The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1912-08-08

The Up-to-Date Club of the Youngs.
town Y NJ. c. A. is one of the many
religious bodies of the state advocat.
ing the adoption of the liquor license
amendment despite the fact that the
amendment is opposed by the Anti.
Saloon league officials
Attorney J. p Wilson, speaking be-
fore the club in their Y. M. C. A. rooms
with number of prominent Youngs.
town ministers present, recently gave
a very interesting discourse on the
question of license. The Vindicator, in
reporting the meeting, said:
Defines License.
Mr.. Wilson asked that the discussion
be free from rancor. He said it was
question which often caused the best
of friends to clash, families to disa-
gree and neighbors to quarrel. He
first defined license as follows: The
power to limit the number of saloons
in given community by its population
and the power to determine the fitness
of the man to handle the liquor rela.
ative to his record, ability and disposi-
tion to obey the law. And last to have
the power on the first infraction of any
restraining law to close him out of
such business forever.
mot one of these things can Ohio
do now owing to the fact that in her
constitution she prohibits the sale of
liquor" said Mr.. Wilson. All principal
countries of Europe have adopted the
license system and have strict regula-
tions. The most of them embody the
regulations mentioned. France took
up license in 1851, Austria in 1885,
Russia in 1861, Germany in 1869, Swe-
den in 1875 and Great Britain in 1872.
In these countries, too, a great deal of
liquor is drunk in accordance with the
population, yet there is little intoxica-
the analogy does not hold as we must
admit that the Anglo-Saxon can not
control himself in regard to liquor.
License Best Regulator.
eve have tried license in Pennsyl-
vania, Minnesota and Nebraska and
an investigation in these states among
people of unbiased opinion is that the
license produces the best results. Even
Minnesota with its large populations of
Swedes, Firms and NorWegians, con-
ceded to be heavy drinkers, has the
nf nf
twelve states comprising the northern
center.
In 1851 Ohio adopted license sys-
TEN. Liquor was sold at cross roads
and in small inns and taverns. The IL
cense provided that the proprietor of
an inn or tavern keeper could sell
not less than one quart of liquor to
each patron and that it could be drunk
on the premises. There was no re-
straining law, no closing ordinance
and nothing said about selling to min
ors. Liquor was sold just like grocer
les or as you would sell anything in
accord with the common law and all
over the state people started to COM
pete with the taverns by selling it by
the barrel and can.
Make Saloons Bad?
at was later contended that as it re-
quired license for a saloon, to wipe
out the licenses would thereby abolish
the saloons. With this done the peo-
pie could then sell by common law
One delegate to the constitutional con-
vention at that time said: Throw
open the liquor traffic to the dregs of
humanity and make the business so
odious that no one would deal in it.
Soon the influence emanating from the
| dives and thugs joined hands with the
temperance advocates and saloons
| sprang up unfettered. The temperance
people said let it become so obnoxious
that it will eradicate itself" He traced
the history of temperance legislation
| down todate. Continuing, he said: THE
Dow tax and Aiken law requiring an
annual tax of $1,000 upon saloonists
| finally followed and are in force to-
| day. Restrictive laws were enacted
| and provisions made against selling
drink to minors. The screen ordinance
also came. But this $1,000 is merely
a tax and is not license. The sa-
loonist just the same as grants the
right to himself to sell liquor. No one
says he can not do it so long as he digs
| up the $1,000. No matter who he may
be or whether he is fresh from the
penitentiary, the state can not stop
him. If he violates any of the restric,
| tive laws he gets his fines and costs
and the business goes on just the
same. He can even serve a term in
| Jail and know that the money is stiH
coming in over his bar We can not
| tax him out and we can not send him
to jaid long enough to keep him from
coming back.
''If every saloonist would be required
to pass rigid inspection and bear a
good reputation the number in Youngs,
town would be cut 40 per cent. Let a
| saloonist take license subject to ev.
cry restrictive law on the statute
books and let him know that on the
first violation he loses his right to sell
| forever"