Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1894-05-17
The LIQUOR PROBLEM.
Az ANSWER TO, WHAT TO DO WITH
THE sALooN?"
ARTICLE /.


series {! SIX arIIcles on the question,
..What to do with the Saloon. Hay
ing had the pleasure OF reading these
articles, and believing that tueY came
tar short of either satisfactory, logi-
cal. or d legal answer to The question
pronounced, ask perm ssiOn to occupy
space IN the Herald Tor few issues.
under the title OF = The Liquor Problem
that | may reach the same classes OF
readers wno, / doubt not, have been
interested in the six articles. l may
not be able = say any thug new, bui
trust may call attention 10 some weak
points in the argument referred to.
regret to say that long siege oil
the grip has maue 1t impossible for
me to prepare my thoughts for publica
tion, sooner. Even now | am unable
TO do Justice to this important question.
| have not the pleasure OF an ac-
ouaintance with the writer OF said arti-
cies, but 1 gm confident that he mas
given the public his best thoughts with
strong desire TO do good and bless
our great commonwealth; and | shall
endeavor to write in the same spirit.
II shall seem to forget myself at any
time, it will be becauss Of the intensity
Of my feelings-the enthusiasm have
for noble cause.
The writer referred TO, began by say
ing that ..three methods OF dealing
with the rum question" have been used;
On High license (2)Local option; and
(3) Prohibition. AS hu proceeds, he
reaches the The GothenbGrg system"
and treats it as "a new method, separate
from any one of The above three,
when il is 10 reality only another form
of the old ''iicense system, "and not
even reaching the strength and dignity
of ..local option" both of which sys-
TENS our friend attacks as useless or
inadequate, at the outset Of his work.
In treating the Gothenburg system as
new and distinct from license, the writer
did what all OF It's advocates do, and
thereby mislead the uniformed readers.
[ make bold to say that the tower of
strength" of the G tIenburg system is
it's he nse fees. Were it moi for the
thousands of dollars which the compan-
les pay into the municipal treasures for
the purchase OF the identical privileges
LuHL UllfAtt AGQAtAo lOl R6iA ANA
nearly every city in Norway and Sweden
would today have prohibition pure and
simple, ana well enforced, as so large a
portion of each of said countries has
in the smaller places and rural reg
ion. will give figures later, showings
comparative territory of the several
systems in Scandinavia.
La not one OF his six articles does our
friend refer 10 the enormous license fees
paid by the companies. He does not
tell, what is fact, that, IN determining
how much the company in a place must
pay fof the monopoly. the basis is ret
the number of licensed companies that
will operate, not the number of places
that the company will open for liquor
selling, but the estimated number of
private licenses that would undoubtedly
be granted if the public monopoly sys-
tenn were not in vogue. TO illustrate:
II there would be one hundred private
dealers. then the company must pur-
chase that number of permits, though it
may not wsnt TO open ten dispensares.
My earnest friend, like all Gothen-
burg advocates that have read, builds
on one foundation -thcremoyal of
the profit feature. He ssys there are
two factors TO be reckoned with, in deal
ing with the saloon-greed and indul-
gence. He does not point ont that
there are two parties to this greed-the
men who sell and the public that de-
mands large share of the greed money
and that in the Gothenburg system
only the first party is counted out, while
prohibit on counts out both The lion
appetite of debauched public con-
science still demands its sbloody ran
SOM in Scandinavia under the Gothen-
burg system. With the basest hypoc
risy, it declares in one breath that it
cannot allow private dealers to earn
living by robbing the dear working men
aud unfortunates, and in the next breath
it whispers parenthetically to the devil.
But we must have our revenue; enough
men may be robbed, and wives and
children impoverished, to give us that.
You may 90 so far, you black old tiend,
but, as Christians, we can't let you go
farther Beyond this point. righteous
public opinion calls halt, and greed is
wrong.
| would not misquote the writer of
tn SO articles | believe be is not in
favor of the revenue part of the Goth
enbnrg system. for, in his second article
he says that the profits 'should not be
returned SO as to reduce taxation.
Here again, he miscouceives the Goth
unburg system. for he SAYS tnecompany
if organized here, will take OUT only
one license unless ''the council must
dispose Of more La the latter case
he suggests that the company turn INFO
the ei.y treasury enough of tie profits
to equal the other licenses. My cFiti-
cism on this is, that that is just what
the Gothenburg system is doing. and
Just what our private dtaers under
license are doing turning over a share
Of the profits 10 the CITY treasury. With
out the pandering to this public greed,
maintain that the Gothenburg system
cannot DO as easily adopted as a clean
cut prohibition.
The Gothenburg system differs from
high-license chiefly in taking off the
Iatter's filthy garments. painting the