The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1913-02-20
HANS0Ns LIQUOR BILL
WOULD MAKE MINORS
GUILTY IN PURCHASING
MEASURE FOR REGULATION OF
LIQUOR TRAFFIC iNTRoDuc.
ED IN THE SENATE.
Shoshone Member Offers What He Be-
lievcs Is Solution Of One Of the Most
Serious Problems in Enforcement
of the Statutes.

BOISE, Feb Ex-senator Hanson
OF Shoshone has introduced several
bills in the senate bearing on the sale
Of liquor to minors and to habitual
places the minor or the habitual
drunkard in position where they are
equally guilty with the saloon keeper,
Senator Hanson declares that in
many instances it is impossible for the
saloon keeper to accurately determine
the age OF suspected minor and says
that If boys under age, but who are
close to the legal limit want liquor it
is easy for them to tell a saloon man
that they are of age, and in that way
secure liquor Illegally. The senator
from Shoshone introduced bills MAX
ing the minor or habitual drunkard
who deceives the saloon man, equally
guilty in the eyes Of the law.
''All fair-minded men will agree
that the liquor traffic is one of the
great problems confronting the Am
erican people today" said Senator
Hanson. Its solution will never be
accomplished to the satisfaction of all
and it will be many years before the
conflicting views of those who are
earnestly seeking to solve il can even
be embodied in any compromise legis-
evils to the minimum and until that
time arrives the only reasonable meth
cd in which to handle the problem is
to attempt to abolish it in those To-
calities where majority of the peo-
pie believe in prohibition, and in the
so-called wet counties to restrict its
evils as successfully as can be done.
AT the present time Idaho is in the
local option column. Every good citi-
zen who believes in majority rule, and
every good citizen does, Will agree
that when the majority of the voters
of any county ask by their votes that
the county be made dry the legis-
lature should give them every reason
u ;,t. tn, tt,f. r,f, plrt nf
the law and bend every effort to its
rigid enforcement. BY this means on
ly can the real sentiment of the peo-
pie on the prohibition question be as
certaned.
To Draw Comparison.
"Irnder existing conditions in this
state provision has been made for a
fair test of the local option law by
legislative restrictions which give an
opportunity to fairly test it out. How
ever, very little provision has been
made for the same enforcement Of the
restrictions now placed upon the sale
of Intoxicating liquor in the wet
counties. Until this is done no fair
comparison can be drawn between the
desirability of local option or prohibit
ton and high license with strict reg
ulations.
after a serious consideration OF the
liquor problem for number of years
] have been led to the conclusion thai
the greatest evil connected with the
Hguor traffic is the sale of liquor to
minors and drunkards, Unscrupulous
are glad to take the chance of arrest
and punishment in order To make Il
few extra dollars profit. There are
many saloon keepers, however who
desire TO comply with the law and
they are entitled to some considera-
ton and assistance. Many boys
slightly under the age of II do not
hesitate to deceive the saloon men
as to their ages in order to secure the
liquor; and when boy does so
maintain that he is just as guilty
morally, as the saloon man, II not
more so, and being equally guilty he
should be punished with him when
the law is violated.
"When drunkard is probated 1t Is
very easy for him to secure liquor by
going to neighboring town. or, II
living in large city, by patronizing a
saloon where he is not known Under
the present law the saloon keeper can
be punished for such n sale but the
man or boy who deceives him into
violating the law goes free and this.
believe, is decidedly wrong.
Hard to Get Convictions.
by reason Of the existance Of these
conditions It is extremely difficult In
the wet counties 10 secure conviction
N I