Salt Lake Telegram | 1934-04-30 | Page 4 | Utah's Liquor Question

UTAH'S TAH'S LIQUOR QUESTION T E public hearing ng 1 hy the thc governors governor's control J S advisory p committee n liquor showed that on proposed l legislation were very far apart on many vital ital points If von 1 let lct politics moncy and revenue be guide you will not replace the thc bootlegger bootleg bootleg- ger one speaker speak r declared in In alg arguing mg In f favor fa- fa the state into the liquor hUSI- hUSI vor 01 of putting ness ness- to handle aU all sales With part of his argument it would be impossible im- im un- un politics money moner anti and possible to that disagree revenue do not point the wn way p to re reform orm But Butto ut to confine liquor sales to state dispensaries the Ule bootlegger and al alother would only perpetuate other forms of liquor law aw violations Sentiment Senti- Senti ment at the hearing was fairly unanimous on that point There can calf be no question but that Utah's vote vole on repeal was expressive ive of the demand of the people throughout the state for reform The rule of the underworld had become too obnoxious obnoxious ob- ob noxious longer to he be tolerated by a citizenship which champions law observance The people w were re sick md and tired of the bootlegger moon moon- shiner and all others engaged in on a big and a small scale They wanted all the evils that grew grer around prohibition swept out completely We y c ought to be able to read the handwriting ing on time the wall At the time state and federal federal fed fed- eral prohibition was wiped out in Utah UtaJI we were told that we had a fool proof and watertight liquor that law until the legislature legislature legis- legis lature should enact otherwise only the sale of lawful beer would be permitted in the state Instead of that the state is wringing wet today with high power liquor and foul con con- One must doubt that there is s less ess hard liquor vended liere now than in the prohibition prohibition pro pro- era Certainly it is less difficult to Im buy Certainly it is for sale ale openly in more mOle places than ever cel No Ko matter how many arrests are made how man many convictions obtained or how stiff the penalties for law violations the business is not in the least curtailed The answer seems to be simply this Those who want their liquor will have haye it ConS Con Con- S in getting it is the main tion If it is stealthily sold naturally the price is hi higher ber Wine and liquor sales under present conditions perpetuate all the worst features of the called so-called dr dry er erI A. A state dispensary as the exclusive place of retail sale will only aggravate an condition for which there is a simple remedy remey That remedy is s sale under restrictions only rigid enough to insure the practical possibility of efficient police control a reasonable revenue rev rey to finance enforcement anti and administration tion of the law and to to insure that minors will have the ultimate in protection against illegitimate traffic It is of course to be a that the law should legalize no sales to those of either sex under 21 years of f age If the law is loaded with unwieldy proVisions pro pro- provisions Visions and if it seeks revenue as a prime consideration consideration con con- both high prices and the mean mean- in obtaining liquor will only furnish advantage to the tho underworld V We c should have had our fill of bl blue e nose liquor laws Jaws S With regulations which should assure character char cliar- acter and responsibility on the part of ownership owner owner- ship and management sales by the glass should be permitted in clubs restaurants and hotels Reputable commercial concerns should not be denied the right to fo make package sales Penalties Penalties Pen Pen- for violations of the Jaw aw should be of sufficient severity to be effective deterrents o of lawlessness Moreover they should specifically set out minimum and maximum limits in order to obtain something pear uniformity in the handling of liquor cassin 8 in courts courtR If the legislature enacts a s law lav and if it is a and d consistently enforced enforced en- en forced Utah will realize th the objectives it h had hadin d in in mind in in voting for repeal Public opinion will back such law If f we do not profit from the le lessons ons of the past we shall face conditions worse than any we have exp experienced either under or or prohibition laws The people of Utah 10 o not want the state wringing ringing wet nor do th they y want to attempt again to make it desert dry They voted for temperance Temperance can only be achIeved under a sense common law rigidly enforced S ed accompanied by temperance education tion on in ill the home and ana in appropriate social institutions