The National tribune., 1907-02-28
TEMPERANCE IN MISSOURI.

Gov, Folk. Of Missouri. seems mott
only an earnest Temperance man but
withal exceedingly practical in his ef-
forts to curb the drink demon and sivs
the people that relief from It which
they have the right to expect. He has
the customary dificulty Of all reform
ers in being thwarted by those cxtrem-
lists. who will not understand that re-
form must be progressive and that ex-
treme stringencyI will defeat its pur.
pose. While II ~ well enough to hold
up ideals of action. yet such Is human
nature that we never can have an ideal
law, and the best that we can ever hope
for is the nedfesr Approach to it. Even
this approach must be made by de-
grees. The Governor has pointed out
to the Legislature that what Is needed
are not new Temperance laws. but the
enforcement Of those which are on the
statute books. He now proposes to
make anothernlong step for 1t by the
appointment Of a state Excise Commits
sioner clothed with sufficient power to
close saloons and snforce the law where
it has hitherto been absolutely disre-
garded. In hfs special message to-. the
Legislature he said:
I'VE have dramshop laws closing sa-
loons on Sunday and forbidding sales
of liquor to minors. and otherwise reg.
ulating the liquor traffic. These laws
have been enforced in the cities of ST.
where the Governor has the power to
enforce them through the Excise Com
missioner and the Police Commission.
ers. The State has no power to en-
force the dramshop laws outside of
these cities. In a number Of places IN
the State no attention IL paid to the
law requiring saloons to close on Sun
day or to other provisions Of the dram
| shop statutes. A great number of the
| complaints come to the Executive each
day as to violations of these laws in
| different portions Of the State. They
ask. why if the Governor can make the
| saloons of st. Louis obey the law he
can not enforce the law elsewhere in
| the State. feel that I should advise
you of these conditions, and say to you
! that IL you desire the dramshop laws
| enforced throughout the State and will
give the necessary power to do 1t, 7
shall not shirk the responsibility, and
will see that the laws are observed in
every part of the Commonwealth"
His bill is now before the House Of
Representatives, which will probably
pass It, but already several important
amendments have been made. At pres
ent, the House is struggling over the
question of whether the new Office
should be an elective one or an ap-
,.ntive. Quite a number of Legisla-
tors insist that to make the office ap-
pointive will be to increase the power
of the machine and give the Governor
more effective lever in advancing his
own political fortunes. The man WHOM
he appoints as State Excise Commis-
sioner will have very large powers. and
the control of the vote-getting saloons.
These he can use effectively in the pro-
motion of the Governors political for
tunes. On the first test Of strength the
vote to make the office elective was de-
| feate6 by 10 noes to 67 ayes. The
members frCm st. Louis held the bal
ance of power. and defeated the propo-
sitiOn. 1t may come up again. An
other amendment gives the right Of ap-
peal to both sides in the case on the
matter of issuing licenses. That is. If
the saloon keeper has been refused a
license he cand appeal to the Circuit
C,ur;. and also citizens, who oppose
the granting of q license. have the same
right The proposition for a State Ex-
else Commissioners is modelled after the
New York law. which has been In op-
Grafton for more than 10 years and
W orked most satisfactorily. Half of the
saloons in Missouri are In tho city of
st. Louis. and nearly two-thirds of the
saloons in the State are in the three
large cities. u p.