The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1905-01-22
HOP EXTRACTS.
STRONG PLEA FOR PROHIBITION
THE LICENSE SYSTEM.
IS 4 BREEDER Of CRIME
\ Dangerous Nnen, Who pefs A,e
4.aws OF God and Man-Higs
$icense Criticised

yQltOS ~duCdSlaN: In vow VeSOe -
! the roth instant. sos reproduce from s}1e
Webstee Signal . statement concerning
the sale of hop extsacts. %ealth snvig
orator. and other aliases Of beer which
seem 20 be SOLD in W@stes eariA Sou,
comment IS % Ss1e effect tilas all proh}6i
ton Jaws ace Failure 90 4 thaa Che sea'
remedy Is high license, as sfe only si
icient a1eans u segrtfasing a Cratic
which sou assure san 40. ee eroAibitea
~ sepiy o. Tits contention, we cal
your attention o. Che tao sha swo-
thirds OF he South q sndes che erohi-
bition Ew. And f,,rthes shat these laws
were sotea Ny Q GoraB ana intelligent
citizenship who expected shas che law
reasonably enforced wo,hd deeeas snot
absolutely prohibitt drunkenness And
furthes mat after ssias d this Jaw,
despite Che jug ,rade ana blind 0gers 4
is being seaffirmed IN sine eases cut Of
every cen by largely a1seasea a1ajori-
ties ana the $w Is Being extended over
new communities faster chan Ne spread
of the boil weeSifs Now Mere q eues-
lion, for YOU 20 answes: Src aos che ma
jority Of the Soters where AotA ae
license and prohibition comedies &ave
been thoroughly tried Setter e,dges Of
the merits and dement's Of each Shan
one who 9ives where the license system
alone has been tried: IF so. they must
see Cha. prohibition has deci1eS al
vantage over sle opep saloon, ~ Else
they woul3 not continue q support 4.
The Tendency Of public sentiment over
the entire country is in NE direction of
prohibition ana against Che license sys-
ITEM, because the license systerp is Srge-
ly failure while prohibition IS az Feast
partial success. The license system
is supposed 90 Regulate But the word
regulate as applied to the licease sys-
tenn IS misnomer. !, does not prevent
the illegal sale Of liquor. Last yeas the
writer secured fist of chose who had
pai1 the revenue license for selling
spirituous fiqours in Caddo parish and
the list showeA larger aumber in
Shreveport we're lodging the other tax
than in the other portions Of the parish.
Illicit selling in prohibition communi-
ties IS more conspicuous but not neces-
sarify more common. The license sys-
tenn does not segulate by reducing the
sales, and thereby decreasing drunken-(
ness 70 any appreciate extent. IN
Shreveport drinking ana drunkenness is
on every hand. More liquor is sold each
yeas. Nor does che license system regu-
late by reducing the crimes and Ofenses
which come from inte,nperance % a
minimum There IS some more crime
under Tow incense tAan nigh license.
and for that very reason a high license
is to be preferred, but the license sys-
tenn IS a crime breeder q builds up
and gathers together a dangerous ale
nent who defy both Che laws q God
and man. They glory IN breaking the
laws ottti aging Will dl SCHlIlfClll dslu
,orrupting the officers q the Jaw.
The regulation of the saloon by license
S what we would term the climax of
Ill farces. If in che license system only
we have nope We aye Of all men most
But those VINO are working, Aoping
Ind praying for better conditions and
;afer environments for lhe young will
lot despair. We eill make Our focal
option laws more effective by amending
he interstate comrherce act so as to
'revent liquors from being shipped from
wet State across the State line into
Try community. We will pass a State
aw forbidding common carriers and
RUNNERS from establishing agencies,
nd from taking orders in locae option
arishes and wards, and in many ways
will make local option more efficient.
'ut we will not sit supinely down TIM
er the devastating reign of the saloon
nd surrender to perpetual enthrall-
1ent. That would be moral and poIitii-
al suicide. and that we will never do.
CLAUDE L. JONES.
|