Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1898-12-09
TEMPERANCE COLUMN
THE ADDISON COUNTY |. o. G. IT'S
OFFICIAL COLUMN.
Failure of High License to Lessen the
Sale on Alcoholic Drinks.

Sale on Alcoholic Drinks.
This would naturally be concluded
from official figures in previous article,
showing that crime and drunkenness
continue under high license about the
same as under low license and very much
in excess of what is found under prohi-
bitlon. But facts are good for the head,
especially facts about this matter, and
they should be allowed to pursuade the
heart. SO will bring in more testimony
with deals especially with the consump-
ton of Intoxicating liquors.
Generally speaking, the United States
at present is either high license or pro-
hibition. There is comparatively little
low license territory, as high license
laws have largely taken the place of for
mer low-lcense laws. These license
laws have up-to-date restrictive meas
uresn and the latest designs for "regu-
lating the evil" As a rule,they prohibit
sales of liquor to minors, to drunkards,
to intoxicated persons, on election days,
holidays, etc. These regulating ar
rangements are especially recommended
| by liquor men. No class seem more in
favor of doing away with the abuse OF
the traffic and of promoting temperance
and good order. In March 3, 1890, VIM. f.
johnson, of Lincoln. Neb,, wrote to Harry
=. Cromell of Philadelphia, Pa, for advice
about managing an auti-prohibitiOn cam
paign in Nebraska. CrOmell was the
manager of the anti-prohibtion fight in
| Pennsylvania, which resulted in the
enactment of the Brooks High License
| law in 81. Cromell wrote johnson
under date of March S, 90, thus:
Favor the passage of a High License
| bill with as many restrictions as
possible, to make the vendor live up to
the law, or lose his license; also, large
penalty and Imprisonment for violation,
and never be allowed a license in the
state again. That will get you, as it did
us, the support of the best people.
preachers, and politicians" The high
license laws are sugar-coated by restric-
/ tive and prohibitive clauses because they
sound so we'll to gentle ears and secure
righteous smiles for the law: but I'm
practice they amount to nothing by way
of restriction as shown by experience, so
that their sound is not dispeasng to the
| liquor men. Such laws rally the church
vote and the liquor vote into one great
army of voters, and help keep up the
fraternity and fellowship between the
church and the saloon.
1t is a recognized principle of practice
that if a calf has rope enough he will
hang himself. That principle works
we'll with the liquor apologists. For
wears it has been a stock claim of theirs
81. = -,
states than In license states. That is the
calf caperng Now for the hanging.
The Brewers journal of New York,
Chicago and London is the official organ
of the United States Brewers assoca-
ton, the Ale Brewers association, and
Masters association. In its issue of
Jan. l, 81, it published, as supplement,
tables compiled for the paper, showing
the sales of beer in each state in the
union for ten years, ending with June
30, '96, and the sales of beer in the
leading cities of the union for the same
period of time. The increase for the
ten years was from 20, 2S9, 029 barrels in
Sc to 30 ,S26 ,093 barrels in '96. The net
increase for the revenue year of '9G over
the year '95 was 1856, 1872 barrels.
Behold the restrictions of high license
laws! But in the year ending June 30,
'9G, the sales of beer in prohibition
Kansas were G,O39 barrels, while the
sales for the same year in high license
Nebraska were l6l, 3l7 barrels. and yet
Nebraska had about 100000 less pOpula-
ton than Kansas. Now the calf is
hanged. But, while the increase of sales
Of In, no 70
'9G over %, the sales in the prohibition
states fall off 36S barrels. Now the calf
is hanged again. But the names of
Maine and Vermont do not appear in
/, these tables, showing that the statisti-
clan did not discover any sales in these
states, or not enough to use space for
recording. The great increase of sales
} of beer in '9G over '95 was found to be in
: - of the leading cities of the country ;
these gave over 9S per cent of the total
, Increase. Yet all these cities are high
license cities, with the exception of two,
Milwaukee and Louisville, and their
liquor laws contain all the latest de-
signs for restriction" and all the up-to-
date arrangements for regulating" the
evil. Now the calf is hanged again.
d. After the Brook : law OF pennsylvania,
one of the best of high license laws, had
been in force for about three years,
, Harry p. Cromell of Philadelphia, the
3 man who conducted the campaign for
; the liquor men which resulted in the
! passing of that law, confessed to Col.
1 r. S. Cheves of New York that the sale
and consumption's of liquor had in
! creased in Philadelphia under the law
. and that the sale of beer Increased 20 per
q cent. the past year. According to the
supplement of the Brewers Journal
> issued Jan. l, 81, 447,l0G more barrels OF
t beer were sold in Pennsylvania in '9C
q than in '9j, and the increase in Phila-
delphia for that year was l77.G3C
|, barrels.
5 According to the report of the internal
Il no nI