The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1906-04-06
THE NEW TAX
WILL NOT MATERIALLY REDUCE
THE NUMBER
Of Saloons in This City According TO
Some Posted Partes-How II
Worked in Omaha.

Posted parties say that the anticl-
pated reductio,- - the number of sa
looms owing to the increase of the
tax to one thousand dollars will not
be realized for at least six months
The tax will need only to be paid for
six months and most of the saloon
lists will give the matter a trial with
Then, again, there w.. De d number
the hope that some more unfortunate
dealer will close and thus increase
the trade of the remaining places.
Of the smaller saloons popularity
known as bucket" places that will
be continued in business even if the
brewery interests have to meet the
increase in the tax, for the reason
that these saloons bring more rev
enue to the breweries than the more
fashionable places in the heart of the
city.
A party who is credited as being
well posted in the liquor business
is responsible for the opinion that the
law will result in a number of saloons
passing into the hands of the brewing
interest direct as the confined profit
of the brewery and the retail busi-
ness will be necessary to make the
ventures successful.
1t will be remembered that when
the first tax was put on in this state
there was an opinion prevalent that
the number of saloons would be re
duced but the actual working of the
law showed this to be an error as was
also the case when the tax was ad-
yanced to $3.50.
That the law will have a chance to
| be given a fair trial is conceded by
all as there will be no change in the
makeup OF the Legislature for three
years.
| In referring to the operations of the
! high tax laws elsewhere a correspon-
dent of the Cincinnati Enquirer from
! Omaha, Neb,, says:
"Omaha's experience with the high
| license problem of late years may
help Ohio cities now wrestling with
! the problem to solve it intelligently
and satisfactorily.
THE problem has been solved here
! to the satisfaction of all interests
concerned, and it will probably never
| be necessary for the city to consider
| it again.
Omaha is high-license city. I'm
| der the provisions of the SlCcum law
enacted by the Nebraska legislature
10 or ! years ago, saloons doing bust
ness here are required to pay $1,000
o year for the privilege of selling IL
quors. Before the enactment of the
Slocum law the license was $500.
MANY of the opponents of high
| license in Omaha argued when the
question was being agitated that to
| double the license would drive all the
small saloons out of business, render
| it impossible for others to do business
at reasonable profit, and greatly re-
duce the city's revenue from saloon
| licenses. A powerful effort was made
to defeat the high-license measure
ut is n curious and significant fact
that the year high license became
effective more saloon licenses were
taken ont in Omaha than in the prev
ious year. The high-license law ha !
the unexpected effect of increasing
instead of decreasing the number OF
saloons in Omaha.
Not only were more licenses TAX
en- out the year the high-license law
went into effect than in the previous
year, but, as a matter of course, the
revenue the city derived from licenses
was more than doubled.
THE raising of the license from
$500 to $1,000 drove some of the small
er and some of the more disreputable
saloons out of business, but the num-
Der Of these was not by any means
large. For every small and disreput-
able saloon that went out of business
because of the high license a well-fur-
nished and orderly one was opened.
1T is the firm conviction. of those
who have studied the question care
fully and observed the practical work
ings of the Slocum law that there are
more reputable saloons in Omaha to.
day than there would be If the license
were only $500; that there are fewer
disreputable resorts where LIQUOR is
sold, that the whole number of saloons
is as large under high license as it
would be under low license, and it is
not to be questioned that the city Is
deriving at least twice as much rev.
enue from saloons now as it ever de-
rived under low license.
THE Slocum law prohibits the open
ing of saloons and the selling of IL
quor by them on Sunday. While no
body here is opposing high license,
there is in Omaha much opposition to
! the enforcement Of the Sunday-clos