Daily American telegraph., 1852-01-23

room.
The Mayor then turned to us and observed,
with some impatience that this was the first inti-
nation Of such an Interpretation Of the act that
had ever reached his ears from any member of
the Councils, though he had conferred fully with
the movers and special advocates of the law. He
added, that he had been perfectly candid and sim
cere in all he had said and done in the matter
and was determined that there should be no double
faces in the business; that he would Immediately,
as the Councils were then assembling, send in a
| special message, requesting them to remove all
doubt as to the true intent and meaning of
the law, by passing an explanatory resolution or
! act, and that until they did pass such an act
he would grant no more licenses. He asked if
| that would satisfy us. We answered, Yes, per-
fectly; and Immediately rose to take our leave
butrequested that he would give written answer
| to our letter addressed to him month previous
and he assured us that would do so at early day
We then left him. in the confident expectation
that he would send in the message that night.
Since then, have had nothing direct from the
Mayor. No message was sent in promised. |
And learn from my colleague, Passed Grand Wor- |
thy Patriarch A. f. Cunningham, that the Mayor
had since then said to him, as on apology for not
redeeming his promise to u.s. that member of
| the Board of Aldermen, who good temper
| ance man, had assured him that he would offer
| such resolution without q message but had
| failed to do so.
| In jus.4ce to the Mayor should, perhaps, state
that he protested, in the above interview, that he
and his officers all sincerely desirous to exc
cute the law to its fullest extent-and he insisted
that they had done SO but to his surprise and as
tonishment he found himself compelled to license,
| not only all the old establishments, but new ones
that the applicants for these licenses came to him
backed by the recommendation of temperance men,
religious men, and PIoUs WOMEN! and of men
of property and influence, in such numbers, that
hnn tn,1II Infn
he should turn despot, and substitute his own
| arbitrary will, as his rule of action, for the
wishes and recommendations of the people; and
that we too, would be much surprised and
astonished as he was, if we could see and read
| the papers that came to him on that subject
and the names appended to them
| Thus the matter now stands Whether we shall
finally determine to try and submit the question of
the LEGALITY of the licenses granted by the Mayor
without requiring conformity to the provisions of the
late law, is yet uncertain. Our determination on
that subject is rend, red doubtful by the fact that
further reflection has satisfied us that we shall
gain but little, even if we succeed. If we over
throw the license in one form, it will be imme-
diately applied for and renewed in another. Be-
Sides if we proceed, it must be in the name of the
Corporation, and by the consent acquescence
of the Nayor and Corporation Attorney, who, if
so disposed, may put end to them at any
moment by ordering their dismissal Under these
ldisadvantageous circumstances, the play would
be hardly worth the candle. We must at last
come back to the question Of TOTAL PROHIBITION.
Nothing short of that will do any good except
as means of agitation. I see but little to be
gained by the proceeding.
i 1t will thus be seen that we have tried the
experiment Of restriction and limitation of the
liquor traffic by license ldaos, under circumstance
as favorable to success ever can be hoped for.
The Councils were in favor of it. and exhausted
tha,r alv, led
simple and comprehensive law, covering the whole
ground and repeating all laws coming in conflict
| Herewith. The voice of the people was and is
nearly unanimous in pronouncing all places or
establishments for the retail of liquor by the
glass an unmitigated curse. The Nayor Of the
city pronounced them f'Me source and cause of
nearly all the pd,iperism crime, and ,cretchedness
IN the city," and said they must be curtailed. He
approved the law, and himself and all his officers
were in favor Of its rigid and faithful execution,
and he now insists that they have faithfully ex-
ecuted it. And what is the result Why, sim
ply, another proof that the larger and the grog-
shop have outwitted the Councils, the Mayor,
and all his anxious and Ugilant officers, and the
justices Of the peace, the police magistrates, who
are, par excellence, the conservators of the peace
and order of their several wards, to boot Instead
Of ono lar, which repeals all Others have tWO
and, under the one the other, all the old grog-
shops continue to live. The only practical effect
of the new law which was enacted expressly to
shut up all Of said grog gshops except such as the
| people themselves should recommend rs necessary
to the comfort of the people appears to be to add
a new and hitherto unthought-of mode Of multi
plying and increasing these hot-beds Of disorder
and crime. And all this farce has been enacted
| III the city OF Washington-the metropolis of this
great nation. Well, we have the consolation
such as ts-of knowing that we have now about
| five hundred grog-shops in this great city, open
every day and night, the owners and keepers Of
which are growing rich by the sale, under Cor
poraton licenses, of poison TO the people, tran
| sient and resident. II is impossible to say, with
certainty, what amount is daily paid to these
establishments for liquor. We do know, how
ever, that but few nights ago an entertainment
was given to distinguished stranger, at which
/ three hundred tickets were sold Mt FIVE dollars
apiece We are further told, that to provide liquor
| for the feast, the sum Of three dollars was de-
manded of and paid by each ticket-holder. SO
| that the sum of nine hundred dollars was taxed
| for that entertainment. The same establishment
received probably on that same day, and perhaps
daily, from its five hundred guests, the of five
hundred dollars more. Among the other four
hundred and ninety-nine grog-vending establish
mcnts are some large establishments that do a
good business, and smaller ones that are growing
rich the smallest doubtless is doing . H0ing bus-
ness. The lowest acreage of the daily receipts
of these FIVE hundred that l have heard made is
| five dollars. Assuming that as the average pay
ment per day to these five hundred establish
ments, and we have the startling sum Of SO, 800
| per day, and 1912, 500 per year "a sum suffi-
cient to furnish the entire city with fuel educate
every child support all the religious institutions,
and pay all the charitable contributions Of the
| city. Add to that the value Of the time lost
the destruction of character intellect and physi-
cal ability to labor-the wretchedness Of families,
i 4 - INT