The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1908-12-31
Gilmore
Issues
Letter
Explaining Several Of the
Features of the Model
Liquor License.

l - = .
The following address has been:s
sued by the National Model License
Lcaguge through its president, Col.
T. NJ Gilmore, of Louisville. KY:
4 1t should be stated at the outse
that the objects and purpose of the
model license law are to take the
LIQUOR question out of politics and to
take the law breaker out of the lil-
uor business.
The liquor question should not be a
political factor. The mere fact that
n man favors or opposes the use OF
talcoholic beverages should not be
deemed a qualification for discharg-
ing the duties incumbent upon hold
Eers of public office.
I4aw-breaking in connection with
the sale of alcoholic beverages. is In
furious to the trade as whole and
to society generally. For this reason,
the National Model License, League,
representing the manufacturers of
and the dealers in alcoholic bever-
ages. feels justified in calling on all
good citizens for cooperation in the
efforts to pass law eliminating the
! lawbreakers.
| Prohibition has VIGOROUSLY failed
to take the liquor question out of
politics or to take the law-breaker
out of the liquor business. On the
other hand. prohibition agitation
has made the liauor question an inn
portant factor in politics and has put
a premium on violation of the law.
i Model license law differs from or
binary license law in that model IL
cense law puts premium on good
/ behavior and provides absolutely
4 certain penalties for violation of the
law. Under model license law the
liquor dealers is permitted to conduct
his business so>long us he abides by
the law.
4 Model license law provides that all
4 license in effect at the time OF the
passage Of the model license Law
shall remain in effect until suspend
ed or concealed because of violation
of the law. Under the operation of
model license law II there are too
many saloons In given city the
number will be cut down automatic
ally. because too much competition
would force some of the saloons out
of business because OF lack OF profit
or because of violation Of the law.
Model license law stipulates that no
new license shall be issued until the
population is in proportion of tsay)
five hundred inhabitants to each sa-
loon license. This restriction would
] make the license very valuable by
preventing undue competition. The
greater the value of the license the
less disposition there would be on
1.-THE part of. the license holder to risk
the forfeiture of his license through
any violation OF the law.
The National Model License League
does not advocate excessive high IL
cense. The license should be suffice
lent to yield good revenue to the
(; city and state, but 1t should not be
SO high rs to compel the holder of
THE license to handle inferior mer-
chandise in order to make reason
able profit.
For the protection Of the dealer
model license law Includes d clause
providing a penalty for any minor
/, over eighteen years OF age, who shall
claim to be of age In order to pur-
chase alcoholic beverages. Without
this clause INSCRIPTIONS reform
crs" would resort to the use OF boys
between the ages of eighteen ana
twenty-one in order to make out a
case OF violation of the law against
the sale of liquor to minors. as has
been done so often under the law
which provides no means OF punish-
ling the minor who makes the false
pretense of being of legal age.
In order to give the dealer polit-
icai independence. the model license
law provides the court must sus-
pend the license for thirty days upon
tho first conviction of the license
holder for any violation of the law
and that the court must cancel the
license upon the second conviction of
the license holder. This provision is
Icompulsory ana the court can grant
no favors.
The law further provides that
where person has forfeited his IL
cense he can not again obtain H.
cense in the state.
Gnder the model license law every
dealer would be independent OF poll
itics: he would have a valuabis IL
cense. and it would be more profit
able to,obey the law than disobey 1t.
With all the retailers obeying the law
there would be no excuse for agifa-
ton and the liquor question would
have no part in political campaigns.
Model license law has been ac-
copied by many of the leading think
ers of the United States as the true
solution of tho LIQUOR problem and it
has the support of the conservative
and independent press.
The holiday Christmas doll glen