The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-12-16
Wisdom of Rigid Laws and
Their Enforcement After a
Long Delay Has Finally
Dawned on Them.
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF
FRIENDLY ASSEMBLY
And, After Repeating County
Option Act, Will Introduce
Bill Providing Stringent
Restrictions.
palladium specially

palladium Speeian
Indianapolis, Dec. 16.---Now that
they have legislature which they
believe will be friendly and fair with
them. the brewing interests OF Indi-
ana intend to give the good people an
idea of what they consider good tenn
psrance legislation. A bill Is now in
preparation which If passed, the brew
ing interests believe Will take the IL
quor question out of politics in Indi-
ana for at least another generation.
1t has taken some of the liquor In.
terests long time to see the wisdom
of rigid laws and their enforcement.
but they have been forced to 1t by
the certain knowledge IL the abuses
that now exist in the majority OF cit.
les where there are saloons are per-
mitted to continue, the state will go
dry. study of various county op-
ton fights within the past two years
has convinced the most stiff necked
of the liquor men that II was the
abuse of the liquor business rather
than the use of liquor that drove coun.
ties dry.
To Seize Advantane.
For their own salvation, therefore,
the brewers have decided to take
advantage of friendly legislature
and clean up"
The bill which they have In prep.
aration will not be introduced until
the bill repeating the county option
law is out of the way. Their bill will
not be party measure, for they ex-
nect TO secure as many Republicans
for It, proportionately. as they CO
I Democrats.
/ It will provide for the following ad-
ditlonal restrictions upon the LIQUOR
traffic.
| First. fiat license of $500 Some
I wanted ii 1000 and some wanted il
! $3.50. but $500 was selected as d happy
medium. The brewers would have lik.
| ed to have made 1t license grad
uated according to the size of the citv
but fears of the unconstitutionality OF
such provision deferred them, and
they settled upon high license OF
$500
|
ber of saloons to one to every 500
population. Where the number ex-
ceeds that now 1t will be lessened au-
tomatically by the expiration OF II.
censes.
"Rowdies" Must Go.
Third. rigid enforcement OF law
The tough. rowdy saloon keeper must
go. The traffic has stood for him long
enough-too long. The saloon keeper
who persists in breaking the laws is
menace to all the business. His sin
is visited upon the heads OF all his
associates. no matter how law abid-
ing they may be: one chronic violator
of the law in a community gives his
reputation to all the saloon keepers
1t is peculiarity Of the trade that
it is judged by It's worst representa-.
tives, not its best.
| Now 1t is optional with the authori-
ties to suspend or revoke a saloon
keepers license for law violations.
Under the bill. which the brewers will
introduce and push to enactment, the
/ first offense makes 1t compulsory up-
on the authorities to suspend the II
cense for thirty days. The second Of
fense makes it compulsory upon the
authorities to either suspend the IL
cense sixty days or revoke 1t altogetll-
er; discretion is given only In select
ing the alternative. But the third or
fense makes 1t mandatory upon the
authorities to revoke the license OF
the offender and make It impossible
for him to get 1t renewed for a length
OF time
1t was thought at first that in addi-
ton to this the bin would provide that
no property occupied by a saloon
closed for the third violation OF the
law could be rented for use Of saloon
within certain period, but this was
found unconstitutional and was drop
ped.
/ Brewery Saloons Go.
/ Fourth. the brewery-owned saloon
must go. The hardest fight was wag-
ed upon this clause within the brew
ers' organization, but 1T will be in the
bill and it will have teeth. The fight
was, not so much among the Indiana
brewers, as they all agreed the brew
lery-owned saloon was a source OF
weakness and financial loss more Of
ten than otherwise, and they would
prefer to get out of the business OF
backing man in the saloon business.
4 The sticking point came with the
brewers who do business In cities OF
Indiana worthy the attention Of the
big outside breweries. It was repre-
sented that at one time In Indianap-
oils an agreement was reached by All
Indiana brewers to cut out backing -
looms, but that a. soon - they With
drew their support from saloons, out
side breweries in MilN1nkee. Chica-