Omaha daily bee., 1910-02-12


The National Model License league is an
organization whose active and associate
members are men interested directly and
collateraily in the legalized manufacture
and sale Of alcoholic beverages. 1t exists
for the avowed purpose Of advocating the
I enactment OF laws designed TO take the
liquor question out Of politics and to put
the lawbreakcrs out Of the liquor business"
The model license law was formulated at a
meeting Of ten men In Louisville In Oc-
tober. 1907. and was submitted to the trade
and 10 the public at a convention held in
Louisville In January, 1905. The latest
meeting of the league was in st. Louis last
week.
The leagues official solution OF the
liquor problem comprises four principal
clauses as follows: Permanent licenses,
automatic suspension and cancellation OF
licenses for law-breaking. limitation OF
licenses in proportion To population. and
moderate license fees. The first clause is
the most radical of the four, and is the
most difficult TO advocate successfully
in view of the fact that It is 50 readily
branded as an attempt to perpetuate the
liquor business. The league officers say
that the automatic renewal clause has but
one object and that is TO take the liquor
dealer out Of politics by making him indie
pendent of political licensing boards.
1t is commended by the league that when
ever a mans right to enter and remaIn in
business is subject to a great extent to
/ the goodwill of a politician, that man
must necessarily take an active interest
in politics. 1t is suggested that the licensed
liquor men who violate the law do so for
profit, and tina IL Misunderstanding is made
I ,.npr,fINobIo Nboaa nffan.ap ,yt1 naoua
Much stress is laid on the desirabiity of
passing no laws except those that nave
the loyal support Of all citizens. In other
words, If the law is fair to both the dealer
and his customer, neither will have any
desire to break It.
The theory OF the league is that the OPP
Grafton of a model license law would pre-
vent the continuance of an undue number
Of licensed places by giving full play to
the law of the survival Of the fittest. Ac-
cording to this view the number Of per-
manent retailers would adjust ITSELF. II
too many licenses were issued the surplus
number would be forced 10 withdraw for
lack of patronage, II some yielded to the
temptation to violate the law they would
be forced out Of business by the operation
of the mandatory clauses compelling the
suspension and cancellation OF the licens s
Of law-breakers. The league holds that IL
the retailer has political independence
and a profitable business which he can
retain so long only as he conducts Il ac-
cording to law, he will be most anxious
to obey the law
The handbook recently published by the
liquor interests contains a summary Of
every argument thai may be advanoed by
the anti-temperance people. 1t claims that
Nowhere else can such cleanliness be found
as in the brewery and distillery. and says
that the dairy people ought to visit an
up-to-date brewery for an object lesson
in keeping things clean. Every bottle is
sterilized in very hot steam, all water Is
filtered and distilled and the beer is then
~pastuerized to catch the stray germ that
might otherwise survive. Then the bottle
Is made air-tight and goes to the con-
sumer about Us germ free as anything
can be. Since a London committee of
scientists declared beer to be a food thu
brewers claim to offer the cleanest food
ON the market.
This book also claims that in italy,
where men, women and children drink
wine at their meals, there is less intern
perance han in America. Ex-Ambassador
White is quoted to this effect, and he de-
clares that he found the same true in
Germany, where everybody drinks beer.
The book also claims that the men engaged
IN the manufacture of beer and whisky
are the best paid workmen in the country,
and offers statistics from the census office
to prove les statement. The LIQUOR inter
ests claim to pay in state and federal rev.
enues the annual sum of $3.50, 900, 900, with
an added S70,OOo,000 for taxes. They claim
to represent an investment Of nearly a
billion dollars. The capital tied up in the
manufacture Of spirituous and malt liquors
amounts to more than $500, 900, 0O0, and the
retail bushes represents the rest.
1t Is declared that while nearly $4,000 re-
tailers and some 100 wholesalers were put
out of business by restrictive legislation
last year, the government figures show a
heavier consumption of liquors during 1909
then during the previous year; and that the
temperance legislation simply Is restricting
the number of dealers but not the number
of consumers. However, the previous year
was the panic year, and probably that
fact was not taken into the reckoning.
Advioes from the wine producing coun-
output of wines amounted to 3,S6o, 00O, 900
gallons, OF which France and italy pro-
duced two-thirds. The wine output of the
United States represents only 1 per cent
Of the worlds vintage. II Is said that the
R00M CAVIAR E0R pRENIDENT