Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1900-04-20
The Local Option Question Views
and Interviews

Mr.. Editor Last week / published al
article showing some Of the evils inciden
, to the operation of the present local option
: law in Montgomery county. Since then
have talked with several prominent citizen
on the subject. The positions assumed by
, some OF them have such direct bearing upoI
what has already been said that it may b.
of public interest TO have them stated.
A wealthy and public spirited gentleman
said, that at present he was opposed to any
change in the law, that the material progress
OF the county for the past twenty years had
been marvellous, and he was inclined To
think that the local option law had some
thing to do with IL; that in his particular
section there were no places where liquors
are sold, but he feared there would be one
or more saloons there If any kind of license
system should be adopted that as to court
expenses he thought there could be no re.
duction under license law, for the reason
that under such system other crimes would
greatly increase, in the prosecution OF which
the court expenses would be made as great
as at present. He admitted that he and
many other citizens of his community kept
whiskey by the gallon and hard cider by
the barrel, that large proportion of the
people drink either occasionally or habitu
ally; that most Of them patronized un-
licensed places at one time or another; that
as tor himself he had never paid for drinks
In such place but once, and in that case
the transaction was brought about under
embarrassing circumstances over which he
had no control that on another occasion
he was present in such place, where peo-
pie were drinking before a magnificently
equipped bar, but that he purposely turned
I h ha.a IL ~ los
the drinks so that he would not be able TO
testify against the party II he should be
called as a witness before the grand jury.
Several questions are presented 10 this in.
terview which should receive careful con.
sideration 10 the ultimate settlement of this
question. That the county has nude rapid
material progress in the last twenty years
no one will deny. Is il due 10 any way to
the local option law, and II so, to what ex-
tent A glance at the published list OF places
which have U. s. Internal Revenue licenses
in the county and the known location of
saloons along the county line, but situated
outside OF its limits would indicate that no
one would have to travel many miles to get
all the whiskey he wanted, even If his Jug
should run dry and the last barrel of hard
cider should become empty. How then has
the progress OF the county been greatly
facilitated by the local option law
Has not this material progress been due
to the class OF fertilizers, improved machin-
cry and methods oil farming, taken in con-
nectiOn with proximity to the great markets,
&c And has not the progress ui the county
been actually retarded by our high tax rate,
caused BY expenses incident to tue abortive
| efforts made to enforce the local option law +,
together with the loss OF high license fees,
| which the county is entitled To have II in.
| tOxicauts are to be sold, and which could
go directly into the county treasury and re-
duce the amount ui the annual leVyp IL is
admitted that under u high license law there
| would be lever places Tor the sale OF liquor
| aud that its sale could be better restricted
than at present How then would more
crime result than under the present lawp
There are other communities in the county
such rs the one above referred to in which
| there Is no place where intuxicants are now
sold Is not this condition due directly To
| the strong public sentiment on the subject
in those communities, and could not the
same sentiment control the action OF a Liquor
License Board, such as was provided for in
the bill introduced in the legislature, and
thus prevent the establishment OF licensed
places in such location, even though ma
| iority of the votes of the districts 10 which
| such locations are situated should be in favor
| OF the license systemp
,,ons b~ Inc neonia WIN orr. mos, interested
IN ,ha yoiCs,e ot ,ha conntv Other conn.
,ias in This and other states have had laws
| e;s,,;i"r 10 ,ha ono u,a nnw have and after.
wards substituted therefor either hotel
license or high license system, with rigid
restrictions. What have been the compare
tive resutsH Let Us have the statistics to
10 oI.iod ,,,, nooior;,v oF the neonle
10 o,a ,,' 40 ~, desirs m retnrn IN
oanarai U ,o., licanse svs1em, n that ia the
g. s,,oh a ,oa,nra n, snv nrnnoaed measure
,,i',h, ;,,,, as wsii he s,rjcken mi AT once.
| ~ ir 'aI;mina,ina mat Ceature Wa should
| oir,,Iir,, ,na,,aro he oIan Iaavin0 ont of the
d,scnssion ali reierenc, m evils which are
well known IN result onlv from the opera.
,;nn of n general low license law. and which
have been and easily can be obyiated by a
| high license or hotel license system.
The gentleman above mentioned admits
that on one occasion under peculiar circum.
stances be did purchase Intoxicants at an
| unlicensed place, and that at another time
| he was 10 such place and turned bis back
| TO keep IRON seeing Others pay for drinks,
| rs he did not want TO 90 before the grand
| Jury. Do not these circumstances prove
that, Notwithstanding his strong views upon
the subject, the demoralzing evils incident
TO the operation OF the present law have AT.
fected hlmY Why was not the man who
| illegally sold him drinks prosecuted Why
did he turn his back to keep from seeing the
payment for drlnks2 He would not have
pursued the same course ii other offences
against our laws, such as theft, arson, &c,
had been committed 10 his presence. How
then can The difference be expainedH II II
| man OF his position and views pursues such
a course how can we expect TO see the law
a success II our system is such as W cause
nearly every man who knows, or Is 10 posi-
ton 10 know, Ol the violations OF the law
TO keep that information to himself, how can
the people who have no information on the
subject secure indictments and CONNECTIONS
or in any manner enforce the lawt Is thefe
not something radically wrong With u sys'
TEN which produces such results