Los Angeles herald., 1909-05-03
TAKE SALOONS
FROM POLITICS.
CRY OF LEAGUE
FAvoRS ELIMINATION OF LAW
BREAKERS
MODEL LICENSE SUGGESTED TO
REMEDY LIQUOR ABUSES
General Counsel of National orsanza-
General Counsel of National organlza-
ton Visits Los Angeles and Ex-
plains Regulation Wanted
by Reform Dealers

ing into local cOnullionS esiiN - 80
eating local laws in order to ascertain
wherein they differ from the laws for
the regulation of the traffic IN liquors
advocated by the league he represents
He has interviewed members of every
branch of the trade in Los Angeles and
reports that he finds large majority
of the firms in favor of the law he ad-
Pvocates and in sympathy with the
motto of the league, Take the saloon
out of politics and the lawbreaker out
of the saloon business"
Captain Smith will address an audi
ence at the ST. Francis hotel, san
Francisco, May II, on the subject, The
Divorce of the Saloon from Politics"
1.-THE National Model License-league
was organized about eighteen months
ago." said the captain yesterday, by
a few representative men from all
branches of the liquor business who
declined to bear longer the burdens OF
the unworthy ones in the trade. IN
der the leadership of President I. M
Gilmore, it has grown into a natlonal
organization, with the leading firms IN
ali branches of the trade from Massa-
chusetts to California as advocates OF
its reforms and members of the league
''The National Model License league
is composed of those firms and persons
engaged in every branch OF the nquor
trade who recognize that the evils or
the trade must be eliminated, no less
for the benefit of the public than for
the benefit of the trade itself.
Would Eliminate Dives
"Haying come to the conclusion that
the dive is a menace to the trade ana
has no proper place in the business,
thew seek to eliminate the dive by the
massage of laws that Will regulate no.
only If the proprietor is IN PAD VIII
r M O11lU If he is at
outs' with the administration, but THAT
will regulate all the time, and that are
60 certain in their operation that all
chance of escaping the penalty Tor
violating the law will be eliminated.
'sIf YOU so frame law that IL pays
better to disobey than to obey IT, anu
counle with it penalty so loosely
Ss,s,.,aa that any politician can offer
humanity to the Vloiator' Aiu'iis'ii 10
is tried too far.
"nxfsting laws all over the country
eo;I because too uncertain in their pen
atty. 80, .tan the
severity of punishment that oeters
from crime, and once you let IL pc IN
derstood that second convlc tl 10
a violation will carry with 1t the GER
tain loss of license, the dealer N
riouors without regard to his moral
standing. will obey the law to the let
ter, or IL he does not will be eliminated
from the business by reason OF ms
loss of license.
Penalty Must Be Certain
ar the continuance of dealers
license depends not upon his pull but
upon his conduct, he Will be good Ior
his own protection. If the laws are so
framed that the penalty for violating
the law is certain and is the eiininas
ton from the business by the loss OF
license the dealer will be law ABIDING
for his own protection.
1.-THE man engaged in the liquor busl-
ness Is censured for his activity in poll
tics. He has been forced into the pont-
zeal arena by the politician who offered
him immunity or who threatened him
with dire displeasure unless ne agreed
to do the politicians bidding.
1.-THE intelligent dealer in liquors re-
alizes this and wishes to be emanci-
mated from the domination of the poll
tician model license law would ac-
complish this much to be desired
divorce. If the dealer was operating
under law so stringent and certain
in its provisions that the politician
could not effect his license, could
neither bring about his unjust nor pre-
vent his just conviction, could neither
decrease the penalty for violation by
fayoritism nor increase the penalty. by
antagonism; il the politician could Of
fer no favors nor make effective
threats, the liquor dealer would not be
forced into politics in order to protect
his business, and would gladly take
only such interest in politics as is
taken by other business men.
Members of Trade in Line
members of the trade are awake to
the situation and are DESTROYS of fore
ing every dealer to obey the law or
quit the business This is proved by
the fact that the National Model LII
cense league has a large membership
In nearly every state in the Union, and
wherever its provisions have been ex-
plained the trade has Endorsed the
movement and become members of the
league.
while it is a recognized fact among
the thinkers in the business that the
public demands strict regulation, the
great majority of dealers are jealous
of their good name and their stand
ing in the community and are DESTROYS
of eliminating those who have brought
shame on a business that is respect
able in the country where it is best
regulated, Germany. and they pro-
pose to do their part to regulate it
here. so that only one who strictly
obeys the law can remain in it.
"This is no spasmodic reform sug-
gested as a saver from wrath; it is
an intelligent, honest, earnest effort
on the part of those in the trade who
believe that from every standpoint reg
ulation that will regulate is preferable
to prohibition that does not prohibit"
Provisions Of Law
Briefly, the model license law, pro-
vides
First-For new license to issue to
present holders.
Second-For the limiting of the num-
Der of saloons according to inhabitants.
Third-The penalty for violations of
the law to be certain and to be for
the first conviction thirty days sus-
pension of license, for the second con-
viction cancellation of license and
the holder should be forever Ineligible
to hold another license in the state
And there should be no ambiguity in
the law, and no discretion allowed
prosecutor or judge. The penalty
should be part of the findings.
Licenses should be renewable as a
matter of course, nothing preventing
save the conduct of the holder or the
vote Of the people.
1.-THE present prohibition wave is a
recurrence of sentiment that has
ebbed and flowed since the time of
Christ" continued Captain Smith. HAS
had it's flood when abuses in the liquor
traffic forced the attention Of the pub
lie and has receded as the Intellectual