Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-12-27
DRUGGISTS DON'T WANT LICENSE
ir WOULD rrnN ALL THEIR PLACES
INTO SALOONS.
An Effort WIN Probably he Made TO
Have the Law Amended So N. to
Give Reiief From What Is Consid-
cred n Very Great Hardship

relation to the sale Of liquor by drug
I gists has attracted general attention
I and has been made the subject of an In
teresting and rather complicated dis
| cussion by the druggists and some OF
their customers.
The authoritative opinion that the
druggists will be required under the
law 70 take out retail liquor license
for selling liquor on the prescription OF
physicians has caused such agitation
In fuct that 1t Is likely an effort Will
be made at the opening of the APP
preaching session oil the legislature TO
have tine law 30 Amended as 10 relieve
tho druggists OF what they consider
very severe hardship.
Three OF the leaoins druggists of
the city were seen yesterday. ana talk
ing separately, agreed so remarkaoiy
in their general statement OF tue case
as to leave no doupt OF thc hardships
which are likely 10 be entailed II the
law should be enforced strictly in nc
cOrdance with the INSTRUCTIONS OF the
encouragement.
Ihey say that the feeling Is univer-
sal among drug slsts that great lnJus-
tice wound be aOue them and their GUS
toners put to considerable inconve-
nience.
As one of these gentlemen puts 1t,
the effect Of the enforcement of the
law us it seems to be proposed would
be to turn the drug stuies Into bd-
looms. The amount OF the license he
says is $40 and as Il business propo-
sition he says that II is apparent at
first glance that the drug store would
have to sell enough wnisiSy for the
profits to cover this sum, which IT
Is evident would be a great deal of
whisky and Introduce a very stroug
competition with the saloons when
they do not feel at present. Now, he
says, when a man goes To q drug store
for whisky 1t Is, eXcep. in Jew cases,
when he really wants 1t for medical
purposes aud expects to get II better
article On the drug store than lie
would In a saloon. II the drug stores
should take out liquor dealers IL
cense everybody would run to the drug
atore for whisky and some of them
would want to drink 1t In the house
and there would be no law to prevent
it. Tho only way the druggist would
prevent them from doing so would be
To prohibit Thorn on his own response
bllity, and this would lead to no end
OF trouble and annoyance. In short,
this gentleman says, as stated, that 1t
would result in turning his drug store
into Il saloon. and he does not pro-
pose TO have that done in any case, and
intlmatcs rather strongly that he Will
see to II that something is done to
have the law amended, though he says
that such movement should be In
augurated by the State Pharmaceutical
Association. and he does not wish 10
appear as the originator of the idea
and the prime agitator of the mo, e
ment. and therefore asks that his name
be not published in connection with
the above statements. though he gives
them freely and Is confident that they
voice the sentiments of great many
other druggists. In parting he men
toned an instance which just occurred
and which presents another aspect OF
the case. which. under the circum-
stances, IS rather an interesting one.
An old man had come In from the coun-
try to buy some whisky for his son,
who he said was very sick, on Sunday.
All the saloons where he might get the
whisky on other days We're closed up
and the drug store was the only place
he could 90 to get It. Now" said
the druggist, there was n very hard
case TO decide, but / finally deter
mined not to let him have the whisky,
though I felt that he ought to have IT,
man would not have Il. good cause of
action against me in case his son
should suffer n relapse on account OF
not getting the medicine which had
been prescribed for him by physi-
clan, for | am licensed druggist and
it Is my business to fill prescriptions,
though in doing so l do not propose In
any way to lower the standard of my
profession or engage In any way in the
whlsky-sellinE business i"
Both the other drugElsts interviewed
agreed with the remarks of the gem
tleman quoted and enlarged upon other
points also referred to by him but not
stated above.
All three unite in saying that IL
would be impossible to conduct the
business of drug store without cell
ing alcohol, the use of which seems 10
be forbidden according to this recent
construction Of the law. II is pointed
out that alcohol is used in about nil
me tlnctures which a druggist keeps
IN Stock, and that there IL nothing
which will take It's place. They dwell
upon the Inconsistency OF prohibitine,
the use of alcoholic liqu0rs In the pfc-.
paration OF prescriptions required NV
patients when at the same time manv
OF the compounds ia use contain more
or less alcohol and frequently mora
than is required by the prescrintions
Encouragement and tho county attor-
ney the druggists haove been very rlr-
cumspect In the matter OF SELLING. aloo-
hol AS well as liquor of every kind
ney the druggists have been yery cir
alcohol for different necessary ms.
poses now find 1t u very hard thing ia
get at drug store. When man
wants alcohol to burn in an nlcoboI
lamp he must answer some hard o,tns-
tons before he can get II from n dr,,,
store, and evryt time the druggls
fills prescription which contains H.
quor of any kind. he hesitates n erea,
deal with many cogitations as "a Inc
penalty he may incur. whether he re-
fuses or complies, In what apDenrs g.,
him 10 be very doubtful state Of tho
law on tho subject. '"e
The law has been tested with bo,,,
favorable and adverse decisions IN M
district courts and has not yet henn
construed by the court OF nppeaIs
Meanwhile the druggis,s have az
abiding faith in their Pbarn,,roroai
which recognizes alcohol as a ren,sdy
and IN which the profession have bee1
accustomed to repose implicit conai
denec in matters OF dispute
What VIII he tho result of .ha 49,,
trovorsy no ono can undertake ~ LII ..
,nict az present, but certain II IL RAJ
IL is likely to become a very intsrss..iii,A..ee
one before long. sing