The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1907-12-12
Friends Of the Liquor Traffic to
Ask the State Legislature to
Pass New License Laws
HIT AT ANTESAL00N LEAGUE
States Attorney HeaIy, of Chicago,
Gives Ont Past Interview in Re-
gard to Wave of Reform Now
Sweeping the Country

A bill will be introduced at the next
session of the Wisconsin Legislature
providing for higher license law in
this state.
| This step was determined upon at a
meeting of the Model License League
held at the Plankinton house, Mi1wau.
kee, Monday. The meeting was called
to order by G, n. Wash burne Of Louis
Vile, Ky, one Of the officials of the
League, and was attended by most of
the wholesale liquor dealers, many of
the larger retailers of Milwaukee and
representatives of the brewing inter-
ests. No outsider was admitted dur.
ing the session.
The Model License League is an off
spring of the National Liquor Dealers
Association and is about wo years old.
It's home Office is in Louisville. The
avowed object of the League, as stated
in one of the circulars, is ''to intro
duce bills in ali State Legislatures
tending to offset the impractical and
radical measures to be introduced by
tbs Anti-saloon League, -, The OBJ
! ject of the Louisville Association is to
head off, as far as possible, the
prohibition movement which has re.
Gently become so widespread.
According to Mr.. Washburne, one
of the fathers of the League, its OBJ
ject is to secure the passage of high
| license laws in all states with the idea
that the passage of such laws will go
far toward rernedying the conditions
complained of. In other words, the
membe believe that high license
will eradicate the dives and place the
retail liquor business in the hands of
men who will conduct their places in
such manner as not to give offense.
States Attorney Healey, of Chicago,
gave out N interview in Chicago on
Monday night which came pretty
close to hitting the nail on the head.
He said:
"There is a revolt sweeping over
the country which may or may not
result in the closing of saloons on
Sunday. The law Of the state is clear
beyond question. Some saloons do
comparatively little harm But in
the red light districts, where the sa-
looms are adjuncts to disorderly
houses, more harm is done than ali
our Courts can overcome. am not
discussing this from religious point
of view, for the Sunday closing
movement is no longer a religious
movement. If it were, we would
never close them. 1t is moral and
practical movement, a question of the
proper conduct of city affairs
81 told the brewers of this city more
than year ago: 'You are breeding a
condition of affairs in Chicago that
eventually will wipe you ont of bust
ness. You have gone to extremes.
You are going to create condition
of revolt that will close many of your
saloons now doing business
'Aud this is the situation they have
brought on today.
''We thought that the 81, 900 license
would help settle the question of the
disreputable saloon. We have prose.
cuted some four or five hundred of
this class of saloonkeepers But the
best we can get is 5000 fine. The
revocation of license means that the
bartender, or the cousin Of the pro-
prietor gets out new one.
"When a man goes into saloon at
8 p. N. and stays until a. m. guz-
cling beer he is in fl condition to
commit crime.
"They say the saloon is the poor
mans club and therefore we should
not deprive him of this solace on Sum
day. That is most fsIlacious argu-
ment. The man who works all day
usually has a family, and the best
place for him is at home getting ac-
quainted with his family and saving
his money.
''This is practical proposition, not
wild eyed reform. If the brewers
and saloonkeepers Of Chicago were
wise they would meet this demand,
prevailing not only Ia the churches,
but among the majority of clean
thinking men. They would meet it
not only by closing on Sunday, but at
II o'ciock every night and not opening
before O'Clock in the morning"