The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1896-04-04
Sham Temperance Work.

state Is struggling with the perpleNing
problem as to how to advance the cause
of temperance, and at the same time
keep the saloons going, and TO this
knotty problem Miller brings the wis
dom born OF politicians study of the
question.
He admits on the start that the evils
resulting from the use Of alcoholic bev-
crages are universally acknowledged
and that laws for the Suppression or
regulation of the traffic therein, are
greater III number and variety than all
other laws affecting the social life Of
man. SO Tar good 1t would seem that
an evil of such admitted magnitude
should be met by rather Caustic legisla-
ton, and by rather determined efforts
on the part Of the workers III the tenn
peranCe ring and To accomplish results,
make some practical headway in over
coming what is 80 frankly admitted to
be such an universal curse. This CON
clusion must be the outcome of think
ing of it, and that is exactly the reason
why when such profcssed temperance
worker as Mr.. Warner Miller takes up
his pen to tell US how to strike an e.
feCtive blow at the monster, we prick
up our ears to listen. Having be ore
him az a text, an evil of the greatest
magnitude, with what statesman like
confidence does he proceed TO show US
what is the best course to pursue to de-
stroy it. lie says:
First Prohibition has been tried
and proved a failure" This is a lie of
the first magnitude, for prohibition has
rot been failure wherever it has been
honestly and fairly tried But admit
ting that it has so far proved Inadequate
to cope with the evil, as successfully as
could be desired, what a burlcsque on
such warfare is the plan suggested by
Mr.. Miller.
The first question that presents it
self" he says, lis " hat form Of license
viii minimize the evils of the trade"
This is not only a first question" but
indeed 1t Is 4 very pulling question to
determine Just how an evil can be IL
censcd or permitted to 90 its work and
still not be permitted to do it. The ac-
robat feat OF riding two horses with a
leg OF the rider upon each, the horses
going III opposite directions, has ALWAYS
been difficult one, and we dOuot mar
sci ut Mr.. Millers perpIexity as he uu-
dertakes it. / is irving 10 the straddIe
to Say the least, and the form OF Ii
censc' that shall let liquor loose, and
yet restrain IT, is a form that has not as
yet been matcriaiiztd by the wisdom of
statesmen.
Secondly" he says, when we get the
proper form to such license, "how can
such a license be most ciirctuallv en-
forced without trespaesing on the rights
OF the individual citizcn4?; Having
propoundcd this knottv question he
tallS to answer it, but we would suggest
that probably If the police officers who
may be appointed under his license
law, to enforce it, should happen to be,
as has been often the case when pro-
hlbitory law was sought to be enforced,
IN open revolt against the law, it is
more than probable that the ''individ-
ual citizen" would do as he pleased and
this so called 'propcr form of license"
would thus become 4 failure.
Thirdly, he says, what fee will
best advance the end sought lessening
the evils of the business and at the
samo time hrinrin9 tho LARGEST possible
returns to the state And here the
high moral of THIS whole proceeding
crops out. The greatest possible re-
turns 10 the state Here Is Il noted
christian gentleman, ostensibly striy-
ing 10 crush out an evil of the greatest
magnitude, by devisIng plan that shall
permit 1t To live upon condition that it's
life shall afford great profit 10 the state,
Think oft sObcrly. Lessc ming the evils
OF the business, and at the same time
snlarging the returns from it To the
public treasury
Let us see how he proposes to lessen
the evils of the business. lie would
make the proper form of license" so
high las To reduce the number of sa-
looms one-half" Now this would be
capital if such reduction meant the dim
mutton of liquor gallons sold. Mr. Mil
Ter does not expect that. Nay, more,
he knows that in every state where
mGh-hcense prevails there is INST as
many gallons of liquor sold az there was
ever sold under low license or no IL
,'ense. The licensed saloons no matter
how much they pay for the privilege of
selling liquor, sell all that is wanted.
They supply the demand and the only
advantage the state derives from the
mgh-Hcensc practice is that its share of
the saloon receipts increases largely lts
revenues. But Mr. Miller argues bv fix
Ing high-llccnSe the olives" will be
destroyed. as the license fee would be
80 large they could not pay it. one of
the greatest ah-urditius in the discus
sion OF the evils resulting from the Ii
quOr traffic Is this lamentation over the
so-Called dive. 1t, the dive is the
last station on the HqrIur road Ia de-
struction. Nobody hecins win tho
dive. There is where the poor devil
going to ruin ends Ifeyrrv Nv, -
New York WAS pcrmittrd Ia I'M, rrog
and every so-clIlrd decent s,I,nn 49,
closed. the dives wo1Ij .a"n Ln '.,,t
OF business. The customers Of the
dives are supplied from above. They
come from what Mr.. Miller calls in ~.
article. "rrspon-ible and rrsrcrtaIIa
places. and the, ~nrcst ,Jrrh ON tho
dives" would he the CLOSING mn If Tho
respectable hell-hole5 that can Iffor,i ~
pay the licenses fixed .by law n, r,,t-
Ter how hi-h. Criminal. ror,,,r.,,t,. ~,
more in the ictII affuoSphnra IF ,
dive" than they do in tho moro ~.
caut apartments Of Sulnt. noted wn1l,Lv
high-llrcnsad saloons
IiLn otbnr ....;.r 1.....,
are pra,IeI anil ~, ,,,.., I,,,i .''' ~,
ahsnr,Iiti,s il M i,I.,, 80. ~, - az
Erens,, 81 NOR tbat -, ~, '' 80
.,wner- .o,,ij mat ~. ~, Il ~.