The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-04-01
BEFORE THE LAWMAKERS.
Catholic Transcript. /,


 The Excise committee gave a hear ing last week to the proponents and the opponents of the bill limiting the granting of licenses to one in every thousand of the population. College professors, social workers. the clergy, the legal profession as well as lay men in other walks of life, were pres ent to show forth the reasons why there should be a still further reduc- tion in the number of saloons. The last Legislature. restricted the number of saloons to one in every five hum dred of the population. The temper ance advocates maintain that the re- striction is practically ineffective as it 0oes not prevent County Connis- sioners from re-issuing old licenses. affecting, therefore, only the issue of new licenses. It were idle to assert that the advocates of the proposed legislation do not know the wishes of the substantial citizens of Connecticut. No attempt to discredit their famil- iarity with the sentiment of the con- servative citizenship of the common wealth, should pass unnOticed. These are the constructive forces of society, no matter what the destructive agen- cies or their representatives may say to the contrary. Their duties take them into the homes of the suffering poor, their acquaintance with the causes of poverty warrants them in refusing to credit the opposition with any monopoly of knowledge regarding the wishes of the saner portion of the community in a very vital question. The argument deduced from the si- fence of the two big political parties on the matter of restricting the grant ing of licenses may be dismissed at once when it is remembered that the liquor influences are admittedly po- AI., 0c lot forms as well as in determining the issues of political campaigns.
 It must be conceded that the op- ponents of the treasure made plaus- ible case for themselves in their pre- sentation of the practical working of the limitation law. AS it is not with in the province of legislative re- ton either the statements or deduc- tions of the opposition, he contents himself with a mere recital of impres- sions. Holding no brief for the pro- ponents of the measure before the Ex- else committee. he is free to remark that all the talk about the ''confisca- tion'' scheme did not appear to, inn limitation of licenses were favored by men whose sense of justice is at least as keen as that of the brewers asSO- citation. One of the arguments that seemed to have weight at the hear ing, was derived from the fact that the hue and cry made over the attack on vested property interests was not founded on a. solid basis. There are hazards in many lines of business. The liquor dealer must accommodate himself to the change in public sen timent and to the perils of the pub- lies awakened conscience. The prin- ciple of local option, which is part and parcel of our statute law, is built upon the possibility of educating the electorate to the needs of reform in excise legislation. But enough. When all is said, the fate of the proposed bill lies for the time being in the hands of the Excise committee. Vested in- terests are reputed to have their sin ister voices even in the halls of leg islation. The worldly-wise realize that there are decidedly practical men" in the lawmaking body who have been known to discard remedial measures conceived in the welfare of the people and to bend their bodies if Bacchus carelessly but nod upon them.