St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-03-24
THE IOWA MuLcr Law.

The new liquor law has passed both
houses of the Iowa legislature. and will
become operative as soon as the gov
ernor shall attach his signature. 1t is
largely experimental in its character.
and as 1t is satisfactory neither to the
prohibitionists nor to the liquor inter-
ests it is safe to say that it will be but
temporary.
In some respects the law ls extraor-
dinarily stringent. 1t requires the
consent of majority of the voters for
saloon to obtain license in any CON-
munity-in some cities IS per cent-aud
the license or muIct fee is fixed by the
local authorities, but in no case shalLit
be less than 5000 annually. No saloon
is to be located within 800 feet of
church OR school house. Bars must be
open to view from the street, without
screens. tables or chairs. and must close
at o'clock every evening, the sale of
liquor OH Sundays being absolutely pro-
hibited. The usual restrictions as to
sale of liquor to minors and drunkards
are retained in this measure.
One of the chief objections to the new
law which will be urged by the liquor
interests is the Limitation of the time in
which saloons may be kept open. In
cities comparatively little liquor is drunk
during the day, the evenings, after the
close of business hours, being the time
for conviviality. Few saloons, even in
the large cities, could pay expenses on
the profits of their day trade. Nearly
ut nrl- INnt AH,
hours of in the morning and in the
evening, and only occasionally would
have a chance to take nip" The
opening of the saloons to public view
will have the effect of diminishing
drinking among those who have not be-
come Injured to the habit. but among the
hardened drinkers, or those Indifferent
to public opinion, it would have no effect.
The abolition of chairs and tables will
result in interfering with social con-
VITALITY, and will be especially obnox-
ious to Germans. who love to sit and sip
their beer while discussing topics of
general interest. Germans do not gulp
their beer as the Americans do. They
enjoy its full flavor by slipping it, and,
while an American will swallow half
dozen glasses in the course of half an
hour, the German will be content with
one if it is seasoned with anecdote or
song or enlivened with repartee.
The local option feature of the law
will offend no one seriously. 1t is
generally accepted theory that each
community has a right to self-govern-
ment. A few extremists OH both sides
of the temperance question deny this
right, but the preponderance of senti-
ment is in its favor. 1t has been re-.
peatedly decided by the courts that no
one has right to create a nuisance in
the midst of a community, and saloons
are sometimes held to be nuisances.
Indeed, churches may become such. and
require regulation, aud some of them
undoubtedly are nulSances when til cir
bells are kept ringing at unreasonable
hours. The law, as a whole, will be
satisfactory IN the large cities. It's IND
possible to prevent the traffic in these
places, and dealers in the large towns
alone can afford to pay the large muIct
fee demanded. Some of the provisions
of the law will be wholly diSregarded
in these placeS-those. tor instance,
which prohibit the use of screens or
tables. In the smaller cities which may
decide in favor Of saloons only such
features of the law as may be uno b.
jectiona6le will be enforced.
Like all compromises. the Iowa liquor
law will be of short life. 1t is neither
fish, flesh nor fowl-satisfactory to no
party to the contention. The prohlbi-
tionists regard i: as defeat; the LIQUOR
men regard it as but the entering wedge
to greater freedom. The agitation will be
renewed at the next election. Perhaps
the law will teach the prohibitionists
the folly OF relying upon the promises
of any other party, and especially the
Republican, and induce them hereafter
TO paddle their own canoe.