The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1909-04-29
State Control of Saloons

A bill creating a State Board of Lii
cense revocation and practically placing
the control Of the whole retail liquor
traffic in the hands Of the state has
been reported fayorably by the com
rnitee on state affairs Of the assembly
and it is said that the bill has fair
chance of becoming law. The Board
is to consist Of five members and it is
to have the power to revoke or suspend
the license of any liquor dealer in the
state and the revocation is to be for
one year with no rebate of license
fees. The defendants are given the
right of appeal to the Circuit Court
Licenses may be revoked for maintain
ing a disorderly, riotous, indecent or
improper house; for permitting gamb-
ling on the premises; selling to minor
without an order from parent or guar
dian, to intoxicated persons or to
habitual drunkards; for permitting
girls under seventeen years unaccom-
panied by parent to participate in any
ball or dance adjacent to or within
premises on which liquor is sold; or
for failure to observe and obey any
order made by duly constituted authori-
ty according to law and any citizen
may made complaint to the Board 1t
will be seen from the above short
synopsis of the proposed law that it
is a wide departure from the present
methods of handling the liquor traffic
and that it goes much farther than
any license law now in force in any
of the states. 1t will be seen also that
it places vast powers in the hands Of
the License Board and that the sue
cess or failure Of the law would depend
in large measure on the make up of
the Board. There is no question but
this law intelligently and honestly en-
forced would go a long way towards
the solution of the problem of the
regulation of the saloon. We all know
how spineless City Council becomes
when the question Of the revocation
of liquor license comes before it and
how the average alderman hesitates to
take action that he fears may offend
the local saloon element even when he
knows that the offending saloon man
has been fairly convicted in a court
of law of acts that should be followed
by the loss of his license. We do not
have to go outside Of Kenosha to re
call instances of the failure of a
Council to act in cases of the kind.
One Of the principal recommendations
for this law is the fact that it puts
the defendants on trial before men
who will be uninfuenced by local con-
ditions in any way and to whom moth
ing should appeal, BAT the merits of
the cases as presented, This bill is
said to be the outcome of investiga-
tions by experts in the pay of the
brewers and the liquor dealers asso-
Citations and to embody their ideas as
to the methods to be taken for the
proper regulation of the saloons IN this
state. Ever since the prohibition
movement in Wisconsin began to get
dangerous the liquor interests have
promised to regulate the saloon bust
ness and this bill is the first step il
that direction. Although these inter
ests were strong enough to kill the
county option bill at this session they
can see plainly enough that the meas
ure is going to be resurrected agar
next year and that it is the part OF
wisdom to fulfill some of the promises
to reform made to the people, This
bill will give them a powerful weapon
in the fight against county option fol
it will appeal to many men who, while
they believe that the time has come tx
Regulate the saloon business, are no
yet prepared to vote for prohibition
With this law on the statute book,
they would be disposed to wait ant
see how it works out before proceed
ing to extremes.