The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-05-18
TAKE TIE SALOON
OUT OF POLITICS
Battle Cry of National Model
License League in War
With Prohibition
Campaign to Be Made for Regu-
Iation by Uniform and
Impartial Law

take the saloon out of politics,
was the plea made by p. M. Smith Oh
louisville. Ky, general counsel of the
National model license league, to an
audience of liquormen at the St Fran
els hotel last night. That prohibi-
ton does not prohibit and that regula1
ton regulates was the main idea run
ming through the whole address, but
the speaker declared that regulation
could never be until the power of the
politician to favor or ruin the saloon
man was removed, and the fate of the
liquor trade placed under the impartial
ruling of wise statute.
over zoo members of the California
branch of the league gathered in the
red room to hear the address. T. Nd.
Gilmore, president of the league, and a
former San Franciscan, was to speak,
but illness compelled rmith to take his
place.
Frank Maroney, chairman of the To-
cal branch of the league, introduced
the speaker.
VIE" UT
Smith said in part:
For many years representatives OF
the liquor trade were wont to dismiss
the subject of prohibition by proclaim
ing the prohibitionists fanatics, hypo-
critics and dreamers, but l am con-
WINGED that prohibition receives its
largest support from the man who is
opposed only to the evils in the BUSH
ness. 1t is not the vote of the pro-
hibitionists that carries an election
1t is the support given him by these
persons who seek a remedy for exist
ing evils. and finding no other offered
vote dry as protest against the ac-
tivity of the saloon in politics, against
drunkenness and other evils of the
trade. Take the saloon out of politics.
THE liquor men should take only
that interest in politics that other
businessmen take, but the politician
threatens the liquorman with a club.
II you would have the saloon retire
from politics, regulate the liquor traffic
by law, not by the whim of a politician.
DIVE is GREATEST ENEMY
"The dive is the greatest enemy the
liquor trade has. and it causes the oc.
casional drinker to believe that it is his
duty to put that place out of business,
and the long drinker that all saloons
are Of like character. Prohibition drives
from the business only those saloon
keepers who are law abiding-the dive
keeper becomes the proprietor of a
blind tiger.
Turkey is the only country on earth
where prohibition prohibits, but do we
find ali the evils charged to the use of
liquor by the prohibtionist unknown in
Turkey? Is the sanctity of womanhood
inviolate? Is the purity of the home
preserved? Is life held sacred? Is
freedom universal? Is murder UNI
known? Contrast this country with
the land where regulation is in force
Germany, the home of the philosopher
and the scientist, the musician and the
artist The regulated saloon has not
made unspeakable Turks of the Ger
mans. nor has real prohibition made
philosophers of the Turks.
PROPOSED LICENSE REFORM
1--WE propose that a license should be
issued to person holding one at the
time of the passage of this law, but
that no new licenses shall issue until
the number of inhabitants are not less
than 500 to each saloon. The penalty
of violation to be cancellation of IL
cense on second offense
The license should be sufficiently
high to afford generous support to the
governments, but not so Unfortunately
high as to force the sale of impure
liquors or tempt the licensee into by
products OF crime in order to make
sufficient TO pay the license. This would
take the saloon business out of politics
and the law breaker out of the saloon
business.