164 Urdahl—The Present Fee System in the United States. 
or excise commission, which grants all licenses and turns half 
the proceeds into the state treasury and grants the other half 
to the counties and municipalities. In some states the counties 1 
are the most important political units, and the county commis¬ 
sioners or county boards are given power to grant all licenses. 
In others the cities, 2 villages, and towns are given this power, 
and are allowed to use some or all the revenue derived from this 
source. 3 But as a rule the state legislature gives the counties, 
cities, or towns power to grant the license only under the con¬ 
ditions it prescribes. In some states these are allowed a great 
deal of latitude in imposing restrictions on their grants, and 
oftentimes, too, in prescribing the amount of the fee. In a few 
states the localities are given “local option,” as it is called, or, 
in other words, power to allow or entirely prohibit the sale of 
liquor within their boundaries. 
Pennsylvania 4 charges from $300 to $1,000 according as the 
yearly sales vary from $500 to $10,000. California 5 graduates 
the charge from $60 to $480 per annum according as the amount 
of sales varies, from less than $5,000 to $120,000 per annum. 
Arizona 6 varies the wholesale license fee from $120 to $500, in 
the same way, and charges $200 for each saloon license. But 
this system has not given entire satisfaction, as it is almost im¬ 
possible to obtain reliable returns of the amount of sales. 7 
Still another system is that in use in the state of Washing¬ 
ton, 8 which prescribes a minimum and maximum license fee for 
counties and cities. Some commonwealths prescribe a certain 
license fee to be collected for the state, and allow the counties 
to charge a county license for their own use up to a certain 
1 North Carolina, 1896, p. 123; Oregon, 1885; Texas allows counties one- 
half again as much as the state fee, for their own treasuries. 
2 Nebraska, 1889, Ch. 33; Ohio, 1883, Ch. 132. 
3 Washington requires ten per cent, of all license money to be paid into 
the state treasury. 1882, par. 2. 
4 Laws , 1891, 248, par. 1. 
6 California Code, of 1885, 3376, 3378. 
6 Arizona, 1887, 2233-2243. 
7 The fee is usually estimated on the basis of the sales of the year pre¬ 
ceding. 
8 Washington, 1882, par. 2; Connecticut, 1883, Ch. 137, par. 5. 
