Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1892-11-10

In answer to the question,
"Would the liquor dealers Of Illi-
nois repeal the high license law if it
were left to them to decide?" it
answers:
No, we would not repeal it, because
thrt would bring about local option or
prohibition sooner.
The Chicago "Freie Presse"( Ger
man liquor) of April 20, 1889, has
the following:
The Chicago Tribune" has advocated
with the determination and zeal which
mark it the cause of local option and
high license since Iowa and Kansas went
Prohibition. To some German Rcpubli-
cans who took exception to this Mr.
Medill explained that the only way in
which the adoption of Prohibition laws
in all the Northwestern States, with the
possible exception of Wisconsin, could be
Murdered was to leave it to localities to
decide whether there would be d license
or mo license" The "Trbune" opposed
Prohibition because it was an attack on
personal liberty, because it did not stop
the sale of spirits and only increased the
evils growing out of the sale of liquor,
as the business was put into the hands
OF persons generally of doubtful charac-
ter. Local option and high license were
the only barriers against the Prohibition
craze, and the good results OF high Ii
cenSe would soon lessen the number Of
those States which had come out against
the granting of licenses. How accurately
Mr.. Medill calculated the effect of high
license on Anglo-Americans, the vote by
which the Prohibition Amendment was
defeated in Massachusetts, shows. 1t
was the great argument of the friends
of personal liberty there that Prohibition
would stop the sale of liquor, while the
license taxes would mot only reduce the
number of saloons, but bring in heavy
income to the community that imposed
them. That took the voters, and Pro-
hibition was beaten by an immense vote.
We believe now that it was owing to the
far-sightedness of Mr.. Medill and the en-
ergetic position of the Tribune" that
Illinois has escaped paper prohibition,
and that the city treasury of Chicago has
received about 50, 600, 900 year from the
saloons. This is sometimes severe on the
saloon keepers, but it is insurance against
prohibition.
Dick Brothers Quincy Brewing
Company, Quincy, ILL.,, illinois
has a $500 hcense) says:
A license not exceeding 5000 per an
mum, granted to parties who have resi-
dence of at least a year in the locality
where such license is granted, and who
sustain good character in the commun-
ity, would be benefit to the retailer and
the trade. We coincide with the
GtVo1I-sbI,tt linanaa
as mentioned above will bar out prohi-
btion. We do not believe that
liquor dealers of our State would be in
favor Of the repeal Of the present license
law. Our experience is that a
mod crate license law, if not encountered
with other prohibitory provisions, will
not lessen the consumption of liquor.
Metz & Bro, brewers, Omaha,
Neb., 81, 200 license) says:
High license has been no injury to our
business. In our State we think it bars
out prohibition. g.. In our opinion,
high license does not lessen the consump-
tion of liquor.
The Anheuser-Busch Brewing
Association, of st. Louis, mis-
souri, has a $500 icense) writes:
In our opinion, it is true that high IL
eense bars out prohibition. We
do not believe that high license lessons
the consumption of liquor or beer.
Now let us see what the political
papers that favor license have to
say about it. The New York
"World," Democratic and anti
fanatic, says:
Many liquor dealers believe that the
principle of high license is in the interest
of the trade. They argue, land with
good reason, that just as much liquor
will be consumed by those who now
drink at saloons which would be dis
continued, while the patronage of the
better class of bar-rooms would be large
ly increased At the same time the prac
tical endorsement of liquor selling by
professed temperance advocates, through
the enactment of a high license law,
would be safeguard to prohibitory leg
islation.
The New York "Tribune," in
pleading with some of the refrac-
tory liquor men who thought that
the Crosby high license law is not
dealing with them justly, said to
them:
Even the liquor interest. if it understood
the things which concern it clearly,
would refrain from fighting this bill.
The New York "Sun" Demo-
cratic and anti-prohibition, in ad-
vocating the Crosby law and urg-
ing the liquor dealers to make no
opposition to it's passage, said:
The liquor dealers should pause and re-
member that prohibition is but an altern-
ative to high license. Defeating the one
will be potent promoter of the other.
The Philadelphia Press" Re-
publican and anti-prohibition,
says:
A few of the liquor men are shrewd
enough to see that the high license bill
will aid them (by making the traffic less
offensive and less harmful in their fight
against prohibition.
The Philadelphia "Times," OPP
posed to prohibition, says:
The liquor interest of this State has it
in its power to postpone prohibition in
definitely by obeying and enforcing the
new license law.
A prominent Republican and
auti-prohibitionist in the Minneso-
ia Legislature, in speaking of the
opposition Of some of the liquor
men to the high license law (which
they objected to, not because it
was a license law, but because they
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