Los Angeles herald., 1910-03-17
MODEL LICENSE
ORDINANCE WILL
BE CONSIDERED
CAPT. D. M. SMITH ADDRESSES
WELFARE COMMITTEE
CHAMPION OF LIQUOR INTER-
EsTs OPPOSES HIGH TAX
Representative of Church Federation
Declares He Favors More Strin-
gent Regulations Than ln-
crease in Permit Price

NAPT. D. N. SMITH, general coun-
sci for the Model License league,
~ will draw a model license ordi-
nance and present it to the public well
fare committee of the council. The
committee invited him to do this last
night after Capt. Smith had made a
speech of about two and half hours
in which he discussed the proposed new
LIQUOR ordinance in detail. He opposed
the high license features and some OF
the details of the regulations, but sug-
gested more stringent regulation in
some instances than the ordinance pro-
poses as it stands
His address was answered by Nahum
Newby, chairman of the civic rlghte-
BUSINESS committee Of the Church red
Grafton. Mr. Newly advocated all the
measures of the ordinance except the
high license features, and in reply 10
a question by Councilman Andrews de-
clared he would be in favor of taking
off every cent of license if more strln-
gent regulations could be imposed
such as closing the saloons at O'Clock
in the evening.
Captain Smiths Address
In part Captain Smith said:
"a wear ago in my speech before
your City club l discussed at length
the dangers of high license. l opposed
then as | oppose now the leVylng OF
a tribute on the dealer in intoXicants.
The Rev. DR.. Chapman, some days
after l left, criticised me severely for
advocating high license. l did not au-
vocate high license in that speech, nor
can I understand how the reverend
doctor mstook me.
'aThe LIQUOR business is either right
or wrong If it Is wrong, increasing
taxation on it does not make 1t right
If ii is right, it should not be penal
lied.
advocates of high license generally
claim that it accomplishes three de-
sired ends: That 1t keeps down the
number of saloons. increases the money
loss if forfeited and brings into the
trade a better class of men. We need
not discuss the first. The number OF
saloons in Los Angeles is and has
been for many years limited in number,
a most wise provision. While II Is
true that the more n man pays for
license the more he loses if it be for
feited, it is also true that the old sys-
tenn prevalent in Los Angeles of per-
r1ittinr a man to transfer his license
TO some proper party gave greater
value to the license than any possible
raise in license could give IT; espe-
ciallv if a liquor dealer cannot he GER
tain from year to year of the wiling
ness of the city authorities to renew
his license no matter how obedlent
he may be to law. nor with what care
he conducts his place. The third con-
tention-that It brings a better ele-
ment into the trade-is Illogical ana
untrue The mere possession of money
is no guarantee of disposition to
obey law; it is no guarantee of mo-
EUww 20
decency. Quite often the best con-
Quoted place in the city is some mod
est little saloon where the proprietor
Is content to dispense the purest liquors
to comparatively few customers, at n
profit that brings him but a comfort
able living. This man will be driven
out of business by an undulv high
license, while the divekeeper VIII urge
his customers to take a few more
drinks of lower grade of goods and
flourish.
"Your proposed ordinance provides
that 81 per cent of the property owners
of a block may sign a remonstrance
against the granting Of license with
in the block Doubtless this change
was made to cure the abuses prevalent
under the old frontage consent law
but this new provision will invite
trickery from those who excuse sub
terfuge on the theory that the ends
justify the means.
Two Licenses to One Dealer
1.-THE provision of the proposed or
dinance forbidding the granting of re-
tail licenses to brewers and to whole
sale liquor dealers doubtless has in
view a most laudable object; to lessen
the activity of these interests in poll
tics. It is questionable whether this
provision, if it were held by the courts
to be valid, would accomplish this
end. The brewer and the wholesale
liquor dealer have been quite as active
when not engaged in the retail business
as when they held retail licenses.
"The provision combining the whole
sale liquor dealers establishment to
one room on the ground floor is an
unwarranteu interference with the
right Of a wholesale merchant to con-
duct his business with dispatch, COM
fort and convenience.
"This provision would force the
wholesaler to have his storeroom, Of
flee force, private desk, sales depart
ment, all in one big ground room floor.
1t denies him the right to have a tele-
phone booth or a clothes closet He
would have to build his place on one
corner of a subdivision and add to