county courts having discretion within these limits a discretion which in many cases gives them power practically to prohibit. Incorporated cities and towns can fix their additional tax at from $100 to $500. Railroads and steamboats are denied the right to sell liquor under any conditions. In St. Louis, where a license is now seven times more costly than formerly, the arrests for drunkenness were 4112 in 1887 as compared with 3500 in 1882, and arrests for offences of every kind, 15,217 as compared with 14,000. The population is estimated to have increased at least 20 per cent. in the mean time.

In Michigan the tax for a retail liquor license is $300; $500 on a wholesale or retail liquor license, and $200 on the business of selling malt liquors at wholesale or retail. The existing number of saloons is estimated at less than one-half as many as those which would exist were low license in force.

In New Jersey a license to sell either beer or liquor, or both, costs $250 in cities of over 10,000 population; $150 in cities between 3000 and 10,000 in population; $100 elsewhere.

Pennsylvania charges $500 for licenses in the larger cities, $300 in the smaller cities, $150 in boroughs, $75 in towns. It restricts applicants to native or naturalized citizens, denies a license to any man who has been convicted of crime; it requires an applicant to be of known sobriety and good character; he is to be the sole and bona fide proprietor of the saloon for which he asks a license, and it must be shown that such saloon is necessary for the convenience of the neighborhood, and that he has no interest in any other saloon. He must give as bondsmen two reputable freeholders residing in his ward, borough, or township, each owning at least $2000 in unencumbered real estate and qualifying to that amount. No manufacturer of liquors can be such bondsman, nor can any bondsman be accepted for more than one saloon-keeper. These restrictions, rigorously enforced, have broken up the practice whereby a brewer or distiller could virtually own and operate a score or

more saloons.

The Brooks law, as it is called, took effect on June 1, 1888; the following figures show the results in Phila

The law prohibits under severe penalties the opening of saloons on Sunday.

The number of Sunday commitments to the Philadelphia County Prison, as officially reported on the following Monday mornings, were:

Comparing the total number of arrests in 1888, the first year of high license, with those in 1887, shows, in Pittsburg, an increase of 21 per cent., in Allegheny, of 13 per cent., and Scranton, of 10 per cent. In arrests for drunkenness the percentages of increase were respectively 10, 12, and 5. The brewers and dis

tillers of Pennsylvania maintain that they find little or no falling off in the demand for their products as a result of high license. On June 18 the people of the State are to decide at the polls for or against a prohibitory amendment to the Constitution.

In December, 1887, Atlanta, Georgia, exchanged prohibition (never well enforced) for high license, placing the fee at $1000. The arrests for drunkenness during the four months ending March 31, 1888, were 818 as against 273 for the corresponding period ending March 31, 1887.

In New York City a trial of comparatively high license was made between 1866 and 1870. Instead of nominal fees, a license for liquor was placed at the minimum of $250, and that for beer at the minimum of $100. The effect of the law in its first year of operation was to reduce the number of saloons 25 per cent. and increase revenue from $9690 in 1865 to $993,347 in 1866. It was made clear that in consideration of freedom from civic taxes, the liquor dealers were required to contribute liberally to the corrupt political forces controlling municipal affairs. Until high license was repealed in 1870, by William M. Tweed and his abettors, the ratio of arrests for drunkenness was much smaller than before high license was enacted; every year through enforcing observance of Sunday closing, some 8000 fewer arrests were made of intoxicated persons on that day.

At present, May, 1889, the license fees in New York City are as follows: For a first-class hotel, $250; for a second-class hotel, $200. To sell liquors, wines, ales, and beer, to be drank on the premises, $200; if for ale and beer only, $30; ale, beer, and wines, $50. Storekeepers' licenses vary from $50 to $250, as their sales may vary from $2500 to $10,000 per annum. Among the rules of the Board of Excise, with whom rests the licensing authority, are the following:

No increase in the number of places now licensed is permitted ; a license is not issued for a new place except upon the closing of an existing place. A license is not issued for a new place

adjoining a place already licensed, or in the immediate vicinity of a church, school-house, hospital, or asylum. Where at the intersection of streets two corners are already licensed, a license will not be granted for a third corner.

A bill now (May, 1889) before the Legislature of New York, prepared by the Joint Committee on High License, of which committee Hon. Dorman B. Eaton is chairman, and Mr. John B. Pine is secretary, proposes the following changes: To increase the minimum rate for a liquor license, in cities, from $30 to $300; in towns, from $30 to $100. And to increase the minimum rate for a beer license, in cities, from $30 to $60 ; and in towns, from $30 to $40. The bill prohibits the granting of saloon licenses in excess of the number now in force until such number shall be reduced to the proportion of one saloon to every 500 population. It increases the amount of the bond required of a licensee from $250 to $1000, and provides that his sureties shall each qualify in $2000 instead of $500. It does not prevent Boards of Excise where "no-license" Commissioners are elected from refusing to grant licenses, permitting a continuance of the rights of "local option" now enjoyed. The bill is declared by the Joint Committee on High License to be no more than a tentative and preliminary measure, which they hope to follow up with a thoroughly satisfactory High-License Law.

The Voice, of New York, last January asked the Mayors and Chiefs of Police of every city in the Union of over 10,000 inhabitants for statistics of arrests. Classing license fees of $200 and less as low, and fees of $500 and more as high, all the responses received were summarized in its issue of January 24, 1889:

A COMPARISON OF THE PROPORTION OF ARRESTS FOR DRUNKENNESS AND DISORDERLY CONDUCT IN HIGH-LICENSE AND IN LOW-LICENSE CITIES.

The following table compares 14 high-license with 15 low-license cities. In the high-license cities the license fee ranges between $500 and $1000; in the low-license cities between $25 and $200. The figures are for 1887.` The table shows: First, That 14 high-license cities whose license fee averages $710 have a saloon to every 267 persons, and an arrest for

drunkenness and disorderly conduct to every 38 persons, which arrests are 57.2 per cent. of the total arrests. Second, That 15 low-license cities whose license fee averages $116 have a saloon to every 170 persons, and an arrest for drunkenness and disorderly conduct to every 37 persons, which arrests are 55.6 per cent. of the total arrests. Estimates of popu

lation, except as otherwise stated, are from the report of Dun's Mercantile Agency for 1888.

* Partial prohibition, saloons being confined to a particular district.

Estimated from half-yearly report.

Estimates furnished the World Almanac by the Mayors.