The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-06-11
THE ONLY QUESTION,

of "wide-open town. but simply
question as TO who shall sell liquor
here. Those who vote "dry,' hoping
thereby to get prohibition, are abso'
lutely prohibited by the law from
getting prohibition. For, among the
many intricate. contradictory. confused
iumbled, uncertain, and unconstitu'
tional provisions in the liquor law, the
following section stands out clear and
strong:
Sec. f. Manufacturers. None OF the
provisions of this act shall be construed
as prohibiting or Intended TO prohibit the
manufacture OF lntoXica ting liquors or the
| disposal thereof at wholesale at the place
where manufactured and any manu-
racturer thereof shall have the right To
manufacture and dispose or the Same at
wholesale at the place where manufac
tured by obtaining a license therefor and
by complying with the other provisions OF
this act. and OF all other laws OF this
state relating 10 tho manufacture OF In
toHicating liquors and the sale thereof at
Wholesale, Notwithstanding the result OF
any election provided for In this act In
any voting unit created hereunder; pro-
vided, that no license shall be Issued IN
any manufacturer who was not legally
engaged in the manufacture OF intoXicaI- :
Ing LIQUOR at the time of holding any cleo
tion at which a ma 1ority OF the voters
vote against SALE"
That is found on pages 153 and I'D
Of tho session laws of Utah for 1911
On the opposite page, 155. a wholesale
dealer is defined as person partner
ship, or corporation which disposes ol
Intoxicating liquors in quantities of not
less than five wine gallons, except 10
a duly licensed liquor dealer what
ever that may mean. The controlling
fact. however, as that makers Of intoX.
icating liquors. including beer, wine
and spirits, having their establishments
in operation at the time Of the pas.
sage OF the law, are absolutely guar
antoed in that law the right to manu-
fscture and sell intoxicating liquors.
The liquor so sold may be drunk upon
the premises, as there appears nothing
in the law against this proposition;
so that every brewery can have beer
garden attachment. selling beer by the
keg, parties tapping and drinking at
their will And. since the right TO sell
is fully protected under the law, in
spite Of any vote that the people may
give, the right of promiscuous buying
in lots Of FIVE gallons or more is also
absolutely protected. Parties, associa.
tions, or clubs can, under the law, buy
beer, wine, or spirits from the manu-.
facturers and as such clubs, associa.
lions, or parties can tap and drink at
their pleasure without interference
but, of course. they cannot sell. The
party, association, or club that buys n
keg of beer have to drink that beer
themselves. To what extent clubs or
associations can maintain headquarters
and drink tho liquors thus bought with
out interference. and whether they have
to drink a purchase all at one session
or can establish headquarters ana
drink from time to time and from day
to day is question that will probably
have to be settled in the courts
But the main thing TO be considered
now is that the law guarantees many
opportunities for the making, selling,
and drinking of intoxicating liquors
so that there is no question OF prohi-
bition before the people of Salt Lake.
.It is, as the Deseret News has FIRE
quently pointed ont, and as President
Joseph +. Smith and other church
speakers make prominent in their ad.
dresses, merely the banishing of the
saloon. To down the saloon is all that
they pretend any desire or intention
TO do.
The purchase OF liquor by clubs or
associations, and the drinking Of that
liquor at the will of those who pur.
chase il, being fully guaranteed, and
this without paying any license, the
question naturally arises whether that
would be an improvement over the
present system. Indeed. so far as we
can see. associations or persons might
band together and have their headquar-
ters in places that are now saloons
and 60 there and drink their own pur-
chases without any interference of the
law, and without paying any tax there
for. IT appears TO be an absolutely
clear case, since the right of manu-
facture, sale. and of purchase is guar
anteed In the law, no matter what the
people may wish, as that desire may
be declared at the election. that the
only change possible through the vote
that is TO be taken on June 27fh is a
change in the method of handling the
liquor traffic. There is, first of all, as
stated, the right to sell and to buy;
the right TO drink on the premises of
the brewery, or to deposit the liquor
In some place agreed upon by the pur-
chasers, with the right of those pur-
chasers to go TO that place and drink
whenever they please There is, sec.
ond. the right TO buy and ship in by
express or otherwise in original pack
ages any kind. or any quantity, OF
| liquor that anyone sees fit,
The talk of prohibition. therefore
! under conditions thus established by
the law, is absolutely futile The