The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-10-04

Aggregate drinks seventeen days.......... 262,8s6
Tax thereon. ....soS4S 10
The deputy commissioners state that in
their opinion the registers have not been at
work on an average OF more than seventeen
days, including Sundays. The tax, 3d.
s4S. 7S, divided by seventeen, gives S226.40
per dav. Let S226.40 be multiplied by 385,
and we have per annum S82,63G. Add for
specifc licenses (not returned TO dealers),
Noffett tax due by wholesale dealers, and
tax on sample-merchants $50, ,OOO), and the
grand aggregate for Richmond is say Sl02,-
CSC. Usually Richmond pays one fifth OF
the whole liquor-taX. Say that it Will pay
one fourth of this, and we have S41O,544
against SI37,0O last year.
Or, to be liberal, say that the registers
have been in operation eighteen days-they
were put up on the 18th, 18th, 18th, and
some on the 14th Of September-and on
that basis we have S7S,062.55; add $4,000,
and we have S9s.062 for year. Deputies
Wilkes and wilkins, who surely ought to
know, however, say that seventeen days in
cluding Sundays) is fair average OF the
time the registers here have been in opera
ton.
| WHAT WE PAY FOR LIQUOR.
Estimating that the alcoholic drinks are
sold at 10 cents each they are sold at 10,
12t, 10, and 8 cents, and possibly in few
places at 81 since the machines have been
put up, we have spent $l2,6S3 in that way,
and S6,340.50 for malt-total, S19,023, or
over 81, 100 per day, or about 100000 per
annum-not counting liquor sold in guam
titles over gallon.
| THE GRAND JURY AND SUNDAY LAW.
1t is Of course difficult to ascertain what
transpires in the grand iury-room. There
fore exactly what was said to Mai or Poe in
relation to enforcing the Sunday Iiquor-law
will never be certainly known, as the Major
and the jurors are likely to be equally reti.
cent. But there is well-groundcd opinion
that the grand Jury did not instruct the
Major to station his men in front OF saloon
entrances to note who was going in, and
with the purpose OF reporting such persons
to the grand jury for witnesses. What they
desired was that the police should not shut
their eyes to what must seem to them vio'
lations Of any law; that is, where in-t the
course of their duty they saw persons
streaming in and out OF side-entrances to
saloons on Sunday. then they ought to fur
nation as would enable them to proceed
against such violators.
This is very different from the informa'
tion heretofore obtained and published by
the reporters for this paper. 1t has the
stamp of authority about it, though it l;
needless to say it did not come from
grand Juror. ~ 49,, !.
Judge Guigon stated yesterday that he
never referred to Sunday law-yiolatlons IN
his charge. and that he had no knowledge
OF Major Poe having appeared before the
Grand Jury. Judge Guigon. Captain u. D.
Wise, and Mr.. E. C. Cabell Qormerly Com
monwealth's attorney all agree that tine the
grand jury have no Jurisdiction, and that
such offences are cognlzable only by tne
Police Justice. :,
Major Poe is not in the city now, out II
seems that he regarded himself instructed
to station men about the saloons on sunday
He must have misunderstood the grand Jury
if he supposed that they undertook to give
him orders, or that they proposed to take
jurisdiction OF any Sunday-law violations.
| PROMINENT sALooN-KEEPERs INDICTED.
The grand Jury OF the Hastings Court
Yesterday indicted Messrs. John Markham
sen, w. w. Putnam, and Henry Wester'