Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1854-10-26
STAR,
LOCAL. INTELLIGENCE.

TIE TAVERN kEKPERS MEMoRiAL.-The fol-
.ovins is the memorial to the Washington Cofpor-
,,iou authorizes, presented last Monday by the re-
,.iers of spirtuous liquors
The memorial ofthe undersigned, citizens aud voters
in the city aforesaid, respectfully represents:
That, in their oplaion, the ordinances passed by
the corporation Aforesaid, touching the sale of spirit
nous and other liquors, approved, respectively, on
me 9th and 18th days Of the present month of Octo-
her 1884, to take effect from the 9th proximo, are
oppressive and unreasonable and ought to be re-
nsaled modified, or suspended. [
Your memorialists will not undertake to remark
upon the validity Of the said ordinances under the
charter of the civ and the Constitution of the United
states, by the terms oil wnlcn ater instrument the
several grants of power in the former are to be tested.
These questions upon which, as they are advised,
the opinions of professional lawyers are divided are
nroper TO be considered and decided by the eompe
tent judicial tribunals to whom they may be regular
ly presented for adjudication. they may be allowed
boqsvpr 10 suggest that these ordinances are found
al upon doubtful power.
Your memOriaIists submit that, even If the poyvey
were clear and indisputable, these ordinances are
unreasonable and oppressive; because of sudden.
in less than thirty days. they utterly destroy large
and profitable trade, hitherto lawfully in which a
ueat number Of citizens have invested all their
property, means, and credit, thereby-withOut rea-
sopabe warning, and in utter disres ard of the hth
eO lawful pursuits, interests, and rights of large
body of cifizens-suddenly uprootinQ all their af
fairs, cutting them adrift upon society to seek new
occupations lwmcn are not 30 easy to be found J
forcing upon them the most ruinous sacrifices 70
meet their daily wants and those of their families =
leaving them hampered with leases. contrac,s f,,
the purchase Of liquors. agreements for salaries and
for wages, and all the other natural and necessary
incidents TO the Prosecution of lawful business
which has been sanctioned, and for the sake of rev.
enue the city, encouraged, from its foundation 10
the present time.
Your memorialists 90 not believe that any preee
dent for such sweeping and radical change, upon
such short notice, can be found in the legislation OF
any country where principles of justice and regard
for the welfare of all the members of the comnlun-
ity understood and appreciated.
The persons who are thus to be ruined are moi
criminals. No sane man will pronounce them so
whatever may be the extravagant notions of fanati-
csm ConcedIng all the high moral attributes which
forgotten that this is question Of civil rights and OF
dutes defined by law, and not of abstract specuIa
tons of the moralist. Have these men, b. their oc
cupdtion, committed any crime under the law bitt-
erO? Ii must be admitted that they have not Hith-
erto their business, by which they feed aud cIothe
themselves, their wives and their children has been
rs lawful, and as much encouraged and projected by
the law as yours, Mr.; Mayor, or yours, gentlemen,
respectively, and each one of you in particular who
compose the legislative bodies by whom they are
thus suddenly cast upon the streets without occupa
ton, and many of them without the means of pro-
curing the next days sustenance.
Then they had right to expect that as the golden
rule prescrbes, you weuld not fail to cOncede TO
them what you would claim as just to yourselves
Is there one of you who would not denOunce il as
monstrous injustice if law should declare that
within less thirty dGys your whole business should be
pronounced unlawful, and your whole means and
capital be unproductve, and your occupation gone?
Not one. Whys Because your occupations are
lawful, and all previous legislation has encouraged
and protected you IN them. So il has been with
these men. Let him distinguish who can but in
doing So let him point out the law the ordinance
which has hitherto recognized the distinction
BUTT is not these persons alone who are TO suffer
Mpu trades in
more or less connected together in interests If You
reduce these particular individuals to bankruptcy
by this sudden stoppage with all its trait of sacrifices
you thereby lnjure their honest creditors Land.
lords whose leases have been made on the faith of
existing laws, and whose tenants must now eyacuate
their premises; clerks and servants who have been
engaged for the year, and who must now be dis
charged and, IN many cases, unpaid merchants " no
have furnished fall supplies, trusting 10 future sales
by the purchasers for payment; mechanics who have
put up fixtures made REPAIRS in short, all those no
have contracted with these persons with the knowl-
edge that their occupation was not prohibited and
with the pledge of common Justice that il would
not be suddt My and ruinously forbidden by law
must suffer losses, more or less by the operation OF
these ordinances.
But, when il is added to all this that the mower tn
pass the ordinances in such sweeping terms of pro
nibon, is the subject OF reasonable doubt it seems
TO your memGraliss the more urgent that the period
Of their going into effect be suspended Tor such
reasonable time as will enable the parties Immediate
Iy affected by it to turn their resources into more
favored channels, without the ruinous losses and
sacrifices which must result from the edict which
assigns TO them Peremptory term of few days for
a radical change in all their affairs occupations.
property, plans, and prospects
Your memonallsfs, therefore, respectfully pray
your honorable bodies to take these views into con
sideraton, and to pass such an ordinance as will
prevent the wrongs and injuries which must other
wise be inflicted in the premises.
And your memoriaIlsts will every pray, &c.
LOOK OUT FOR THEn.-The issues of the Trans
Allegheny Bank, and those of the Bank of Kanawha.
Virginia, are reported to have been refused payment
merchant of city, while in Baltimore yesterday,
discovered that the rumor of their stopping payment
was believed by the brokers there, who were re
deeming the notes only so far they had funds of
these banks so it will be well to look out for them
Our merchants and de- alers who have been taking
such paper, may find this hint worthy of their prompt
consideration.
The Exchange Bank, of this city, this morning
We learn, exchanged an amount of their own issue
for Trans Allegheny notes. This is done by Messrs
Selden, Withers l. Co., under the new law of Vir-
gina, requiring the issues to be secured by stock
and countersigned by the State Treasurer.
GONG AHEAD.-On visiting, yesterday, the aban-
doned hotel of Col John Foy, we found the work
men busily engaged securing the foundation. Strong
stone walls being erected, wellseasoned timber
laid on the bottom of the creek, and ample room
(Which once was goose creek,
But is Tiber now.'
The work is being done at the expense of the Cor
poration, and Is being well done. While we were
present. the dam which held the water of the creek
from flowing on the workmen (whO were laying
stone, shovelng. Ac,) gave way, but that accident
did not interrupt the 60 ahead action of the hands
for half an hour. We should judge by appearances
that the work will be sufficiently done to admit OF
opening the hotel next month.
Az APPROPRIATE MARRIAsE.-A loving couple
have just entered the united state of matrimony at
the United States Hotel, an appropriate place for
the " union Of hearts and the union of hands, and
hurFah for the union fOrsyer." The happy pair are
T. L. Peasants, ESQ.,, and Mrs. M. A. White, both
Of Virginia. PunniDg aside, the ceremony was one
of much interest, and is spoken of such by all
who had the pleasure 10 witness it. The groom may
say, with Burns
"Not vernal showers to budding flowers,
Not Autumn to the farmer,
So dear can be as thou to me,
My fair, my lovely chaTmer!"
sfHE DEIuoE AND DELusR OF PEoPLE.-The eI-