Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-10-26

IL
tractor overlords. Supreme Court Justice
Charles e. Hughes once said that next to
printers ink the saloon had the largest audi
ence that voted He put the church in third
place.
In the light Of the little band Of liquor
dealers in Councils one must consider the
organized business Of rum selling in Philadel-
pha as one Of the strongest assets OF Jim
McNichol and the Wares. Ethics should deny
this business a place in government, for It
is the one business that fills our prisons with
criminals, our hospitals with cripples, our
sidewalks with madness and our homes with
sorrow. But ethics to exist must have popu-
lar support
Ever since man in some early age discov-
cred that process of fermentation by which
sugar Is converted into alcohol and carbonic
acid, there has been temperance question
The archives of the ancient civilization con-
tain many references to the efforts Of priests,
sages and rulers OF the Orient to combat
selling and the evil Of drunkenness
Yet the forces Of John Barleycorn are none
the less powerful today.
In 1904 DIR. Benjamin Rush, distinguished
physician of this city, and a signer Of the
Declaration Of independence, wrote a treatise
the evils of intemperance that marked the
inauguration of the temperance movement in
America. 1t seems remarkable that the city
which furnished the torch for temperance
should prove to be the stumbling block for
local option.
If Pennsylvania were cut into two sections
with the Susquehanna River as q dividing
line the vote in the present Legislature west
Of the river would be IS for local option and
80 against It. In the eastern section there
are % votes for local option and So against It.
This makes 1t clear that the western section
of the State Is overwhelmingly for local op.
ton, while the eastern section is made to
appear equally strong against local option;
and were it not for Philadelphia the State of
Pennsylvania would probably long ago have
secured modification of the Brooks High
License Law granting the people the right of
local option. No mistake about it.
Which is interesting as showing the value
to the saloon of the alliance with THE Or
ganization." There are 1850 square miles,
representing IS per cent. of the population
of Pennsylvania already under no-license
The fight for local option is in the remaining
42,S32 square miles, representing the SO per
cent of the population which is under high
license. But for Jim McNichol and the
Wares, and the political bosses In the eastern
coal fields, the people of Pennsylvania would
be permitted to determine for themselves
whether they also wanted saloons.
We elect all Of our Representatives and
half of our Senate this fall, which fact alonS
makes the coming election one Of special con-
Germ to liquor dealers. They fear local op-
ton the entering wedge of prohibition
and are concentrating their strength to hold
the Senate. Hence the heavy assessments
laid against all branches of the liquor trade
1t Is not always temperance that kills the
licensing of liquor. In German American
township of Missouri that recently went dry
to the amazement of the temperance people,
resident made this surprising explanation:
I'VE simply got tired getting up at midnight
and putting away the boys horses So We
yust voted the town dry We could sleep
nights"
In Philadelphia besides the 1000 retail liquor
dealers there are 400 wholesalers and bottlers,
and so breweries. The retailers pay license
of $1,000 a year and wholesalers and bottlers
a license ranging from $500 to $1,000 yearly
Breweries are taxed on each barrel OF beer
porter and ale Originally high license was
created to check the evils arising srom indis-
Criminate selling, and secondly, 10 raise
revenue from the traffic. That it annually
provides the State with nearly $4,000. 900 and
the city with sS,5OO,OOO is we'll known, but
the moral advantages resulting are open to
question.
Because OF the tax they pay, liquor deal
ers now assert they are actual partners in
government, sharing their profits with every
body. One Of their friends, D. Clarence Glib
honey, Of local fame. is advocating the pas
sage of constitutional amendment to appro-
pirate enough money TO compensate the booze
merchants for losses they might sustain in
the event communities went dry. following
the establishment Of local option. Mr. Glib
honey has not proposed any recompense for
near relatives OF habitual drunkards cover
ing their losses.
Briefly scanning the liquor legislation of
the United States. instead of single home
geneous system, like those in the European
countries, we find II embraces wide variety
of systems based on the most diverse prin-
clples The Federal Government first exacts
S25 from every person engaged in the bust
ness. Thus no State can keep out liquor or
prevent It's consumption, but any State can
prohibit the manufacture and sale within its
borders.
In New York, by the Raines law OF 1896
the administration OF the liquor traffic passed
under State commissioner appointed by the
Governor with the consent Of the Senate. In
Boston the licensing is IN the hands OF a
police board appointed by the Governor; also
in Baltimore and St. Louis. In Washington
the licensing commissioners are appointed by
the President.
In pennsylvania the authority TO sell liquor
is vented in the court; practice dating back
TO 1878. and IL bears the stamp OF English in
Auencs In Philadelphia and Pittsburgh the
judicial granting OF licenses was for a time
given up in favor OF commissioners, but the
change was declared great failure and was