Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1891-12-18
LICENSING uouoR.sELllNG.

the licensed seller to have the law en-
forced as some of them claim such law
would enforce itself. Is there not fall
lacy here? The following, clipped from
the Detroit Tribune of November 10,
would seem to prove that the failure to
execute a license law may be even great
er under system of licensing and tax
ing saloons than under prohibitory laws.
1t is headed, "Let the Law Be En-
forced:
The Trbune's campaign against viola
tors of the liquor law is being waged
solely with the view of securing the en-
forcement of admittedly enforceable yet
flagrantlv violated provisions of that law.
Two of these are of vital consequence,
namely: The provision to the effect that
saloons must pay certain taxes, which is
of importance to the city and county
revenues; and the provision to the effect
that saloOnkeepers must give good and
sufficient bonds, which is of Importance
as binding the performance of certain
obligations assumed by saloonkeepers.
These provisions are enforced else
where, and they can be enforced in De-
troit. Not a single reason can be alleged
by any officer or official charged with the
duty of enforcing law in this community
why every saloonkeeper cannot be com
PEELED to pay the required tax of $500 for
the sale of spirituous liquors, as well as
the required tax of $500 for the sale of
malt liquors. The present situation is
that over 100000 of liquor taxes are an
nually lost to Wayne county. The def
cheney caused by the non-payment of
liquor taxes must be paid by other tax
payers, and the eXaction of the amount
of the deficiency from these taxpayers is
nothing better than public robbery, for
which the officials charged with the en-
forcement of the law are morally if not
legally responsible. Every cent of liquor
taxes due the county should be collected
and turned over to the people. Not the
slightest excuse exists for the negligence
of the council in failing to pass upon
liquor bonds, nor should there be the
smallest difficulty in compelling saloon
keepers to file bonds. Every saloon
keeper should be ordered to file his bond
at once.
The duty of enforcing these provisions
of the law belongs in equal measure to
Prosecuting Attorney Burroughs, the
police authorities and the courts. The
Tribune calls upon these three agencies
in the administration of justice to collect
every cent of delinquent liquor taxes and
to compel every saloonkeeper to file the
bond required by law.
The advocates of license also make
much use of the plea that prohibition
demoralizes the conscences of sellers of
liquor and of those that buy. The
following, clipped from the same
paper, shows quite conclusively that IL
cense cannot be depended upon to i'm
prove the cOnsciences of the sellers. Is
it not rather question whether he who
would, for the sake of the profit to be
derived from the sale of liquor-whether
licensed or not-is not already in de-
moralized condition and the longer he en-
cages in 1t the more callous and demora,
LIKED his conscience becomes? And the
conscience of the buyer can hardly be
him liquor unlawfully. The first of
these is headed "Aldermanic Lawbreak-
ers":
Aldermen Reynolds and Lennane are
saloonkeepers. Neither has filed bond
as required by law. Alderman Reynolds
sells whisky on a beer tax. Alderman
Lennane sells beer only, but keeps his
saloon open on Sunday, Alderman Rey-
nolds does not close his saloon on Sun
day.
These aldermanic lawbreakers are eX,
cellent examples of the kind of men who
have been selected to misrue the city of
Detroit. Alderman Reynolds Is chair
man of the committee on liquor bonds.
He has filed no bond; he does not care
whether anybody else has filed one. Al
derman Lennane has filed no bond; and
he is likewise Indifferent to the enforce
ment of the law. With such men mis-
representing the people in the council it
is easy to understand why no liquor
bonds have been approved for oyer a
year.
Alderman Reynolds should resign the
craftsmanship of his committee at once.
Both aldermen should obey the law or re-
sign their aldermanic seats. Law break
ers cannot properly administer munich
pal affairs.
"Those Changed Infornations" is the
title of this one:
The Trihune's investie ations thus far
have disclosed five instances in which
saloonkeepers charged with the sale of
spirituOus liquors have been tried on the
lesser charge of selling beer only. In
two of these cases the information was
for selling spirituous liquors, yet both
offenders were released upon payment of
the $500 tax. In the Others the infor-
nation had been changed so as to read
'malt liquors" only, when the complaint
filed by the police specified another
otfense.
1t there is any good reason for this
practice Prosecuting Attorney Burroughs
has not yet deigned to give it, and the
inference must be that it has grown up
out of the universal laXity, indifference
and negligence in the prosecution of
liquor cases which has heretofore pre-
vailed. 1t is not surprising that over
1900 saloons pay no spirituous liquor
tax. though every one of them sells
whiskey. The debilitated prosecution of
liquor cases has simply put premium
upon the violation of the law.
All these things seen to prove that the
liquor traffic certainly demoralizes the