People's Pilot, Volume 6, Number 26, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 December 1896 — License Saloon Patrons. [ARTICLE]

License Saloon Patrons.

There is no charge for this suggestion; that in the revision of the saloon law this winter by the Indiana legislature, provision be made for licensing patrons of saloons. This woulc. relieve the saloonkeeper of a great deal of responsibilty. He would have no fear of selling to habitual drunkards, minors or other inelligible classes, for each patron would be obliged to produce his license before his glass would be filled. Nor would the law interfere with any man’s personal liberty, because no one would be forced to take out a license; it would simply restrict the saloonkeeper to selling only to licensed drinkers. Of course there would be a little expense attached to this plan, such as advertising the application the same as in applying for a saloon license, mere incidentals in so important a matter. The more we consider this proposition the greater its possibilities appear. Think for a moment what a splendid source of revenue this opens up for the public treasury. Why even at the nominal fee of 125 a year it would soon establish gold cure sanitariums in every county seat,

bdlld a high school in every township, gravel every turnpike in Indiana, and pension every disabled and aged person. Why the people could dig canals bigger than Gifford’s all over the state; they could equip an army large enough to whip Spain and free Cuba, all with the revenues from this grand scheme. There would be no trouble at all about the fees being paid, for if there is any one special purpose for which people can raise the wind it is above all other things for liquor. And should there be any good customer in temporary embarrassment, why the saloonkeeper could help him get his license just the same as the breweries now often help the saloonkeeper get his license. In fact it might pay, in the case of a first rate customer, to bear the whole expense of keeping up his license. It’s a grand, glorious, triumphant Cuba libre.