Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1909-04-07

more than the market price. After
the sale, the packages were delivered.
and hauled through the streets of the
city with the prohibition law power
Hess to touch any person connected
with the business. What a horrible
Spectacle is thisl What a frightful
Handicap to the enforcement of Iawi
Here is great state with one stand
lard Of morals and the United States
with another. If anything would make
may sigh for the victory of a ma
tional prohibition party this scene well
might. For little while one might
almost be excused for wishing for
state rights.
! Another difficulty has been the so
Ieailed "near-beer'' nuisance. This
stuff is substitute for the genuine
thing, within the law, but so near the
real article that it is intoxicating, as
many have proved to their cost. In
his annual report Recorder N. II.
Broyles turns on the light and handles
without gloves this "near-beer" bust
ness. He says: THE most serious
lobstacle to the enforcement of law
and to temperance generally, in At
lanta, is the so-called near-beer saloon.
Many of these places dispense reg
lular beer to their customers whom
they can trust, and all of them sell
Intoxicating malt liquors, for that
Inear-beer does intoxicate is testified
Ito every day in the police court py its
tInfnpfrIp Ia wiz
ito say, 1t seems almost impossible
to convict these near-beer dealers be-
fore a jury in the state courts. 1t is
true that under a recent decision of
1.-THE court of appeals it is unlawful to
lseu near-beer containing as much as
-four per cent. alcohol, but that do
icision helps but little, for many per-
sons become intoxicated from drink
ling beer containing three or two or
Ieven less per cent. of alcohol, pro-
Iyided they drink enough.
III our state legislature would amend
the present law by making it unlawful
ito sell any beverage containing more
THAN one-half of one per cent. of al
Icohol, the near-beer nuisance would
fold their tents like the Arabs and as
Isilently steal away, and drunkenness
would be reduced to a minimum"
IThe very least that should be don't
lis to put these places under the same
restrictions formerly thrown around
Irregular saloons, and so Judge Broyles
recommends to the city council.
| But these nuisances have just re
lceived a setback. and with the new
year more than 40 of them have gone
iout of business. All the licenses ex-
Ipired with the old year and taxes for
1909 had to be paid. The state re-
jfusel to accept the tax with any con-
idition attached. any of them, unable
ito pay, had to close. Having fought
ioff by injunction the payment of the
1905 tax until last week, finally pay
ling It, and then hay ng to pay i'm
mediately the tax for the new year,
they We're at the end of their re-
sources, and closed up. Controller
General Wright has held that the tax
is due on the first of the year, since
1t is in the shape of a license, and
that they are not permitted to oper-
ate without it. The penalty for oper-
Eating without it is heavy enough TO de.
ter the most stout-hearted of the
Icraft, so they are quitting.
Then, of course, there are the
blind tigers" But the city police
have done valiant service in tracking
these to their lairs and dispatching
them, Some time ago these received
la considerable check When they
first began operations there were sew
Ieral runners. or "cappers," as they
were called, who hung about the
streets, and in the near-beer saloons
land pool rooms. for the purpose of
getting cash orders for whisky. This
Imodus operandi was known as the
lightning express. All a person had
ito do 10 get a bottle of liquor was
ito hand over the money to one OF
these "cappers'' and wait a few min
Iutes. The blind tiger business worked
lin this way for a while like a charm.
But, alas! lot of bogus "cappers'
appeared on the scene, who pocketed
the cash but never delivered enc
goods, This caused suspicion TO be
least on all the 'cappers," and the
Thirsty one who desired whisky had
ito go through the double agony OF
watching for the police and distrust-
ling his messenger, against whom OF
course he dared not complain to the
authorities.