The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1879-10-09
The Law OF Hotels.

pferO9atlNeS OF American citizenship and
whoever writes book on the law of any
subject of everyday life brings out a
great deal of news, though he does
nothing but popularize the old common
law. A book on the relations of host
and guest, which has lately been pub.
lished, covers the hotel question in way
that furnishes considerable information,
even if the style of the work is disagree
able and often vulgar.
In the first place, man is an inn
keeper, whether he hangs out sign or
not, if he makes it his business to enter
tain travellers and provide lodgings for
them; and, if he keeps an inn, he is
bound to receive guests who apply for
lodgings, unless his house is absolutely
full, but he is under no compulsion
whatever to'provide them with the best
rooms in the house. Unreasonable and
proper" accommodation is all that they
can expect, or at least demand, and he
can shift their rooms daily if he wishes.
1t makes no matter if the landlord does
not like the new arrival. He cannot re-
fuse anybody an accommodation simply
on the grounds of personal dislike. But,
Of course persons who are known TO be
improper persons, who have contagious
diseases, or who are drunk: can be eX-
Guided. More than that, regard for
those who are under his roof makes it
the law that he must not knowingly
admit thief into his house, even # he
knows his object is laudable.
If anybody is refused admission bis
course is simple He merely brings
suit. lie has for his part to prove that
the landlord kept an inn, that he, the
plaintiff, was traveller, that he applied
for accommodation, that he was proper
person to be received, that there was
room for him, and that he was denied
admission. AS it takes more than an eve
ming, however, to bring suit, person
might still be out in the cold though in
the night, so in some pats Of England
the Constable has the au 'hority to com
pei landlords to receive guests. The ex-
cuse that one sometimes receives in the
country that 'we're all gone to bed and
there's nobody to take care of you,' is
10 excuse in law. Landlords are bound
to get up at any hour, unless it lie on
Sunday in States where some unre-
pealed law forbids travelling on Sundays.
And, by the way, the law considers no
body a guest who is not a ira, eler For
instance, young man who in the town
where he lived went to bed drunk in a
hotel and was robbed of watch he had
been fourishing in the bar-room there,
undertook to recover from the landlord,
but was ruled out of court, not for being
in an unfit state, but because he was not
a traveller.
Nobody arriving at a hotel can be
compelled to sign a register. The refu-
jecting an applicant for lodgings. The
proprietors of hotels who furnish free
transportation to and from depots to
their guests are liable for their luggage
on this transmit as much as when in
the house; but any passenger in one of
these coaches who speaks i'll of the house
it belongs to, is liable to a suit for dam
ages. There is no protection from
guests who eat with their knives. They
do not carry concealed weapons, and,
having knives. have the right to use
them. That a guest is disagreeable to
his associate guests is not sufficient ex-
cuse for turning him away. A cabin
passenger on al, East India steamer used
to reach across the table to help himself,
harpoon distant delicacies with his fork,
and take potatoes with his fingers.
The captain turned him out of the
cabin as not fit to be there When they
landed the man without manners recov-
cred damages of 1928 The Court held
that simply to haze bad table manners
was not to lack gentlemanly princi-
pies, or to commit acts strictly L" unbe-
coming gentleman in the true sense of
the term. If employees of hotel use
violence to guest the landlord is res
ponsible.
If person wants room but does not
intend to 90 to bed, as, for instance, if
he is going to sit up all night waiting
for an early train, he can demand room
but he can not demand the landlord 10
give him bedroom 1t is enough if the
landlord turns him into comfortable
parlor. We might 90 on and quote
further, but consider this long enough
lesson as it is Travellers who 60 about
the country with chips on their shoulders
will observe that landlords have certain