The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-12-30
The saloon Limit Law.

The Saloon Limit Law.
Ottumwa, Ia, Dec. 81, 1910.
Editor Burlington Hawk-Eye: In
response to your very kind invita-
| ton am very glad to contribute the
| following with reference to the saloon
! limit law, statute enacted by the
Thirty-third general assembly as the
result OF bill introduced in the SEN
ate by myself:
! This statute is primarily law en-
| forcement measure. The mere limit
of one saloon to thousand inhabi-
tants and the consequent lessening Of
Improbable competition is small
part of its purpose. The limit of one
permit to each thousand people in
time will result in each permit gain
ing money value Under the old con-
dition no one would pay for permit
because he could go to the city coun-
Gil and get one without cost. Under
the present law, if there be as many
as one saloon to thousand people, a
man who seeks to enter the business
Il must buy a permit. and must buy
from one who is in the monopoly.
The permits thus have money value,
and this value will increase just as
the number of saloons is reduced I'M
der the provisions of the law.
Now, this increasing money value
of these permits can have but one eff
feet upon the men holding the same.
Such a man, if he has any business
sense at all, will endeavor to protect
a valuable property. 1t is to his inter
est to do SO, and the law thus gives
him the best reason possible for obey
, ing all of the provisions of the statute
, regulating the conduct of .aloons. II
, he obeys the law. he has permit that
is growing in value from day to day
He can sell it, or 1t will descend by
. the law of inheritance the same as
, any other property. This is true just
: as long as he obeys the law, but lei
: him sustain conviction of crime
against the liquor laws and the per
nit vanishes and he has nothing
which he can keep or can SELL moi
) can he again enter the business in
this state within five FEARS: and ever
, then he must find town where
there are less than saloon to {
thousand, or else he must buy a per
: nit from someone who holds one.
5 There are some towns in Iows
t where permit is worth several hun
r bred dollars, and in some instances
3 several thousand dollars. AS tim,
goes on, and the number of saloon,
grows less in proportion to the popu
t lation, the value attaching to Ties,
a permits will increase inevitably.
J. believe, therefore. that this increaa
e ing value. together with the certaint,
i of being put out of busin IS in tn,
r state, if the Law is not adhered to
has resulted, and will result in tn,
best enforcemnt of the law that W,
s. have yet experienced in Iowa.
/. A law seeking this result mereI,
), by exacting high license could no
d accomplish anything A high licens
e never discouraged large number o
l. men from attempting to conduct tn
saloon business. The higher the II
ceDse was fixed the more desperate
became the means adopted to pay th
y license, resulting in the sale of al
l. kinds Of stuff to all kinds of persons
d and at all hours A man in the bus
o ness under such circumstances wa
n compelled II he remained in tn
n business, to grasp every cent fror
n whatever source it appeared. II he 20
1t into trouble, his license was trans
il ferred TO his bartender and the bus
IF ness proceeded in the same mannei
!: Sometimes he would move to anothe
b town and repeat his experience, bu
n so long as he held on, his desperat
al business demanded desperate metl
r. DDS. ! believe that the limit fixed b
{, our present law destroys this elias
Ie of business BY the provisions OF til
At Law each man retains his permit unit
70 he IT, convicted of violation Then h
ID loses It and cannot convey 1t to an
Ii one. He thus eliminates himself, an
re no one can get a permit in his plat
IN until the number OF saloons in h
IL community is reduced to less the
ne one to thousand population Whs
De this point Is reached the permits b
come SO valuable that no man can /;