The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-08-04
A SUGGESTION or -BLIND TIGERS.
The Difference Between L. = and
state Liquor Licenses in Chatham.

The Difference Between L. ;. and
state Liquor Licenses in Chatham.
Motive. prohibition paper published
in Atlanta, gives in its last issue tabu-
lated statement OF the state and internal
revenue liquor licenses for every county
In Georgia. To Chatham II assigned the
sale OF f03 internal revenue licenses for
the fiscal year ending June %. ISL. and
the registration Of - liquor dealers with
the ordinary subject 20 the state tax Of
800
Motive infsrs from the difference
In these figures. D3 revenue licenses and
20 state licenses, that there must be
either a great many blind tigers in Sa-
vannah and Chatham county, or that the
officials are extremely lax In the admin
istratiOn Of their duties.
Morning News reporter saw Mr.. H.
r. Wilson. deputy collector OF internal
revenue. HIS list Of registered dealers
showed the Motives number TO be cor
rect. But, while there are 4O3 dealers who
have paid the United States tax,
some Of them have not paid the
state tax because the same restrictions
and rules do not hold in its imposition.
The Internal revenue laws, for instance,
require tax Of varying amounts from
any individual or company for each
branch OF the trade engaged in, while the
state law, on the contrary, does
not demand that separate licenses
be obtained II a wholesale house sells
at retail or rectihes, revenue license
must be held for each branch, together
with that for the wholesale business. One
state license, though, will enttle the
holder to carry on a general liquor bust
| ness This fact calls for at least eighteen
| United States stamps that do not have
their equivalents on the state list.
All drug stores that sell alcoholie
! drinks must do so under the license Of
| the United States, but this requirement
| does not exist In the liquor law of the
state. There are nine drug stores in Sa-
vannah that sell alcoholic compounds.
The clubs that sell spurious liquors 60
30 under government license but do not
/ hold state licenses These clubs number
| fifteen. To these eighteen nine and hf-
/ teen places, perhaps ten may be added
/ that sell malt liquors or wines under tho
| revenue license that do not come within
! the scope of the state law. Thus fifty
/ TWO or the difference of 1874 can be &C.
| counted for. The number, 269, was taken
| from the ordinary's list up to June 20
| During the following ten days six addl-
| tional registrations were made, so the fir
! ty-two is increased to fifty-eght.
From these figures 1t follows that of the
4O3 United states liquor licenses that have
! been sold for Chatham county, seventy,
six have had no equivalent purchases OF
the state licenses
The inference that Motives table sug-
| gests Is that these seventy-six dealers
must be doing Legitimate liquor bust
ness. There are, perhaps, some of these
| that are selling without the state license,
but II is hardly probable that as many as
seventy-six, or nearly one-ffth of the
whole number, are conducting their bust
ness in direct opposition to the law. II
Is likely that many who procured the rev.
enue licenses toward the close OF the rs
cal year have not yet registered, though
/ fully intending TO do so. Then cases
sometimes occur where a government
license has been secured and the owner
afterward decides that he will not enter
! the business.
The state tax being $100, and the internal
| revenue only SIS for retail places, 1t fol-
| lows that a liquor dealer will buy the
cheaper license and. If he is a man of
| such a character, seek to eVade the pay
ment OF the more costly license. The gov
/ ernment is 50 strict in the enforcement
/ Of its law and the apprehension Of viola
| lions that additional incentive is given to
| liquor men to decrease the chances of
| being caught by paying the sum that
! frees them from its interference. Then
| the chances are reduced one-third, or it
remains the work of the state and city
to apprehend cases of license violation.