Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-10-09

regulations governing the sale of liquor
are more effective than any prohibition
law have ever known. Licenses to sci
liquor in the original package, to be car
premises are granted by the excise COM
mission of the provincial government
upon the payment of fee so large that
the business is Improbable except In
towns of considerable population and out
side of large cities. To get a license the
applicant must have an actual hotel
with accommodations for twenty-five peo-
pie in the dining room, pantry and
kitchen and twenty-five bedrooms COM
pletely furnished. and all these condi-
tions must be strictly complied with. Fur
thermOre there are no signs to indicate
where thirsty man can get drink. In
none of the eighty-six stations along the
Grand Trunk railway. between WINNIPEG
and Edmonton did l see the word ''sa-
loon or its equivalent on any signboard.
The nearest to il is a legal notice which
appears in the form of small sheet of
black enameled tin inscribed with the
words Licensed to sell spirituous and
malt liquors by the glass or bottle -
Some of them have the words ITO be
consumed on the premises"
"Blind Tigers" Thrive.
There are blind tigers Last year
100 persons were arrested in the province
of Saskatchewan for violations of the ex
else law, and 16S persons in Alberta
province. In each province four of the
accused persons escaped conviction. The
others who We're convicted lost their
licenses, and will never again be able to
obtain them: all of these paid fines vary
ing from $50 to $3.50. and where it was a
second conv ction the offenders paid fines
OF S1,OOO, and were sent to prison for one
year. n third conviction, is followed by
five years imprisonment and fine of
$4,000.
In Winnipeg. THE Wonder City" which
has drawn into its turbulent and excited
populace representatives OF every race
and cond ton of men, the Sunday law is
very strictly observed When . o'clock
arrives Saturday night the barkeeper in
every saloon throws q cotton spread over
his bottles and silverware. turns out the
lights and locks the doors until o'clock
Monday morning. and while il is no
doubt possible for the inflated to get
DIR nix in the meantime, a stranger is
deeply impressed with the manner in
which the law is enforced. The same
conditions prevail throughout all western
Canada.
There is very little crime. Seventy
seven per cent of the cases In the crimi
nal courts are larceny, embeZZlements,
frauds and swindl ng operations, while
only % per cent are cases of disorder,
are almost unknown. There are more
homicides in the District of Columbia
every year than in all Canada
Reasons for Good Order.
There are reasons for all this. and they
are apparent to every observing visitor.
In the first place the character of the
settler in the western provinces of Can
ada is unusual. They are almost entirely
men of education and property, engaged
In agriculture and mercantile transac-
tons, with very little manufacturing or
mining. There is nothing to attract
gamblers or adventurers. and there has
never been a cowboy population similar
to those picturesque characters that have
kept up the interest on the frontier of the
United States from the Canadian bound
airy to the Rio Grande. Among the peo-
pie of Canada there Is a reverence for
law such as is found in Great Britain,
and a respect for authority that is ex-
h bited in London and other British cities
whenever a bobby lifts his forefinger.
Another reason for this is the character
of the police who are kept free from
political influences. are almost all retired
soldiers with honor medals, are appointed
after examination into their morals and
as well as their mental qualffi-
cations and are promoted for merit.
Another reason is a simple, direct and
prompt proceeding of the Canadian
courts. They are intended to protect the
public and punish crime and vice. A
Judge in criminal court considers it his
business to ascertain all of the facts
bearing on the case before him, and the
rules of evidence are sufficiently elastic