OUR LIQUOR LAWS. 219 



with Lewiston, where, an official is said to have declared, " One 

 might as well try to turn back the current of the Androscoggin 

 River as to stop rum-selling." The existence of summer resorts in 

 some counties prevents a rigid enforcement of the law. 



Massachusetts has had since 1881 a local-option law which pro- 

 vides for the granting of licenses only in cities and towns voting at 

 the annual election or town meeting to authorize their issue. Places 

 voting " No " may grant druggists' medicinal licenses. Two commu- 

 nities in this State were chosen for study : Boston, the chief city and 

 center of the liquor trade, and North Adams, in the western part of 

 the State, one of the smaller communities under license. Various 

 supplementary acts have been passed since 1881. License fees have 

 been raised, so that a license to sell all kinds of liquor to be drunk 

 on the premises now costs one thousand dollars. The number of 

 saloons has been limited to one for each five hundred inhabitants in 

 Boston and one for each thousand in other places. 



Mr. Koren reports that " open and flagrant violations of the 

 liquor laws by licensed dealers are no longer of frequent occurrence. 

 This is the testimony not only of the police but of private organiza- 

 tions directly interested in the question. The licensees realize bet- 

 ter than before the nature of their privileges, and know that failure 

 to observe the conditions imposed is likely to result disastrously. 

 Sunday sales by saloons are practically unknown. Innholders may 

 be found, however, who resort to peculiar methods of registering 

 guests in order to sell liquor after hours under a guise of legality. 

 Those who are bolder are pretty sure of punishment when found 

 out. Few liquor shops would now dare to sell to minors where 

 their minority is obvious. Sales to intoxicated persons occur com- 

 monly, as a matter of course; and any one can obtain, without the 

 slightest difficulty, enough drink to produce intoxication. On the 

 other hand, numerous dealers persistently refuse persons visibly un- 

 der the influence of liquor." Illicit selling is confined within stead- 

 ily narrowing limits. There are still some kitchen bars in the poorer 

 sections of the city, whose best customers are the persons who come 

 in from the surrounding no-license towns on Saturday evenings and 

 Sundays for the avowed purpose of obtaining drink. 



The population of North Adams contains a large element of 

 factory hands, nearly all of whom are of foreign birth or extraction. 

 The saloons are confined within a small section where they are under 

 close supervision. " The general provisions of the law," Mr. Koren 

 reports, " such as those against maintaining screens and selling after 

 hours, are well observed. Sunday sales by licensed dealers even 

 in hotels are practically unknown. The revocation of licenses for 

 this cause has had a wholesome effect. A system of posting intern- 



