The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1912-08-15
ASK SOLONS FOR
LICENSE DETAILS
Great Interest Is Manifest In
License Bill AS Pro-
posed BY Con. Con.
DRY COUNTIES Unaffected
In a Nutshell II Means: Wherever
Saloons Exist They Must be IL
eensed and Regulated.

Columbus (Special)-Members OF
the Constitutional Convention who are
daily dropping into the capital since
the completion of their gigantic task
report that they are being literally be
sieged by the home folks for informa.
ton relative to the details of the sa
loon license proposal which is to be
submitted at the polls September g.
along with the 40 other suggested
amendments which represent their
five months of work.
Members say, almost without excep.
tion, that the license amendment will
be overwhelmingly carried; that the
proposal, as finally adopted, has been
moulded into such excellent shape
that II will receive the support Of the
less radical "drys" as we'll as the less
radical "wets."
In other words, it will be ratified at
the polls by the middle-of-the-road ele.
ment exactly as it was finally whip
ped into shape by the middle-of-the-
readers among the delegates in the
convention.
Extends Regulation.
The proposal in its final form pro-
vides that saloons shall be licensed
wherever they exist, thus bringing ev.
cry saloon in Ohio under effective
regulation and restrictions such as
never have been nor never will be pos
sible under the present constitution.
The chief points of the proposal may
be summarized as follows:
l. Any licensee more than once con.
victed shall have his license taken
away, at once and forever! This gives
the state the club to be held over the
dive-keeper which social economists
seeking to solve Ohio's liquor question
have sought for year.
2. No alien can be granted a H.
cense.
3. Licenses can be granted only to
persons of good moral character, thus
laying the constitutional groundwork
for law denying licenses to ex-con.
victs, criminals, etc. Under the pres
ent constitution any person may enter
the saloon business by simply paying
the tax and opening his front door.
Limits Drinking Places.
4. Saloons are limited to one to each
500 of population in each township or
municipality. Figures prepared show
that this will relieve a serious condi.
ton in many localities where there
are now far too many saloons and
where this ratio will permit plenty tC
supply every legitimate demand fol
drinking places
5. Any municipality may further de
crease the number of saloons through
its local governing body.
6. Provides for a local licensing au
thority, by declaring that the saloon
shall be in the county where the board
is located, or in an adjoining county
7. Eliminates the brewery-owned sa
loon by providing that license shal
not be granted to any person pecuni
arily in the liquor business conducted
at any other place. This is drawn tt
prevent brewery, or any other cor
poration, from having chain of sa
looms in any single city or scattered
throughout the state.
Safeguard Local Option.
Not the least important features O
the proposal are the safeguards to ex
isting laws, and the specific guaran
tee of the rights to further enact al
forms of regulatory and prohibitory
laws. The four present local optior
units are specifically mentioned, anC
it is definitely provided that while pro
hibition is in force in any of these dis
tricts, either now or at any future
time, the license system shall not op
crate therein during the period the!
are in force.
In other words, if the proposal il
ratified by the people, license and 10
cal option will 90 hand in hand. Tht
saloons can be voted out at any tim,
where a majority of the people so de
cree; but where they are permitted
to operate they will be forced to oper
ate under the stringent restriction