT ana those which have been shut were
" 'ue low or dive order; the CITY has de-
rived revenue of 1896, O4I, as against an
eAPenulVure Tor the previous year of 50. 99S.
anu Inc police dockets show a material fall,
lug Oh In the number of arrests for drunk
enness and offenses growing out of liopor
drinking. wv
II is crime in the esteem of the probibi-
uonlsts to permit the sale of intoxicants
uhOer any circumstances; license is held by
Olien 10 be an otfense by the community
ssalns6 society, the evil in their opinion
ICING greater than that which follows no
license, hquor-selling being outlawed nv
4 statute but allowed in fact Rum-drinking
H Delng the evil complained of and tonight
against, 1t seems strange that the prohioi-
Ilonlsts are not willing that this evil
A snail be lessened unless i. sboII
\ De suppressed absolutely; it is strange
SuaI they insist that ground is
/ oelng lost when the consumption of liquor
mas been reduced one-half, provided the
Id" says the consumption of the other half
Is not crime. One would naturally think
\ tnat any measure which would lessen in
toxlcatlon and reduce the consumption of
hquor would be hailed with delight bv the
sincere advocate OF temperance, and vet it
is a fact that the advanced section of the
1 cold water people, the foremost prohibi
\ uonlsts, are the most earnest opponents of
high license.
Ii mas been demonstrated ever since soci
ETY. began to combat the evil of intemper-
ance, that statutory prohibition was impos-
\ slnle. The strictest laws enjoining prohi-
] bition have failed in all ages and every
country where men were inclined
to drink, and where people are
not disposed to intoxication mo
laws are required. Even the church, which
IS more influential in such matters than
statutes, has been unable to put a stop to
, drinking among its members, though priest
and preacher, with all the vehemence and
earnestuess of which they were capable
have forbidden the use of intoxicants. Let
the laws say what they will, let the
penalties be as severe as it is possible to
make them, and men viii make and sell
liquor and others viii purchase and drink
1t. In other words, statutory prohibition
Is out Of the question, and there can be pro-
hlbltion only when men themselves refuse |
to drink. Then why is it not better to deal
with the evil by reasonable methods with |
the view to accomplishing all the good that
Is possible. than to say if we cannot get all |
we want we viii take nothing?
The experience of Baltimore is similar to |
the experience of every other community |
which has adopted high license. The
liquor traffic has not been made respectable
but it has been made less disreputable: in
toxication has been decreased, and what is |
OF very great Importance in these times of
public extravaganza in expenditures the
traffic is made to furnish the money to nav
the cost Of its control. The men who drink
whisky are the cause of heavy expense to
the community, and high license compels
them to pay this expense.