Evening journal., 1907-03-07
WILLLOCAL OPTION
LESSEN DRINKING.
Prominent Dealers in Liquors
Believe That It Does Not
Prohibit
THE SALOON AND THE CLUB

Ill OflLOOlN IlND AhtL OLOD ~
Local option for the state at present
appears to be the al-absorbing topic
among business men Of the city, and
many views are expressed upon the
subject, and the question: "Will local
option, if it becomes effective, pro-
hibit the sale of intoxicating liquors?"
Is one that is much discussed.
Strict temperance advocates, as a
rule. declare that should local option
become effective in Delaware much
drunkenness will be eliminated, inas-
much as it will be next to impossible
to obtain intoxicating liquors in any
great quantities. They argue that the
suppression Of the sale Of liquor in
communities lessons to a great extent
criminal records and brings about a
general betterment of the condition of
moral affairs. They hold that the sale
Of intoXicants is, in a great extent,
ruinous to the mercantile interests of
any community, as money which is
spent in saloons and public houses
would otherwise find its way into the
tills of the legitimate business mon.
The saloon is held by them as an un-
necessary evil which should be stamp
ed out forever, an evil the results Of
which can never be estimated.
High License
But there is another class Of So
called temperance people who are not
as radical in their views on the ques-
tion of the sale of liquor. BY some
these are termed middle Of the-road
4Iafn IA "a .f.aNaa
high license rather than local option or
prohibition. This class say that
the raising OF the license several hun
dred dollars per year would have
more salient effect in the cause Of tenn
perance than a local option measure.
In this event ii is claimed many saloon
keepers whose morals and intellect do
not reach above the average, and who
conduct places Of business in man
ner that reflects no credit even upon
decency, would be forced out of busi-
ness.
II is further held by these advocates
of high license that the saloon should
be placed on a sanitary basis. and that
liquors offered for sale should be sub
ject to a rigid inspection along the
same lines as are followed in the pure
food measure as to the sanitary condi-
tions. II is held that inspectors should
be appointed and paid from the reve-
nue. derived by increased license, whose
duty it should be to make periodical
and thorough inspections OF barrooms,
report upon their condition as to clean
liness and incidentally make report
upon the character and class Of peo-
pie who frequent the places visited.
Should adverse reports be madethose
in whose hands lies the granting Of Ii
censes should take such action as they
may deem advisable in the premises.
Liqour Mems Views
To a unit, saloon men, distillers
and brewers arenaturally opposed to
any measure which will, In any way
effect their business. They hold that
local option or even strict prohibitory
measures, do not, to the extent desired
by temperance people. check the sale
Of liquors or matted drinks, but on the
other hand tend to increase the num-
her of violators Of the law as well as
70 Sing drinking directly within the
thresholds of the home. A prominent
brewer Of Wilmington in speaking on
the subject. declares that the amount
Of business done by the local brewing
company in local option sections Of
Maryland has increased materially
since prohibitory measures were put in
force there. "You would be surprised
to learn" said one "the amount Of beer
we ship to these localities upon orders
Where does IL go? why, into the homes
where it Is drunk possibly before chill
dren What example does it set to
them?"
Much Liquor Sold
Being questioned along the same line,
one Of the most prominent wholesale
liquor men in the city stated that not
week passed but that he received
from ten to twenty orders daily for
LIQUORS Of various kinds from persons
living in local option districts in
Maryland eve ship liquors daily
said he. ito towns in prohibition dis
tricts, and you would be surprised to
learn the class Of people who order it..
Does prohibition prohibit? Unques-
tionably no. 1t places temptation in
/ the way of those who otherwise would
not give drink a thought. The orders
/ I receive are as nothing compared to
/ thoea received by some other firms