Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1892-03-17
THE SALOON EVIL.
A Correspondent Takes Issue
With the VicksbuFg Herald
on the Distribution of the
License hOucY.
License aiOucY.
Editor MISSISSIPPI leader.

Editor Mississippi Leader
Since the chapter on Dramshops
| has been under discussion in the Leg
islatnte | notice the Vieksburg Herald
has taken occasion to express its views
on the appropriation of the license de-
rived from the saloon. 1t says the
constitution provides for uniform tax
alton and it is unjust to tax one part
of the State, cities, etc, for the benefit
of any other part; it destroys the equal
| ity of taxation provided for by the
constitution. Surely 20 tax one part
of the State, for the avowcd purpose
of spending the revenue there collected
| for the especial benefit of any particu-
! lar other part, would be vicious ad =
ministratiou but to Distribute tli
revenues of any government particue
larly amongst the people of any local
ity from which they were collected,
has never actuated any gOvernmen
known on earth nor never will, for 1t
would be found wholly impracticable ;
and is just what could not he accom-
plished without practically abolish
ing governmental administration.
What would become of the Judiciary
and the executive departments, and
the common school system and many
other functional departments how
would all then be paid for Why, it
! Just couldn't be: the State i'll its ad-
ministrntion, supposing there was any,
would be lis spotted as II leopard.
| The true policy then and the only
practical one is, for the State to tax its
citizens equally. put the revenue in
its treasury and spend it where most
needed.
| But on the subject of equal taxation
as the constitution demands, we and
the Herald agree; where then, we ask,
| in the name of this same constitution,
is the equality of taxation when, after
! the citizens of all the cities, towns and
business localities have been equally
taxed in their property and persons, a
license or privilege tax is, III addition
thereto, demanded of them before they
can prosecute any business enterprise,
viz after paying their tax according
to the fundamental law, they then
have to pay another before they are
authorized to earn their meat and
bread This latter tax is uncOnstitn-
tional and therefore unlawful and
shameful and 10 make the inequality
more palpable those engaged in agri
culture and other field and forest en-
ployments are not so taxed. We will
90 with You then, Mr.. Herald, in
abolishing the license system in toto
except in such pursuits as those to
which no visible property is incident,
/. insurance companies, peddlers, haw :
kers, etc.
But we fear the Herald is playiu g
hocus pocus on us; when the Prohibi
tionists threaten the saloon, it becomes
great factor in the prosperity of
the various cities; it holds up the
value of property, increases rents aud
, greatly promotes business puOilc
meetings are even held, as in Natchez
and their destruction declared pub
.. lie calamity but, when securely es-
, tablished, these same advocates claim
q that the revenue derived from them
: should be paid in the city treasury
r because as they have the "curse" the,
, should have also the benefit viz
q 'heads. | win-tails, yOu lose" Well
/ none of these points or arguments arr
we'll taken or can be maintained.
We will now give YOU our opinion
of the saloon and the whisky traffic
f 1t is said by historical statistieians tina
& while the Great Napoleon ruled
I France, eight men were dstroyed ever.
9 hour, and this prompts many ethica
writer's and speakers to denounce
him as wholesale murderer. Twenty
years ago, when our population wa
about fifty millions, critical investi.
cations showed that near or quit
sixty thousand of our population wen
to drunkards' graves, and with sixty
five millions not less than seventy
thousand of our fellow citizens arr
slain by the saloon: just the amount
murdered annually by Napoleon
wars. His wars involved not less
than two hundred millions. Our sa
looms operate on about ODe-tlird o
that number Which is, or was the
} greater system of murder
RESCUE.