PROHIBITION IN THE UNITED STATES.

Evening Star, Issue 8267, 12 July 1890, Page 3

PROHIBITION IN THE UNITED STATES.

to thb HnrrOß, Sir, —Kindly find room for the following interesting chapter in the history of prohibitory legislation in America, which Mr K. L, Stanford is so desirous that the ratepayers of Dunedin should study. It is by a special correspondent of the ' V oiee,' writing from Lowell nnder date March 21—1 am, etc., Verttas Vinctt. Dunedin, July 8. The olty of Lowell, Mass., has now tried both low license and high license as methods of dealing with tho saloon. In 1887 we had 419 saloons paying an annual fee of 250d0l each, and 2, ."01 arrests for drnnkenners. In 1888 tho lioenso fee wax raised to flOOdol, and the number of saloons dropped to 217 ', still arrests for dtnnkenness inoreased to 2,930. Beginning May 1, 1889, the license fee was again increased, and we started tile year with twenty hotels paying 1,-100dol annual licenses eaoh, thirty-nine saloons charged an annual license fee of 1,300(U)1 each, and five more places paying from l.OOOdol to 1,200d0l eaoh, yet the year ending Novombor .'SO, 1889, again showed an increase in arrest* for drunkenness to 3,307. In fact, the attempted regulation of the liquor traffic In Lowoll, even under a 1,.T00d0l license system, with tho number of mloom restricted to one for every 1,000 population, has proved a most dismal failure, as the following brief exhibit of the city's experience during tho past five years cleariy bliowb:

Accordingly last DecemW Lowell voted No-License, and the new law takes effeot May 1 next. fince the vote for no-license in Lowell your correspondent has interviewed a number of prominent liquor-dealers of the place to obtain their views on the extreme high license and restrictive law now in forco. With scarcely an exception these saloonkeepers and liquor-dealers mourn the loss of the high license law (whinh many of its ;>dvocUp« confidently expectid would annihilate the rum-power) and bewail the coming period of no-lieense.

Vtar. Annual License Number (f Total Arrests for Fee. Saloons. ri ts. ness. 1HW . . S250 374 2,77t 1,682 ISKfi . 2.10 n79 :i.«!i3 2,220 1SS7 . 2f)0 41!) y,4.S4 2.601 JSS8 . f.CO 217 4,150 2,930 1*S0 • 1,300 04 4.SS7 3,307