The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1913-04-02
or Our Staff Corres.l

| having to do with excise matters is
| that which would limit the number
of saloon licenses to one to 1000 OF
| population of the town or city The
hearing held at the capitol last week
| before the excise committee, attract
| ed large attendance, and liquor dealers
and advocates of temperance waxe6
| warm in their arguments on the meas
| ure.
| One of the most forcefulI arguments
| addressed to the excise committee OF
| the present general assembly was de-
| Iivered by Attorney J. B. Klein OF
| this city, representing the business in
| terests opposed to the bill.
! The scheme is to limit the saloons
! to one in one thousand, to eliminate
! all saloons in excess of that humble
| and to make the law effective on Nov.
| 1, 1914.
Mr. Klein said that when the pres
| ent law limiting licenses to one to 500
population became effective, the Ii
censees had the right to expect to be
| left alone for a time at least We
| asked what argument the advocates
of the bill advanced. Is it to lessen
drink? Is it to decrease the list of
drunkards?
He quoted from the statement of
Gov. Baldwin on the excise problem:
due regard should also be paid in
| making any changes in our statutes
to such interests as may have be
Frequently a license represents the
main property of the holder and its
value rests in the time it has to run
and the reasonable expectation of re-
newaI.''
Quoting Chief Justice Brewer before
the Yale Law school in 1891 he recalled
this passage:
Il am here to say to you in no
spirit of obnoxious or unpleasant crit
icsm upon the decision of any tr1bun-
al or Judge, that the demands OF abb
solute and eternal justice forbid that
any private property should be spoil
ated or destroyed in the interests of
public health, morals or welfare with
out compensation
Arguing further against the confis-
catory phase of the proposed 1egisla-
ton he recalled the address of Chan
cellor Asquith in the House of Lords,
Feb 1905 who contended for a certain
com ensa tionEfor the holders of the Ii
cense to be extinguished by proposed
legislation.
Premier Gladstone. Lord selbourne,
Mr.. Chamberlain, Lord Chief Justice
Coleridge, and others of the same
standing were quoted to sustain the
contention that the holders Of licenses
that were to be extinguished were
entitled to com pensation-
Mr.. Klein then sought to combat
the argument that the reduction in
licenses, or other steps of prohibition
airy trend, would tend to eliminate
drink and drunkenness.
prohibition or decrease in the
number of saloons is not an untried
theory said he. 'It is no longer an
experiment From 1850 to 1860. II
states adopted Constitutional inhfbf-
tions against the manufacture and
sale of intoxicants and thereby con-
fiscated without compensation many
millions of property and struck down
many millions of revenue.
Vermont, Connecticut Rhode ISL
and, New Hampshire, Michigan, Hi
South Dakota tried the experiment
and the only fruit was an increase
in crime, an increase in drunkenness,
a increase in disorder, an increase in
taxes and decentralization of business"
The speaker said he had been told
by those whose memories extended to
the revolutionary period of Connec-
1854, prohibiting the manufacture and
sale of Intoxicating liquors, was the
appearance of speak-easies and fla
grant violations of the law, and a
tremendous dininution of the revenue
to towns cities and counties of the
state.
Thus it was that in 1872 the pres
ent license law was enacted.
eff the diminution of licenses pro-
hiibted the use of liquor said he,
that would be one thing, but it is
absolutely true, as government and
state statistics show, that there are
more arrests for drunkenness in no
license territories or where the pro-
position is one to a thousand or more, |
than in license territories and where
the saloons are in greater number,
and that the community as a COM |
nunity is not so we'll off,
Mr.. Klein contended that the meas |
ure is a prohibition bill, pure and
simple. If the people want prohibi- |
ton. he said, they would vote for it.
Il am not here to defend the sa-
LOOM said he 81 am not here to |
defend the liquor traffic from the |
standpoint of the saloon, but I am |
here to defend the rights of the cit |
liens of this state.''
Then he quoted figures to sustain |
his statement that neither dininution |
of licenses, no 2rohtbition, reduces |
drunkenness.
Among the figures he offered was |
a set showing that as the number of |
licensed cities diminished, from 1900 |
to 1909, the number of arrests for |
drunkenness increased. He argued |
that the effect of probationary
measures is the increase of the per
capita consumption and consequently
increasing drunkenness.
Mr. Klein then showed the effect
of the proposed legislation on COnnec
ticut. There are at present 2,345
licenses in the state,' said he FeThis
includes wholesale licenses not count
ed in the Limitation Act, but which /
the gentlemen on the other side now
propose to figure in 1 to 1000. Under
the law proposed it would reduce the
number to 941. In other words, the
contention of the gentlemen is to eli
inmate with one full swoop 1,4O4 sa-
looms which would take out of the
revenues now received $631, $780, He
asked what the state would do to re-
place this revenue.
Then he called attention to the alb
sence of any concerted action against
the bill on the part of the manufac-
turing and taxpaying interests. He
said there was no municipality seek
ing the measure. 1.-The only ones you
do find here are those who represent |
certain churches, which churches are
exempt from taxation said he.