The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-10
STRINGENT LIQUOR LAWS
THE LAND OF THE VINE FURNISHES
POINTS FOR PROHIBITIoNIsTs.
Unique License Laws-Temperance
Experiments in CaIifornia-Hovv
Some Saloons Are Regulated.

for the regulation of saloons and bar
rooms. The Temperance League Of Great
Britain has sent to southern California
this season a committee of five solely to
study the success of the measures devised
in this region for temperance purposes.
There is wide ocean of difference in tenn
perance sentiment in northern or central
California-the land of Bret Harte's stories
and the free and easy mining ways-and
southern California. The difference has
been caused by the immigration of thou
sands of New Englanders and Iowa people
into the southern part of the State in the
last two decades The newcomers have
brought with them stanch ideas concern
ing temperance reform and religion, and
the old-time Californian of song and story,
with his vineyard and winepress, has fast
become the minority in this region. In Po-
mona valley. for instance, where New
Englanders predominant, but one small
winery remains. All the other wineries Of
ten years ago have gone out of business.
In the San Gabriel valley. where the i'm
migration of Iowa and Maine people has
been heavy, less than one-fifteenth the area
of vineyards of ten years ago remains.
Hundreds of acres formerly devoted to the
growing of wine grapes are now occupied
Yankees and IoWanS.
The growth of temperance sentiment in
southern California in the past few years
is marvellous, and to-day, outside of Los
Angeles, all local elections have prohibition
ana hlgn license as their sole issues. There
are no party lines between Republicans,
Democrats or Populists, and voters who
have been arrayed against one another in
the fall or general elections join hands and
array themselves against former allies on
the question of issuing saloon licenses for
large sum or of having total prohibition
of the local liquor business. Some of the
local campaigns are very heated and warm
the communities much more than general
political ones. AT the last local election in
Pomona the high license party won after
lively campaign Of four weeks The city
had been strict prohibition town for two
years. The law now in force here is, prob
ably, the most curious in the world. Mat
thew Dunkley, president of the great Tenn
perance League of Great Britain, says it
is remarkable law and worthy of study.
1t is known on the Pacific coast as the
Pomona saloon law. In its preparation the
ideas Of dozens of eminent leaders in tenn
perance work were considered. The pur-
pose was to provide drinking place, pure
and simple. for men who must drink; to
put those places under the most strict sur
veillance and, at the same time, to keep
women's and childrens livelihoods from go
ing over the bar.
POMONA's LAW.
The Pomona saloon law provides that
there may be put two drinking places
here-a community Of over six thousand
population. The keeper of each of the
drinking places must pay a license Of $500
semi-annualy in advance and give APP
proved bonds to the amount of $500 that he
will obey the provisions OF the law under
which he runs his barroom or saloon. The
saloon keeper may hire one bartender, but
only with the consent of the city council
men, who shall inquire into the character
and responsibility of the bartender. The
saloon or barroOm must be principal
thoroughfare of the city. 1t must be on the
first or ground floor, and it's front must be
one-half of plain glass and flush with the
SIDEWALK NO frosted, painted or stained
glass may be used in the windows and
doors, and there must be no screens what
ever: The view from the street to the bar
must always be free and unobStructed, so
that a person on the street may at any
time see who are within the saloon.
Then. also, there can be no rear or side
doors to the saloon; no cellar basement,
no adjunct wing, side room or alcoVe. The
saloon or barroom must be a single rec
tangular or square apartment. There must
be no allurementS there other than drink
itself. To that end there may be but one
seat, bench or chair in the saloon. That
must be behind the bar and for the sole
use of the saloon keeper or bartender. Bar
rels or casks must be separated from. the
room by railing so that they may not
furnish seats or leaning conveniences for
patrons of the saloon No pictures, adj
vertiSementS or show cards may be on the
walls, and nothing to eat may be served,
.
ers or pretzels. All games are strictly pro-
hibitedi in the saloons, and newspapers.
periodicals or books are tabooed along with
any table or shelf upon which they might
be placed. In word the Pomona barroom
or saloon is simply a drinking plS ce, sur
The Women an a rn ebdre1 %bo are
prived by the saloon of money that should
come to them for their support are given
selves from the saloon. A section in the
ordinance provides that any female over
eighteen years of age, who has reason to
believe that her husband son. father or
brother is spending his money at a saloon
in Pomona may make an affidavit to that
effect before the city clerk, who shall i'm
mediately issue an official order to each of
the two saloon keepers not to sell or give
the man complained of any malt or spritu-
Gus liquors under pain of revocation of the
license and forfeiture of $1,000 Of the bonds
This order is taken by the city marshal to
the saloons and posted in a conspicuous
place at the rear of the bar, so that any
who have been interdicted from drinking
at that bar. Should any mother or wife
wish to know whether the prescribed man is
drinking in the saloon all she has to do
Is to look in at the window at any time
There being no screens, back or side door,
and no basement or annex, this point may
be readily settled.
SALOON KEEPERS LIABILITIES.
The saloon keeper is liable to forfeit all
his bonds and license if any minor, Indian
lunatic, idiot or female is sold or given any
liquors in the saloon or within one hundred
feet of the apartment. The saloon may be
open six days in the week, from a. m. to
IL p. m. There must be no signs displayed
outside or about the saloon to tell the ma
ture of the business conducted within.
A great many people who read this will
wonder how any body of men can expect
that a license for the sale of malt and
sprituous liquors can ever be, taken out
under such drastic provisions. But there
" ere seventeen men in Los Angeles and
Pomona, who not only asked for one of the
two licenses. but they worked schemes and
councilmen to grant them a saloon license.
Two applicants for license We're chosen in
the last week OF. May, and the saloons
operating under the unique lay have been
success.
Redlands, beautiful suburban town that
has grown to a population of 4,500 In ten
years has also, been experimenting with
local high-license and prohibition laws
The population there is largely composed of
Massachusetts and New York people, who
have come to Southern California with am
pie means to build pretty homes and live
among their orange groves the rest of their
lives The saloon to them is about the
most abominable thing on earth. During
the greater part of the last decade Red
lands has been a strict prohibition COM
munity Violations of the law against sell
ing intoxcants of any kind there were pun
ished. for each offense, by fines of $50 and
and sixty days. local temperance society
there provided funds for detectives and
spies to hunt out the offenders of the pro-
hibition law and get evidence for cases
the citizens of Redlands who favor high
license carried the city election. The town
then had one saloon, licensed at $1,000 a
year--Dayable semi-annualiy in advance
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