The record-union., 1891-05-06
SHOCKED THEIR NERVES.
A High License Committee Disturbs
the Supervisors.
Thomas Mcconnell Gives Some Facts
and Ffgures-The Board Was
Non-Committal.

up periodically before the Board OF Su-
perVlsors during the past decade or more,
and whenever it does it makes the mem
bers Of the board squirm with discomfort.
1t bobbed up again yesterday, and had
the same effect.
A tear welled up in Mr.. Jenkins eye as
he thought of his election pledges, and
Mr.. Bates made up his mind that he
would have to consult his constituents
before committing himself. Chairman
Greer said that the Farmers Alliance and
Patrons of Husbandry favored high Ii
cense, but he did not say how he stood
himself. Mr.. Black promised himself
that he would ''do the square thing" and
Mr.. Miller remained in eloquent and i'm
pressive silence.
ELK GROVE CHANGERS.
What started the ball rolling was the
appearance before the board of a COM
mittee from the Elk Grove Grange Pat
rons of Husbandry, who were there to
carry out the instructions Of the grange
and urge the Supervisors to adopt high
license to govern the saloons of the coun-
ty. The committee was headed by MIR.
Stickney, Master of the grange, and
Thomas Mcconnell.
Mr.. Mcconnell was the first to address
the board on the subject, and the statistics
Re cited and the facts he set forth added
much to that tired feeling" which had
taken possession of the Supervisors.
High license" he said, "wherever
Practiced, has reduced the number of sa-
looms one-half, and this is followed by q
prOpOrtlOnate reduction OF crime. The
records of Philadelphia show that in four
months in 1887, under low license, the
commitments for crime were 1886; III
the same four months i'll 1888, under high
license, 6,G29, showing u decrease of 4,Gz7.
The arrests for drunkenness on Sundays
were 526 in the same months under low
license, and I46 under high license. The
number Of saloons there under low Ii
cense was 6,0O0 and under high license
1900, showing decrease of AGO. If
high license is adopted in California the
same results would occur. and the bene-
fits could only be estimated by millions
of dollars actual saving, by way of tax
alton for the support of paupers and GRIM
inals Sacramento County has had sew
eTal object lessons recently from the eff
fects Of drunkennes-Blanch and
baggerty.
WHAT COULD BE DONE.
"One important advantage OF high Ii
Cense," continued Mr.. Mcconnell, sis the
large revenue it will bring 4 business
that is directly responsible for a large
portion of the expenses of the public
should be made to assist in bearing the
burden. This is a simple matter of right.
If the saloons could be made TO bear the
costs of courts, jails, prisons. hospitals,
asylums, houses of correction. and pub
lie and private charities, made necessary
by their business, they would be aston
ished at the result, and would gladly ac
cept tax of 5000 per year as merciful
condition"
Mr. Mcconnell then resorted to his sta
tistics again. In Michigan, in 1873, there
s.rlF Ii,rl, han
adopted, and ] ,577 Of them closed up
within the next twelve months. The
succeeding year SSl more closed up, and so
it has continued until but few remain.
High license, he said closes the worst
class of saloons. In Illinois in 1888 it
closed about 5000 saloons. The revenues
IN Chicago were increased from 500, 900
To Sl,7o0000, and in the State of Illinois
from 100000 to 81, SOC, 900. The same re-
suits We're had in Missouri. In Ohio
high license closed ,0l9 saloons in 20 out
Of 50 counties.
California; continued the speaker,
has not far from 1000 saloons, or one
saloon for every $50 inhabitants They
viii average two for every saloon, or H.
600 in all. a high license of 5000 per year
would reduce them 1900 This would re-
lease from 5000 10 5000 men, who would
be compelled to engage in some useful
and productive employment. In addition
TO this the number of drunkardS. crime
and pauperism and court expenses would
be greatly reduced, The
BENEFITS THAT WOULD ACCRUE
To the people could only be estimated by
millions Of dollars. / do not expect that
high license will bring the millennium
but it viii be a step in the right direction
trust this Board OF Supervisors will
take favorable action III this matter, and
raise license to $50 per quarter. / am not
a temperance crank and not prohibi-
zionist. The PrOhibitiOnists are after an
impOsSibility But what / want is to see
the number of these deadfalls reduced,
and to see the county make the keepers
OF these dens support some of the insti-
tutiOns which they have compelled the
county TO build"
OPINIONS SCARCE.
Mr.. Stickney made few remarks after
Mr.. Mcconnell had concluded, and then
Chairman Greer asked the Supervisors il
they had anything to say.
Mr.. Bates said he would like to hear
Mr.. Jenkins first.
Mr.. Jenkins turned pale. He rose
painfully, and, casting a wait-till-I-get-
yOu-outside scowl at Mr.. Bates, he said
he had not made up his mind yet, and
wanted to be better posted before he COM
mitted himself.
Mr.. Mcconnell said he hoped none OF
tho members would offer excuses, and
that they would declare themselves one
way or the other.
But this had no effect on Mr. Jenkins
He had dropped into his seat again, and
was going to stay there.
Mr.. Bates said he wasn't a-scared TO
give his opinion" Personally, he was in
favor of high license, but he would have
10 vote the way his constituents wanted
him to.
Messrs. Black and Miller shook their
heads when asked ifthey had anything to
say.
Then all hands took a shy at the Chair
man. There was no escape for him. Mr.
Greer, however, was equal TO the occa-
sion. He said that as Master Of the Sac
ramento Grange and member of the
Farmers Alliance, he was free TO state
that those organizations declared them
selves in favor of high license. Per
sonally he was an advocate OF temper
ance, and he wished it were in his power
10 stop the distillatiOn of Intoxicating
liquors. But he did not say how he stood
on high license.
After some tall thinking by all hands,
amid death-like silence of about five
minutes duration, Mr.. Greer suggested
That Inasmuch as the subject was an inn
portant one, and the board would proba-
bly desire to hear from other committees,
so as 10 be fully informed, il would be ad-
viSable TO take the matter under con-
slderatlon for a few days.
ms opportunity was seized by the Su-
pervlsors with an avidity that could only
be compared with the spasmodic clutch of
drowning man at floating straw.
OTHER BUSINESS.
When the high-licenSe scare was over
the Supervisors settled down to the trans
action ol such ordinary matters as might
come before them.
Mrs. Quinlan, feeble old lady. who
says she is 80 years of age and who until
recently was an inmate of the County