Daily Kennebec journal., 1906-09-06
Interesting Address by 0. R,
Miller Of Ho|yoke, Mass.
Delivered At WatsriIIe Opera House Last
Sunday Evening.


familiar with conditions in that state
1t is worthy a most careful reading.
Mr.. Miller spoke as follows:
Massachusetts has the best high
license local -option law of any state in
the Union, and as | have lived in that
state over fifteen years and have been
active in trying to help enforce the
high license law of that state, can
speak from practical experience and
wide personal observation with re-
ference to it, rather than from theory
or hearsay. We have found from eX-
pcrience six things concerning the
workings of high license in Massa
chusetts as follows:
% High license does not drive out
the low dives. t2) High license is
constantly and fagrantly violated. CD
High Iicense is hard to enforce. 90
High license increases drunkenness.
go High license increases taxes. 60
High license increases political corrup-
ton.
First, High license in Massachusetts
does not drive out the low dives.
one of the strongest arguments used
by the friends of the Massachusetts
high license bill when trying to get it
enacted years ago, WAS that it would
drive out the low dives and kitchen
barroOms. They reasoned thus: If a
man pays $1,000 for Il liquor license 1t
is natural to suppose that he will pro-
tect himself, that he will insist upon
the police authorities protecting him
against the illegal dealer who pays no
license fee. Whenever n low dive
starts up. they argued, the high license
liquor dealer paying 1000 for his
license would object to the low dive
keeper stealing his trade and so would
have him arrested, prosecuted and put
out of the business. But our expert
cnce IN Massachusetts has proved that
the man paying $1,000 or more for his
license never complains of or pros
ecutes the Illegal liquor dealer who
pays no license fee. Why? First
because the high license liquor dealer
himself violates the law continually by
selling to minors, selling to drunkards.
or by selling on Sundays. etc. Should
he make complaint against the low
dive keeper to the police authorities,
then Immediately the low dive keeper
would get some of his friends to secure
evidence against the high license liquor
dealer. and have him prosecuted in
court. Hence neither ever dare COM
plain of the other.
Let me Illustrate that high license
does not drive out the low dives, from
my observation in Holyokc MaSSa-
chusetts, where / lived five years. In
that city the ordinary saloons pay ST.,
500 and the hotels 1880 per year for
their liquor license. | had thirteen of
the worst offenders arrested and pro-
secuted for fragrant violations of the
liquor law on Sunday, and at other
times. / met one of these liquor men
on the street one day and he said:
Mr. Miller. why don't you go and
prosecute these low dives and close
them up? The town is full Of them.
There is one right near me who is sell
ing more liquor on Sunday than ] am.
II replied: "Mr.-. if the police
authorities do not close up these low
dives. why don't you enforce the law
against them yourself? Why don't
you go up to tho city hall and make
complaint against that low dive keeper
near you and have him arrested and
prosecuted for selling liquor without a
liCenSe?'
He replied, "Oh. if did that, then in
less than a week he would send a
couple of fellows around to my place
to get evidence against me. and then |
would be in the soup" He knew it
would be very easy for anyone to get
abundance of evidence against him for
illegal selling on Sundays and holidays,
and to minors. and drunkards. Hence.
though he was cha fling because the
low dive" near him was stealing
hundreds of dollars worth of his trade.
yet he dare not make a complaint
against it.
Another reason why many high
| license liquor men do nothing to stop
| the low dives is because they supply
the low dives with the liquor which
| they sell. The trouble with the man
| just referred to was that he did not
| furnish the liquor to the low dive near
him. but he bought his supply of liquor
| of some other saloon keeper. hence he
! chafed under it: but had that low dive
! keeper bought his liquor of that
| licensed liquor dealer. there would
| have been no fretting and chatting
| about it, And there are instances
| where men paying a big license fee
have felt compelled to start two or
\ three illegal places for the sale of
liquor in order to sell enough to be able
to pay their big license fee and do a
profitable business. Hence the
| licensed dealers do not prosecute the
dives.
| You doubtless have some low dives
under prohibition, but in Massachusetts
we have the low dives and also the
| open saloons. Low dives, or blind
| tigers" are bad. but ten "blind tigers
are not as dangerous as one tiger
with its eyes open. would be
much more fearful for the safety OF
my two children on the street If there
was one tiger with his eyes open, that
could see them and rush upon them to
tear them to pieces. than OF ten blind
tigers cropping around blindly in the
dark. Yes, friends, it is easier 10 keer
out of the way Of ten blind tigers thar
of one tiger with his eyes open.
Yes. I say. one tiger with ms eyes
open-one big, fine. elegant mgr
licensed saloon on one Of the prominent
FRI