Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1877-01-19
THE MAYOR, Council AND SALOONS,

oeen SuOJcct OF discussion fSr q few
weeks past in the papers, one of our ctl
zens, not connected in any way with tn,
;, city government, has taken the pains Il
examine the minutes of the City Council
:, relative to the reissue of license to tn,
Arcade Saloon, after it had been positive
ly refused by the Mayor, ON the GROUND
| of wilful and fragrant violation of the or
dinance by the proprietor thereof TIL,
, facts gathered from the records relating
to this subject, and the explanation it af
fords of the reissue of the license TO the
proprietor OF said saloon, we are request
cd to publish for the information of the
public. Preliminary to these facts, il
may be well to give the communication
addressed by the Mayor to the Council a,
the regular meeting held Dec. Goth 1876
Ill relation to the same saloon, upon
which communication the Council failed,
or refused to take any action whatever -
1t is as follows:
Section of an Ordinance passed April
Is, 1874, provides that TIE City Council
may revoke saloon license when the
holder thereof violates any of the provi-
slons of said Ordinance. One of the pro-
visions of said Ordinance, is, THAT the
person having license, shall not suffer
any person to become drunk or iutoXicat-
cd by drinking at, or about his licensed
premises" Section IA, Chapter 10, of
the Ordinances, says that the City Mar.
shall shall enquire diligently into and re-
port to the Mayor, all violations of the
City Ordinances.
Section 1, of Chapter 10, of the Ordi-
nanccs, provides that the Mayor shall,
from time to time, recommend to the
City Council for consideration, such
measures as he may deem important for
the interests Of the city.
}. A. Davis, City Marshal, in pursuance
OF his duty as above pointed out, has re-
ported to me that J. C. Ransier has suffer-
cd persons to become drunk and intoxi-
Gated upon his licensed premises, and has
sold intoxicating liquor to parties while
they were drunk
1t becomes my duty to respectfully but
earnestly recommend that said charge be
investigated at once, and If trnc, that the
licensed be revoked. Signed,
ID. d. IIoLDRIDGE, Mayor.
When week later all the saloon IL
censes expired by limitation, the Mayor,
for the reasons above stated, refused to
grant Ransier q renewal of his license,
and for ten days the Arcade saloon was
shut up. The proprietor in the mean
time made personal appeal to the men,
bers of the Council to induce them to in
fluence the Mayor to reconsider his decis-
ion, the main consideration urged being
that he had invested all his means in the
concern, and would suffer great loss if
not permitted to resume his business. Fl
nally the Mayor did intimate that If a
majority of the Council would 60 on the
record as favoring the granting of IL
cense to Ransier, he would grant It,
The first action by the Council in its
official capacity, was at the regular meet
ing, Jan. Sth, all the members being pres
ent except Councilmen shipley and Dav-
Is. Johnston introduced a resolution in
substance that Ransier's license should be
renewed. Durham rose to ask if this &C
ton was intended to 60 on the record.
He was informed by the Mayor that all
action of the Council should certainly be
spread upon the minutes, after which the
interest III the subject seemed to abate.--
Next Mr.. Woodward submitted substi-
tute for Johnston's resolution, remanding
the whole matter back to the Mayor. to
exercise his discretion according to law.
This substitute was lost, only Woodward
and D. l.. Smith voting for it. A vote
was then taken on Johnstons original
resolution, with the following result
as--Johnston, Myers. Nays-Wood-
ward, Smith, the other four members
present not voting. This was the only
action of the Council in regular session
and solitude still reigned among the hol-
low arches of the Arcade" Two days
after, the following petition, which cx-
plains itself, was presented to the Nay
or:
To d. l.. HoLDRIDGE, MAYOR OF TUE
CITY OF INDEPENDENCE, IowA:-Wc, the
undersigned. members of the City Coun-
! Gil of said city, would respectfully recon-
mend that you issue to J c. Ransier IL
censc to sell ale, wine and beer, and that
he receive the same with the distinct I'M
Outstanding that the same will be revok-
ed by the City Council, as soon as it shall
be proved that said Ransier violates the
spirit of the ordinance under which said
license is granted, and that this request
be made matter of record.
Jan. 10th, II. j. S. WOODWARD,
J. w. JOHNSTON
S. X. SHTPLEY,
AUGUST MYERS,
G. NJ. DURHAM,
THoS. SCARCLIFF.
RICHARD O'BRIEN,
II. BURLINGHAM.
His Honor, after due consideration, &C
cecded to the request of the petitioners,
and granted the license That is how the
"Arcade" came to resume its mission of
making drunkards and criminals.
TIE saloon keepers, of Dubuque, arc
talking of organizing TO resist the pay