Los Angeles herald., 1909-05-16
ANSWERS MODEL
LICENSE SPEAKER
ANTl-SAL00N Lacquer TALKS
BEFORE CITY CLUB
SAYS LIQUOR MEN SEE HAND
WRITING ON WALL
DR.. E. S. Chapman Declares Captain
Smiths Plan to Regulate Traffic
in Beer and Whisky Is
impossible

Dr. e. S. Chapman. state superin-
tendent of the Anti-Saloon league, was
the speaker at the regular weekly
meeting of the City club yesterday DR..
Chapman's address was in reply to the
speech delivered by Capt. D. M. Smith,
general counsel of the Model License
league, who appeared before the City
club week ago and told how his or
ganization intended to put such strict
laws on the statute books that the sa-
loon would be made a respectable bus
mess.
Every act must be judged by the
motive behind it," said DR.. Chapman.
I'VE must judge the speech Captain
Smith made here last week in the light
of the manifest motive that impelled
him to make that speech and the mo-
tive that induced the Model License
league to send him here to make 1t.
Who is Captain Smith? He is one of
the ablest lawyers in this country and
he is concentrating his strong person
atty, his great learning and his ability
to promote the traffic in strong drink.
Who sent him here? The Model Lii
cense league. What is the Model Lii
cense league? 1t is made up of men
engaged in the liquor traffic who have
seen the handwriting on the wall.
There are three classes into which
the liquor men can be divided. One is
that class that believes in no restric-
tion at all. A second class believes only
in the use of liquor in the home around
the family table and the third class
wants the liquor business made repu
table. 1t Is this third class that Cap
tain Smith represents.
/ why have these liquor men who
form the Model License league begun
asE 10. EnIrA -kC - ~ ~,
liquor business? Why didn't they be-
gin ten years ago? 1t is because they
know what has been sweeping over the
country. When the new statutes go
into effect there viii not be a southern
city where liquor may be legally sold
except New Orleans"
Liquor Men Condemn Saloon
At this point DR. Chapman picked up
a scrap book and read editorials from a
number of the leading liquor periodi-
Gals. These papers utterly condemned
the saloon, called it stencil in the
nostris of decent society and declared
it must be thrown overheard to save
the liquor business. If the saloon did
not go all would soon go together was
the burden of these themes and they
had an electrifying effect on his audi
ence, coming, as they did, from papers
devoted exclusively to the liquor inter-
ests
During the first 100 days of this year
$500 saloons were forced to colse their
DOORS" continued DR.. Chapman. 'In
1898 there were Gil square miles in the
state of California under prohibition.
In this area lived $500 persons. Now,
in the year 1909, there are $4,000 square
miles in California over which waves
the white flag and 100000 persons live
in this territory. These white spots
marked on the map would not appear
relatively large, for California is such
a big state, but combined they cover a
territory larger than the states of New
York and Massachusetts put together
81 am telling you why Captain Smith
came out here.
Captain Smith advises us to increase
the license tax. The higher the tax the
more questionable the means the saloon
keeper will use to pay it. High license
Is worse than useless as a dive eradi-
Gator. The license is the only thing
that saves the saloon. If it was not
for the license no saloon would be toll
Grated in any community for a minute.
BY advocating high license Captain
Smith tried to erect the only barricade
that can be erected to save the liquor
traffic. Captain Smith and every one
else knows that it will only be a short
time until the liquor traffic will be an
outlaw all over the country. He is
only seeking to stay the day of eXecu-
ton"
Courts Against Traffic
DIR. Chapman read the decisions of a
number of state supreme courts in
which the liquor traffic is condemned,
and one by the United States supreme
| court which declares the liquor BUSH
ness has no legal standing. One para
| graph of this supreme court decision is
to the effect that should the govern
ment be ocoasioned loss of revenue
by the prohibition of liquor selling the
| Ii fl,n
thousandfold in the increased health,
wealth and happiness of the people.
Captain Smith says take the saloon
out of politics and the law breaker out
of the saloon business" continued DR..
Chapman. why. If we did that there
wouldn't be any saloon business Under
the ruling of the supreme court sa-
loon keeper is breaking the law every
| day he remains in the saloon business.
Stop law breaking and you stop the sa-
| loon.
captain Smith said there are 500
blind pigs in this city. / am not sur
prised to hear It. The policy that pre-
walls in this city is we'll adapted to
produce blind pigs. A license system
anywhere is certain to produce selling
without a license.
at is tomfoolery to talk about taking
the saloon keeper out of politics. How
are you going to do it? BY passing
laws? Who makes those laws? The
law makers. Who elects the law max
ers? Why should we consult the sa-
! looms about what kind of laws we shall
make for them? Do we ask a thief
what shall be the laws governing
! pocket picking?
License Is lntrenchment
Captain Smith declared that regula-
ton that regulates is better than pro
Phibition that does not prohibit. Why
/ is it that prohibition does not prohibit?
! 1t is because these very liquor men who
are making this plea sell their goods to
violators of the prohibition laws.
Whenever a blind pig is raided it is
found stocked with goods furnished by
the liquor men who say prohibition
| does not prohibit.
II object to the Model License league
and it's principles, because the saloon is
an institution unfit to license. License
is an intrenchment for the saloon and
a higher license is stronger intrench- |
ment.'
William Kent will be the speaker at |
the CITY club next Saturday and Joseph |
w. Folk will be a guest of honor.
interpretations