NORTH SHORE BREEZE. 
fas 
THE LIQUOR POLICY FOR MAGNOLIA. 
FREDERICK J. LIBBY. 
Three policies may be pursued in a 
small community like Magnolia regard- 
ing the sale of liquor. First, the com- 
munity may tolerate the illegal sale with- 
out license; secondly, it may license the 
sale; thirdly, it may allow no liquor 
to be sold within its precincts. “The 
first is lawlessness. “The second and 
third are license and no license respec- 
tively and come under the local option 
law of Massachusetts. Let us consider 
the three policies separately as they may 
be applied to our local situation. 
First, Toleration of Illegal Sate. 
This has been the policy of Magnolia 
in the past. It is based on grounds of 
expediency. Many have held and hold 
today that this is the best way to regulate 
a necessary evil. A license brings to the 
licensee a measure of independence. It 
is hard to convict him if he maintain a 
nuisance. An illegal seller is, on the 
other hand, at the mercy of the commu- 
nity. His business exists on sufferance. 
He will not dare maintain a nuisance and 
can be kept within strict limits. As 
liquor will be sold anyway, it is argued, 
this method of restricting the sale is the 
best that can be done. 
My observation is, that we have no 
just cause in Magnolia for self compla- 
cency over our so-called ‘‘ restriction’’ 
of the liquor-traffic, during the past three 
years at least. 
A licensed hotel-bar would — hardly 
have sold more liquor than was sold at 
the unlicensed bar of one of our hotels 
last summer, while six other places fash- 
ionable and otherwise, catered illegally 
to those not served with liquor there. 
There was no need of a license under 
such conditions. It is probably true that 
some restraint due to public sentiment 
was felt by the proprietors of these 
places. But that it was hard for any- 
body, even for minors and drunkards, to 
obtain all of the liquor they wanted in 
Magnolia I am inclined now to doubt. 
Moreover, the inevitable result of this 
policy is a steady.increase in the num- 
ber of illegal places. Onthe one hand, 
idle or vicious persons see in the situation 
an opportunity to make money easily, — 
because the liquor-trafiic is notoriously 
lucrative, —and on the other hand Jaw- 
abiding competitors are placed at a dis- 
advantage by having unscrupulous neigh- 
bors. If A serves wine while B dces 
not, B will suffer financially for his go: d 
morals and his conscience will be severe'y 
strained in a bad season by the injustice 
of the situation. Both of these causes 
have been operative in Magnolia with 
the logical result and two new places 
were to have opened the present season 
to sell liquor illegally. “Thus as a policy 
of restriction the toleration of illegal sale 
cannot fairly be called a success. 
Moreover, in this state of open  disre- 
gard of law the whole community is 
made particeps criminis. Noone here has 
pretended not to know that the law was 
being violated. Everyone has winked at 
itand connived in it. This enforced 
connivance in crime is impossible for a 
healthy community Jong to endure. 
That is is demoralizing to every citizen 
and to the youth especially goes without 
saying. 
As for the assertion that liquor will be 
sold in Magnolia anyway, | do not be- 
lieve it. Liquor will be drunk here. 
Those who want it badly will get it. 
But | am perfectly certain that we can 
prevent its being sold here. Magnolia 
even in summer is too small and compact 
a community for much secrecy to exist 
in such a matter. 
For these reasons, then: because the 
evil is not a ‘‘necessary’’ one; because 
the policy of toleration does not restrict 
it but rather increases it; and because the 
policy is lawless and therefore demoraliz- 
ing, Involving the whole community in 
moral obl'quity, | believe that this is not 
the best of the three possible policies but 
on the whole the worst. 
Secondly, Licensing the Sale. 
‘This has in its favor its legality. “The 
general arguments on the question of 
license pro and con are familiar to all or 
ought to be and will not be entered into 
here. But with regard to the eranting 
of licenses in Magnolia there seems to be 
striking unanimity of opinion. No one 
wants it as his first choice. Some prefer 
license to no sale of liquor at all. And 
some prefer license to the violation of 
the law. But no one seems to. prefer 
license to both of the other policies. 
The reasons given are these: ‘The tn- 
dependence of the licensee of much real 
public control; the likelihood of the mul- 
tiplication of licenses as competition 
would require; the danger of the in- 
crease of drinking among cha ffeu’s who 
as aclass need to be clear-headed be- 
yond even railroad engineers; and tle 
admittedly bad influence of open public 
bars in a small town. 
‘These reasons are to my mind. sufhe- 
ient to close the case against license in a 
town like Magnolia The dangers ‘in- 
dicated are realized by all thinking men 
to be n> imaginary ones. Hence the 
tnanimity of sentiment against licens: 
here. Itis safe to predict that if the 
licensing policy were adopted by Mag- 
nolia and consistently pursued, it would 
in ten years’ time completely change the 
character of the place. Many of our 
best people would have gone. A differ- 
ent set would lave, displaced them. 
There are those who would welcome 
such a change. In judgment it 
would be a calamity. 
Thirdly, No Liquor Sold In Magnolia. 
If we adopt neither lawlessness nor 
license as our policy, there remains. but 
one possible policy. It is the policy of 
No-License. As already explained, this 
does not mean that no liquer will be 
drunk in Magnolia but that none will be 
sold here. To the uithirking this 
means no gain to the community and 
some financial loss. “The thouehtful 
man, however, appreciates the difference 
between the presence of saloons and 
their absence. He realizes the meaning 
of the constant temptation of an idle 
or a thoughtless man. 
He knows that the atmesphere of a 
temperate town ts felt to be different 
from that of a ““wide open ’ town. He 
acknowledges a difference in the young 
men. If the place be a summer resort, 
he knows that there is bound to be a dif- 
ference in all classes. “The policy of a 
community is a large factor in determin- 
ing who shall come to it. The liquor 
policy is an important part of the gweneral 
policy. If we have No-License in Mag- 
nolia and stick to it, we shall attract not 
thé fast but the best. We are standing 
at the parting of the ways. ‘lhe next 
few years will determine the character of 
Magnolia for perhaps a hundred years 
to come. 
my 
} 
a ae REY 
Carefuily Fitted 
Moderately Priced 
G00D SHOES 
N 
When in Gloucester, step in and see 
i 
the best shoe store this side of Boston. 
Our stock comprises. foot-wear from 
the best shoe makers in the country, 
fitted by experienced salesmen, and you'll i 
find quite a saving over the city prices. i 
G 
4 
Summer novelties in profusion in ad- i 
dition to all the staple shoes. 
Red Rubber 
N. B. Rubber soled Outing shses. 
| 
Sole Snea‘ers %} 
es ee, Trae 
FORD & WASS 
Postoiiice Sq., 
Te ee 
Gloucester | 
