Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1909-07-02
BREWERS ADVOCATE LAW EN-
FORCEMENT

view Of the recent stand taken by
the city council in regard to brew
cry saloons, the remarks Of Mr.
Busch on that head will be read
with peculiar interest, as bearing
out some Of the statements made
at a recent council meeting. The
extract is as follows:
The regulation must regulate.
1t is too late in history to con-
tend that the traffic cannot be reg
ulated, as severely or lightly, as
the public opinion Of each com
munity demands. The method Of
regulation thru refusing or revok-
ing the licenses of all saloons
which are not properly and law
fully conducted has demonstrated
that there is method which is
effective, legal and fair. Reputable
saloon keepers are law abiding citi-
zens. They refuse to sell to wo-
men, minors, or men showing
signs Of intoxication. They would
welcome regulation which would
put the dive keeper out of business,
because they are self respecting
men, who believe their business is
respectable, hope to keep it so.
and are anxious to weed out those
who abuse it. The problem of reg
ulating the traffic is the problem
Of regulating and SO reforming the
saloon. No fixed ratio between
the number Of saloons and popula-
ton will furnish an adequate or
safe rule for general application
Different communities will need
varying kinds and degrees of regu-
lation to meet peculiar local con-
ditions. But the criterion Of all
regulation should be the public
good rather than the good of the
business.
Divorce the saloon from the
brewery aud liquor supply house.
1t is fact that most breweries
and liquor supply houses furnish
the capital with which to start
new customers in new saloons.
They are forced to do this by
competition. Self preservation in
a given locality requires them to
compete in an undesirable contest
which would not be necessary or
possible if the law afforded reason
able regulation. If all competi-
tors were compelled to refrain
from that kind of forced COMPETE
ion the public would still obtain
its reasonable requirements of beer
and liquors, the saloonkeeper
would become more independent
Of his source of supply, and the
business of brewing would attain
the ideal condition Of manufacture
ing and selling merchandise.
The system Of licensing saloons,
subject to good behavior, and of
keeping them constantly under the
jurisdiction of the license commits
sioner, FORGETTING the license in
any case if the established regula-
tions are violated, has proved 50
effective in reforming the saloon
that it should be adopted gener-
ally, and especially in small
towns and rural districts where
thru lack Of proper regulations
saloons may become offensive.
II believe that brewers should
help to guard and protect the pub
lie against bad saloons by helping
the license commissioner to ascer-
tain whether man is worthy to |
receive or keep a license and by |
refusing to aid or deal with any |
saloonkeeper of bad character or
who does not strictly comply with
the regulations imposed by law.
In advocating this method of |
regulation am not unmindful of |
the thousands Of saloon keepers
who have been my loyal friends.
Its my conviction that they will
be benefited, not injured by it.
Having endeavored for many years
to purify my business by refusing
to sell to the proprietors of sa-
loon which | knew to be disrepu-
table, j would now welcome any
law which will afford reasonable
method Of separating the brewery
from the saloon, to the mutual ben
eft Of both.
When the saloon is divorced from
The brewery the brewer will have |.
40 more political power or influ-
ance than any other manufacturer
whose only hold on his retailer
consists in the quality Of his pro- | l
luct and the reasonableness of its
rice.
IT the Jealous enthusiasts who
HI different parts Of the country
ne now seeking to destroy, with
ut ton, the vast brew-
ne Industries which the Federal | !.