Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1894-05-31
THE LIQUOR PROBLEM.
AN ANSWER TO "WHAT To Do WITH The
SALOON"
SECOND ARTICLE.

In my first article | showed that the
Goihenburg system covered into the mn
nicipal treasury the same revenue-the
same share of the profits from liquor
selling-that the license system does.
If the latter is to be condemned for this.
so should the former; and if THIS reve.
nue. debauches the public conscience in
the one case, so it will in the other.
The writer of the article am answer.
ing will probably not controvert this.
although he failed to show that the Goth
enburg system which be sdvocatsd, is
open to this objection. OF high license,
however, he does say IN his first para
graph: ION the one hand it decreases
the number of saloons, makes them
more respectable. and brings them more
easily under police surveillance leach
of which three statements we should
squarely controvelt, were that the pur-
pose OF our articles); 'but, on the other
hand. the large booty which is covered
into the public treasury, silences and
makes callous the public conscience, and
the element OF responsibility brings The
temptation into closer touch with the bet
ter classes of society and imperilS the
the very strength of the nation"
This is true but terrible arraign
ment of the license system, and these
conditions increase with the increase of
public debauchery, whether il is in the
form of high license, or whether is ad-
ded by the profits on liquor sales without
taxing property, free libraries, hospitals,
industrial schools, amusement halls, pub
lie improvements, etc, as is proposed By
the Gothenburg system. Which think
you, candid reader, will callous and ST.
lence public conscience most, the license
fee, as with us to-day, (even though 1t
is raised To $1,000. as in corrupt Omaha
where $50 sa'oons pay this fee) or
where, in addition, is added some or all
of the above pubic enterprises And
when will that calloused public con-
science be aroused the quickest and with
the most energy, where the saloon in its
most revolving way is turning out its
natural product without disguise. or
where the accustomed traffic is con
duct d with kid glove, cut-glass, corpo-
rate responsibility, by the ''dear PEG.
ple'' themselves? Under which system
are the poisoned roots of this upas tree
most secure; under which win they
grow the strongest?
have no sympathy with or re-
spect for that goody sentiment ility that
would like to whip the devil, but believe
they can do it best by dressing him up
in the latest fashion that cultured com
promise has invented, and then put him
into well-fortified, clean, respectable
quarters built by public corporations.
The history of the world shows that ma
tions are IN greatest danger from pol
ished vice. line polished Breckinridges
of the nation pollnte and undermine So
cietY many times more than notorious
blacklegs. Our boys shun the latter,
but we know not where they will meet
or when they may be contaminated by
the former. So is it as between the low
dive on the. one hand and the cut-glass
saloon or the Gothenburg tippling-
house on the other. History shows that
the purpose and fruit OF the latter is
polished vice corruption in high
places.
The Gothenburg system is too young
yet TO allow the average man time to
measure its baleful influences upon the
| "better classes. Time will disclose its
mockery, as it has that Of high-license.
La proportion as the former makes the
liquor traffic more respectable, in that
proportion viii it take more time to dis.
close its base deception. Such is the
universal history of compromise with
evil, whether by individuals or by soci-