The Saloon Question in Olympia
Olympia's City Council moves to curb the prevalence of saloons through steep fee hikes, a move that the P-I suggests Seattle should replicate.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The City Council of Olympia has declared that starting July 1, it will cost $100 a year for a beer license and $500 for a retail liquor license. The bonds required are significant. This is a positive step. There are too many saloons in Olympia, and the raise in fees will diminish their number. There are too many saloons here in Seattle also; while legal maneuvering might prevent raising fees, the City Council should squelch some of the lower dens by refusing to grant them licenses.
“There are too many saloons here also, and the number might be reduced to general advantage.”
This reflects the ongoing 19th-century 'vice' wars. Before Prohibition in 1916, city councils frequently used licensing as a tool to try to regulate the social and physical disorder associated with the saloon economy.
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