The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-05-07
HIGH LICENSE.
The Liquor-D Dealers Are Given a
Hearing.
Replies to the Charge That the Society Aims
to Throw 1000 Merchants Out
Of Business.

The subject of high license was again dis
cussed at length before the License Com
mittee of the Board of Supervisors yester-
| day. ALI the members Of the board were
! present except Evans.
Rev. Horatio Stebbins, Father Montg0m-
cry aud Joseph G. Eastland and others rep
resented the High License Society, while
the opponents of high lieenSa-the Whole
sale Liquor-dealers' Association, the Whole
sale GTocers' Association, the Brewers
Association, the German on-keepers,
the League of Freedom and the Protective
Association of Californa-were represented
by r. j. Harrison, George BahrS and Louis
Dunand.
Mr.. Harrison, President of the Protective
Association Of California, called attention
to the commercial Importance of the liquor
traffic, and the fact that il is assisting
largely in paying the national debt. The
corner grocery he declared to be the van
guard Of commercial progress and neigh
b0rho0d necessity. The reason so many of
them deal in liquor is because they will not
pay without that trade. High license would
drive 1000 of such merchants out of buSi-
ness carried OH strictly according to law.
AGAINST HIGH LICENSE.
George II. Bahrs maintained that high
license would not limit or remedy the evils
OF the liquor traffic. There are 22,0O0
men and firms engaged in the liquor
business in California. They employ 100000
men and handle millions of capital.
High license would strike deadly
blow at them without amelOrating the
evils OF which the High License Association
complains. He was willing to pledge all
the associations represented here to aid the
High-lcenSe Association and the Board of
/ Supervisors in suppreSsing the dives and
other diSreDutable places where liquor Is
sold. Statistics show that less than per
cent OF the population abuse the use OF
liquor, and the entire community should
not be made to suffer for so few. The
liQuor-dealers already pay three times more
taxes than other branches Of commerce
tax on material, license tax and revenue
tax. High license would mean prohibition
to the middle class, the class that should be
most encouraged.
Louis Dunand argued that high license in
stead Of decreasing the consumption of
liquor only created a monopoly.
ANSWERING INsINUATIoNs.
During Mr., HarrisOn's remarks he inti-
mated that the High License Society desired
to turn 1000 men out of business; also that
its members had represented themselves as
the embodiment Of all good and the saloon
keepers the other extreme.
Father Montgomery resented these state
mentS. He aud his associates had come
before the board as American citizens
and in no other capacity. He referred TO
| his own remarks when addressing the COM
! mittee as best describing their true attitude.
I'VE have not harsh word 10 say against
| any living man." said he. 1--WE maintain
! that the liquor traffic is a legitimate traffic,
| but, as any other, it may call for regulation.
| Therefore. gentlemen, what do we ask you
! 10 do? We do not come here to tell you
something you do not know, We do not
! come here filled with the idea that we are
| possessed with all the knowledge to run a
/ Government like this. You are our repre-
sentatiYeS We have chosen you for that
| purpose; therefore, we come to you as con-
| Sttuents, not to inform you OF your duty,
| but to ask You to help us and let us help
| you TO purify San Francisco from what we
consider one Of the things that is doing
damnahle injury to her fair name before the
| civilized world"
REV. DIR. sTEBBINs' REPLY.
! That the High License Society desires to
! throw 20J0 merchants out OF business is an
/ swered by one of DR.. Stebbins' remarks,
| made on the same occasion:
II met citizen yesterday on the street.
! But said he, this is discrim nation. If
| you have 5000 license, a uniform license for
the sale Of intoxicating drinks, here is poor
woman down here, a widow, retailing ale
for the support Of her family aud children.
| She is a widow. 1t is rather hardship
| that her business is taken away from her
| when she wishes to support her children
Nov, gentlemen that is plausible sent-
ment, but now many widows do you sup
pose there are Oereft broken hearted, who
| lay their children on their pillows at night
with tears and benediclionS, grieviug for
their dead father, and supporting them by
selling ale or whisky? How many widows in
this city are doing that? Point me one and
will point you twenty miserable oafers,
with their dirty trousers girt about here
with leather grille, with carpet slippers
on their feet, IN their shirt sleeves and
smoking dirty pipe, whole car load of
them not worth cents load for meas
ure."