The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1905-02-26
HIGH LICENSE
INTERESOING REVIEW
OF THE LIQUOR
QUESTION:
ATLANTA'S EXPERIENCE
LITTLE ROCK COLLECTS SIS PER
MONTH FROM EACH SALOON.
STAUNTON'S WAY
Dispensary System Yields Revenue for
the Public Schools
LITTLE ROCK COLLECTS SIS PER
MONTH FROM EACH SALOON.
WAY
Dispensary System Yields Revenue for
the Public Schools

Editorial in irnes-Democrat Feb. 23.
The Times-Democrat gave yesterday,
in an interview with H.. c. Mcbride,
an account of the experience of Atlanta
with the liquor question. 1t is inter
esting to all the American cities engaged
in trying to reach a correct solution OF
this difficult problem, and specially in
teresting to New Orleans, where this
problem is more pressing than anywhere
else and has assumed more different
forms. Here it IS not simply matter
of regulating the the saloons and OF
closing those that breed. and encourage
crime, but of making them pay their
proper share towards the support of
the government Never perhaps was so
extraordinary proposition submitted j
to people as that made by some of the
friends of education-the levying of a
special tax for the support of schools
in other words, putting an additional
burden On property and industry already
overburdened in order to enable the
groggeries, dives and barrel houses to
escape almost scot free. paying less for
the privilege of doing business than in
any other large city in the country save
one.
The interesting feature of Atlanta S
experience with the liquor problem is
the fact that it has tried all other me-
tiiods of treatment. only to. find that
high license is the only true remedy.
1t was one of the most wide open
towns in the country, surprising even
New Orleans, until public opinion would
no longer tolerate the vice and crime
generated by an unrestricted license to
liquor dealers. There were mass meet
ings and protests. and public sentiment
was so aroused that the pendulum
swung the other way and Atlanta be-
came prohibition. Prohibition. however,
did not work-and it has never worked
satisfactorily in large cities. There was
as much drinlink as in the wide open
days, only it was done secretly, the law
was violated and .iiscredited and the
liquor sold was poisonous and danger
ous, full of murder and other crimes.
Atlanta having tried the two extremes,
finally adopted the middle course of high
license. this con1pr on,ise being proposed
by the liquor men themselves. The
conditions exacted of the saloons are
more severe than those prevailing ir
most other cities, for not only are they
segregated, that is restricted to a GER
tain district of the town. but they are
required to close at 10 p. m. as well as
on Sundays. The system works well
and satisfies everybody. The conpro-
mise came. as we have said, from the
liquor dealers themselves. who wished
to escape the attacks made by the pro-
.l1iibitionists. The reduction in the mum.
ber of saloons and the closure of those
that encourage vice and crime, has sat.
ished the respectable element, whiIt
the revenue feature is gratifying. The
1872 saloons OF Atlanta yield $II5,45o-
the beer saloons paying license of only
$3.50. or nearly as much as the 1893 sa
looms OF New Orleans On the Atlanta
basis, this city, which has four time:
the population, of the Georgia city
would have only 528 saloons; with {
revenue Of $4,000.
= The following tables give. as far a:
we have been able to collect the infor
nation, the number of saloons in ths
leading Southern cities and the amount
of license paid by them:
Ret. Liq No
License. Saloons
Atlanta, Ga. .........$I,ooo I31
Birmingham. Ala :. Goo II:
Columbus, Ga 500 4e