The San Francisco call., 1909-04-11
REFORM USED TO
FIGHT PROHIBITION
Liquormen Organize National
Model License League and
Wage Active Campaign

the country are combined to. fight. pro-
hibition with regulation of the. saloon
as their weapon. A branch of the
league has been formed in California
with ]. +. Moroney as chairman of its
publicity committee, and is busy get
ting all elements OF the liquor trade
to subscribe TO its principles
Chairman Moroney has sent out to
saloonmen and others concerned the
following address which outlines the
leagues plans and Diethods:
There will undoubtedly be a great
many local elections on the saloon
question during the next two years
throughout the various sections of the
vote against the saloon as it is now
conducted in some localities
The National model license league
comes before the trade in the nature
of a reform movement, and its plat
form must give satisfaction to the
press and the general public.
We are satisfied that what the public
wants is reform and not prohibition,
and if We can convince them that we
are in earnest on this point we will
have, in a great measure, won over
to our side a vast number of sensible
thinking people who are now against u.s.
The day of the dump" the dive"
and the lawless saloon is nearly over
We don't want them to exist any more
and they must either be brought up
to the proper standard or else be
abolished altogether.
STANDS FOR REFORM
The National model license league
stands for reform and its platform and
principles are based on the reforma-
tion and elevation of the liquor traf-
fic. 1t advocates that laws should be
to be an American citizen of good
moral reputation; that he must have
lived in community for specified
time before being granted a license
proportion to the population of the
city, town or village to which the
license applies.
That the cost of license should be
reasonable (not excessively high nor
That no indecent, vulgar or lewd
pictures should be allowed to be ex-
That no liquor should be sold to
an intoxicated man or an habitual
drunkard, nor to minors.
That gambling should be per-
nitted in conjunction with saloons.
In a word, that the saloon shall be
conducted on the same lines as any
other legitimate business, and made to
be a desirable ana not an undesirable
factor in society.
We also advocate the adoption of
laws which viii give the retail liquor
dealer license free from the infiu-
a license dependent on the obedience
Of the Iholder to all of the laws.
If the license holder violates the
laws, take away his license by means
of a law so framed THAT the court
has no choice but to suspend the
license upon the retailers first con-
1t upon the second conviction. Such
a law would make it more profitable to
obey than to disobey the law and the
law would be obeyed. Violation of
| n Ia w ti1 toh Ia /.
ience under the present system in many
sections. and is far more SO under pro-
hibition.
MUST RAISE STANDARD
We do not believe the. general public
wants prohibition, but there isn't any
doubt that it wants the retail liquor
business brought up to q much higher
standard then it occupies at the pres
ent time in some places.
We are satisfied that a model license
law will compel our trade to come to
such a standard il enacted into a law 1t
Will do us no good to try to deceive
perative that we shall stand absolutely
for obedience to the law and for the
elevation of the retail liquor business
to the standard that is being demanded
by the press and by the general public.
To carry this movement through to
successful conclusion it is absoluteiy
essential that every member of the
trade should take an active interest
in this work and agree upon one pol
icy, one line of publicity and one idea
of reform.
The order of knights of the Royal
Arch has done and is continuing TO do
splendid work. This league can not
praise too highly the good it has done
our cause, and the results OF their eff
forts must commend themselves to
every liquor dealer on the coast The
model license league and the ROYAL
Arch are working in harmony with
each other and both have the same ulti-
mate object in vtew--but they are
working on entirely different lines.
The league is organized chiefly for
publicity and educational purposes and
does not wish to create the idea that
It is trying to usurp the glory and
praise to which the Royal Arch is
rightfully entitled.
The California branch Of the Ma
tiohal model license league has the In
dersement of the entire spirit, wine
and malt trade and the press of the
entire country. The knights of the
Royal Arch also indorse the movement.
as is evidenced by the fact that John
L. Herget, past grand valiant COM
mander of the order, has been dele
mittee and Thomas Alton, general
manager of the San Francisco Brew
cries, Ltd, is also on our executive
committee.
The league is entitled to your support
and we trust you will join our ranks
1t is big work. 1t costs money to
carry it on. The way to do it is for
US all to pull together. The whole
sale liauor houses are subscribing lib
orally, but all must help.
Get in touch with us and see what
the model license leagu has done In
other states. and then vau will know