The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-01-26
EXCISE Law EXPERIMENTS,
ATTEMPTS IN VARIOUS STATES
no SOLVE THE PROBLEM.
Prohibition and Iocsi option ~ Answers
10 the Liquor Question Elect OF
Hfsh License The Situation In New
York ELECTROMAGNETIC IN schools.

High License The situation In New
York state Temperance IN schools
1T cannot be denied that political agita-
ton OF tho liquor question Just now Is wide
spread and powerful said a New York
merchant who h Interested In the subject,
after he had glanced over q report OF the
speeches made at a recent dinner. ITS
too bad that the liquor laws cannot be
allowed to rest for a few years at least.
'The subject has been cxperimented
with In almost every conceivable form
and each time that New York experiments
with II newspapers, ministers and poll
ticians pronounce the experiment a failure.
The only law they seem to agree upon
Is the one prohibiting the sale Of liquors to
minors.
ON the one side we have many Of the
churches lined up TO fight against the sale
OF liquor and on the other side we u the
various liquor interests powerfully or
gained. The real trouble seems TO come
from tho Prohibitionists, among whom
there exists a difference Of opinion which
sometimes becomes very acute and even
embittercd, some believing that the only
way to gain prohlbitory laws Ia to educate
tho people up to the point where they be-
come interested In checking the sale OF
liquor. In the hope OF finally inducing the
people TO come out fatfooted for prohi-
bition.
'The other element offers no quarter,
but demands immediate prohibitory laws.
This keeps up the agitation which results
In 30 many experiments with the excise
laws.
In 1880 Kansas voted for prohibition
tho vote being oi.s74 In favor to s+,0s7
against. In 1854 Maine voted for pro-
hibition. the vote being 10000 In favor to
rs 900 against In u numbers. A few
years later Tennessee rejected prohibition
by a vote Of las 900 against 1900.
in 1889 ar attempt was made TO pass
a prohibitory amendment to the Penn
sylvania State Constitution and II failed
by a vote OF two TO one, Almost every
year since some State has rejected a pro-
hibitory amendment to its Constitution.
excepting perhaps the Dakotas. In 1888
Rhode Island accepted one and rejected
II three years later. So much for prohi-
bition.
And there's local option. While many
believe that local option would be a
good thing II introduced In the State Of
New York, there are many who would
rather see any other legislation enacted
for the reason that they say a local option
law would simply keep up the agitation Of
the Question, because OF the frequency
Of New York elections.
'Prohibitionists have no liking for loca
because they say that IL Is posi-
lively injurious TO the cause of temper
ance, e~ntrenching the liquor trade In the
and making people Indifferent TO
what they term the only true remedy
Those who favor local option argue that
II is a measure calculated 20 nave the effect
Of educating and preparing the public
mind to welcome what they consider a
solution Of the problem.
Properly defined local option means
the power 20 close all liquor shops within
a given area by the Inhabitants Massa-
Il ] believe. the only State In
1t has met With any success.
In the South IL has driven the saloons
out Of many OF the rural districts. but IL
met with very little success in the
North. In 1893 Pennsylvania rejected II,
and II IL was submitted 90 the people Of
New York | nave no doubt but New York
would reject II. too.
'Of course II the local option area was
10 be the county. a local option law might
be passed; but ] doubt whether such a
would be accepted by the people n
the local option area was 20 be- the Assembly
district Of a county a. some folks argue
i should be
And az for high ~license, IL il practically
worthless You oaB collect facts and
20 show that high license doe NOT
diminish drinking. and here In New York
II would not and never will diminish
he number Of saloons
Take for instance Plainheld, n J This
own has been repeatedly referred 20 as
rom time 10 time Increasing the cost Of
license o hat is the resulty In
Isss the lioense fee there was $50 and there
we're hut ain saloons la iss. the lioynss
e. ~as s.oo q there were eish, saloons.
In isss the ltoense fes Was $50 and there
.en. a dozen saloons H. ise when the
'es had ToAchsd 500 there were eiShissu
,AloonY and with the increaso ofthel license
right along W md az inorssse ih the
~ saloOns
+ you So thai IN spil. Of the raising
saloons continued And this wAsnt
g. the incfeAs. 81 population sithaf.
.of the population only goroas~d skout
% pr cent ~hils tho lncfeasa la Sf0ons
over 90 30 osi
Anu ~ NANNNN ~ NNN hAN
ala tlss Statistic ~ oins add IauIsrlsm
.Tum ths lAsi osusus AID 80 tie cTllr
lAs u.of.assf in tho pfohibiitun state
u mar. than tho srdlnaTy rate nls
. ale trus "a aii.s slFfs h.sh no"nss
laf $3.50 Ule
49, 80 a. Asv iou sissi mlsli 4.
a. - . Sod eso.=s lsS ~ sun.s
itstss soIld nof H. assIaatlr a. ~ 49,
- hsfs lisn 80 laFu faois latusi auaI
80 u,aH sns otLa ttais NJ The 7 n.ar
~ ns fuad A. FuH fls lasf hSaIfa
ia iAss t~sn slir A. nlfau uas ~
49, tIf leu fssfss De- ~ sYIHafuF
AlaaHu lal kf lefau dalrfH D tf
llnd I4aHff slH ~ sln.assl 4eslsfs 800
w. dralfff HtaN NaaHfr lNai eIHN|
Is atHff ~ uf NuNU FaIW HlsI.
Irff "a r. tHuhiiHtair as
De- 80 seaidltf A. a. ssHa snsHf
iad aalt fftal asaslf H a.fHs srHlf
~ ssnsa ssskHf sHI 80 Assf
/. Hs NfHHHa hAaf NfN HsHf hsf lwf
"a Hrfa ed o. isiaI ESQ Htr
o. ues - ssf q o.. Hsi H
Hf iHnaHH Hl# HHriw ~
sfb tha $50 4 a. a HsIs
TN Iir HHf IHHf ta
80 Na ~ tiaa aHsu HHH
j. lee eco lH HH Gel o. go
. H Haf . q Hafs 4 10
= > t 81 90