The San Francisco call., 1897-02-02
GENERAL LEGISL4TIoN.
Withtngton's BHt 10 Establish a Ne
Retail Liquor SU~ tenn.

Retail Liquor Sy~t tenn.
SACRAMENTO. CAL. Feb. 1.-For the
past four days SenStor Morehouse ha:
been apparently glued to the seat of hi;
desk. Come in at what time one might
there be was bent down over a pile o.
manuscript or documents, or a copy o.
the codes. Sunday brought no exemption
from his self i'm posed and absorbing task
and the outlook is that he will spend al
least another two days.
He is engaged i'll preparing the bill
which is to establish in Santa Clara
| County in the former Home for Fee ble-
minded the female department OF the
Whittier School, which is at present q
| part of the institution il Los Angeles
| County.
All the preliminary work of visiting and
| inspection has now been mpleted, and
the task now remaining is that of prepar-
] ing a bill that shall meet the favor of the
| Governor and also the Los Angeles dele
! cation in each house. This is what Sena-
| tor Morehouse is now engaged upon. The
measure VIII of necessity be a voluminous
one, and must be prepared with great care
and precision, so as TO keep it clear oil all
snags. 1t Will probably contain 10000
words.
The first draft Senator Morehouse ex-
poets to have completed by Tuesday night.
! 1t will then be submitted to the Governor
and the Los Angeles representatives., so
as TO remove all features of possible fric-
| ton in committee or on the floor. He
calculates that it will be in shape Tor in
PRODUCTION Thursday morning.
Ample compensation is being made by
! the Republican Senators for the alleged
sins of the Populist and fusionist injected
Assembly. While the cCngIomerate mi
nority OF Democrats, Popullsts and fu-
sionists in the northern wing of the Capt.
! tol Is raising howl over a state of affairs
which they more or less contributed to
create the Senate, barren of by brids and
| freaks and comprising twenty-eight Re-
| publicans and but twelve Democrats, goes
on with its labors and daily adds to its
! enviable record.
| 1t has previously been told in these
| columns how IL has outstripped all pre-
vious California Senates in the extraordi-
nary amount of business it has disposed
| OF, and 1t Is now 10 the front with an
equally remarkable financial showing.
! Up to the ID OF February in the session
! OF 1895. which answers 60 February l of
this session, the expenses OF The Senate,
aside from the salaries of the Senators
and statutory officers, were $5101 For
the four weeks ending to-day they are but
| $3077-a reduction, as com pared with two
years ago, OF very nearly 40 per cent-and
! the same ratio Is likely to be maintained
! to the end of the Session.
| One OF the most remarkable and inter
esting measures placed before the Sen ate
! for its consideration this s ssion is No. 156,
| introduced by Senator Wilmington, pro-
vlding Tor complete and radical Change
! in the manner OF controlling the retail
| liquor trade, except that portion of il
! which pertains to vinous and m malt liquors.
His proposed innovation is known as
| the Norwegian system" and is in force in
Norway and Sweden. with, it is said, most
beneficial results. Drunkenness has tall
en- off, it is claimed, in those countries to
| but small fraction al part of what it was.
| people get a better class of liquor, and
| there is less disease traceable to the use OF
| liquor. One OF the objections to the meas
ure Is that 1T creates monopoly, limited,
1t is true, but still a monopoly. The meas
ure IS OF sucn an unusual character that
its text is given IN full:
In any city or town which grants licenses
| for the sale OF Intoxicating LIQUORS q petition
signed by qualified voters of any such city or
! town not less in number than one for every
one hundred persons who voted at the next
preceding election in such city or town but
| In no case less than fifty, may be presented 10
| the City Council OF such city or 10 the Trus-
/ tees of such town, asking them 10 insert
| in the call for the next municipal eIec.
! ton or town meeting an article providing
| for vote upon the question, "If licenses for
| the sale OF intoxicating liquors, other than
! light wines and malt liqu are granted In
this city (or town. shall they be granted under
| the Norwegian system?' If said petition is
| duly filed with the bond, as hereinafter pro-
vided, the City Council or Trustees as the
case may be- shall insert such article in said
| call. The vote snail be taken thereon, and the
| result determined in the manner provided by
law for other questions.
Said petition, together with the bond duly
| approved as hereinafter provided, shall be
filed with the City or Town Clerk, as the case
may be, at least ten days before the time fixed
for the issue of the call for the city election
| town meeting.
| The question relating to the Norwegian sys-
tenn shall not be inserted in the call or printed
on the ballot, as provided in section
together with said petition bond to
| said city or town, in the penal sum OF
$1,000 in towns and of $4,000 III cities, exc
| cuted by not less than FIVE citizens OF such
| city or town, approved by Judge of the Su-
| perior Court and conditioned upon the for.
nation within sixty days following said .elec
| ton OF corpora ton to receive the licenses
| which may be granted to IL under the p-ovis-
! ions OF this act, and upon the carrying on
| business under such licenses for at least three
years from said first day OF May, but to be void
| II such city or town shall not vote to gran
licenses under the Norwegian system
In any city or town voting to grant licenses
to sell Intoxicating liquors under the Nor
wegian system every such license shall con-
| tinue in force until three years from said Six
tieth day after. said election, unless sooner
| a.
| be taken in such City or town on the question
of granting licenses for the sale of xicating
| liquors until the third annual election or town
| meeting following the one at which such city
| or town voted to grant such licenses under
| the Norwegian system and in such city or town
wherein corporation is organized to take
| licenses OF the first and second classes, as
| hereinafter defined, no licenses of these two
| classes shall be granted except to such corpo-
| ration, enq such corporation shall apply all
] the profits OF the business above per centum
| on its capital, except as hereinafter provided,
10 the aid OF objects of general public benef
and utility, to be decided upon as hereinafter
! provided. There shall be but one such corpo.
ration doing business within such city OF
| town, and If more than one is formed and ap-
| plies Tor licenses that one shall receive
them which commission composed, in
| cities, OF the Mayor, City Treasurer and the
AUDITOR, in towns, of the Chairman of the
Board OF Trustees, the Town Clerk and Treas
urer snail decide TO be the one which will
! best conduct its business to secure sobriety
and good order conformably to the provisions
| OF this act. Whenever more than one such
corporation applies for licenses, said commits
sion shall De called together by the Mayor or
the Chairman OF the Board of Trustees, as the
case may be; 1t shall hear the claims of all ap-
plicants and shall make its decision between
/ them, which, with the reasons therefore in
writing shall be filed with, the City or Town
CLERK, as the case may be, and be open to pub
| lie inspection.
The bylaws and regulations governing the
business OF the corporation shall conform to
existing law, and in this respect shall be ap-
proved by Judge of the Superior Court of til e
county within which such city or town is
situated before the CORPORATION shall begin lis
business; they shall be conspicuously posted
| In every place where the business OF the cor