, 1881-06-19
SALOON LICENSES.
Meeting Of tho Council Colnmttte

| NIeefin:. Of tho Council Committee
/ Yesterday afternoon the Committee on Ill
ccnscs held IL very interesting meeting in the
City Clerks office with Aid. Purcell III the chnir.
There WIS present Il delegation of huckuc
who expected that the livery ordinance WIS go
| ing to be discussed, anu thoy had with them as
their attorney Harry lsubens. who also repro
SECUTED the Wholesale Liquor-Dcnlcrs' and S'1-
loonkcepe rs Association. The livery matter
did not come up, because tue liyerylIcn had 1T
| representatives present, and AID. Dean stutcd
that he had understood through the press
thnt tho l1vcrymen were going to teEt their
| side Of the case i'll the courts and upon his
! motion tho consideration was postponed until
next Saturday afternoon ata O'clock. Tho Cit!-
t Zens' League was represented by President FL
| mendorif Mr.. Paxton, Gen. Black, uud u num-
| cause. After tho livery and hnckncu had beer,
| disposed Of. the cCOmnittee lunk up tho Plymouth
| Churct, resolutions. asking TINT the number or
iiccnst. fcc fixed ut S6tN az Tie minimum. slr
| black spoke asutnst tho unlimited license Of
s9as 5e,s3e s 5 Y nsf IF ntr a orans 9aaoas
Ito one to every $40 Ut our popu~
lation according to the State, school:
That 'c Il s.,ct an ordiuance S We're presen,ed ] it
would largely prevent Juvenile debuuchery und
crimc and would do away IN great measure
Citizens League. lie held that there Was no
unlimited right 10 sell liquor, because II was
limited py law. 1t was recognized as i lcg1i-
lection Of the public. The Limitation Of tho
number Of Licenses might reduce tho revenue
from this source, bit it would elevate tho char
/ acter OF the vino would keep the
saloons. This would bring the tritiic into
limits where it could he controlled. If
me s,oan n M e1G of o paTsen ntans a
othcr ordinance wnuldbe introduced raising tho
license fee, which the saloonkeepers who could
obtain licenses would cheerfuily pay, as they
would then be cut OFF from Il
GREAT DEAL OF COMPETITION.
SIR. Harry Rubens. who represents the Saloon
keepers Association said that there were not
4.0VO suloons in this city, rs Gen. Hack hal as
Serted but about sa+.1a'. a large number Of which
were restaurants and grocery stores. which kept
liquors Tor tho accommodation Of customers
that such All ordinance rs had been rcud and
presented could bc enforced. even if it were
passed: He did not believe that Chicago was In
state. to. adopt such IL measure. The
on1y e u an 'q"ei cdent m"s to " "t'5' to psos ohor
business carried III there MS in hotels, grocer
jority could easily get liquor if they wanted it.
whether there were 1.GN saloons more or less III
the city: The saloonkeGpers were heartily in
OF lquors 10 minors, aud allowing them tn pay
pool. etc. The League had the sympathy Of tho
snlooukeepers to this extent, and would help
them to enforce tho law. Those who yiolntci
the law wcre those who run their places in con-
nection with GMtnbllng~ houses and houses Of
would he the first to obtain license it the num-
bcr WIS limited to l,nt lie thought that the
ordinance, If It Wns passed, would only bring
confusion to the City Government.
Mr.. Black said that lie believed sincerely that
his Association hud the sympathy Of the saIoon-
keepers, and that their only object was to pro-
tect the young. They thought 100 licensed
saloons would be abundant. The present ordi-
nance would answer purpose, but would not
sutscrve the purpose intended. He would cnl-
body in it to whom and when the license should
be issued
Mr. Kubens argued that the right Of discretion
was in the hnnds OF the Mayor us to whom Il
license should be issued. I1a could and does re-
woke licenses and the power to refuse them was
vested in him. us well us the power Of granting.
They had the means now to protect themselves
by law: why should they new turn in ait, repeal
the very nctS which protected them, aud rAss all
ordinance which Simply argued for n principle
and was nothing more than that 1t meant moth
inr.
Mr., Black insisted that there was no limit to
the number Of saoons that could be licensed in
the City Of Chicago. and n0 n>ln in tho Mayors
chuir would dare to limit the snlosMs TO any
dcftnit number, as WAS proposed by the orli-
nance presented.
AID. Dean wanted to know if limiting the sa-
looms to l.0o0 would mot place an immense polit-
tcal power in the hands of some 1nan.
Mr. Rack admitted that it might.
Altl. Wanzcr moved to lay the matter over for
one week, which was cOncurFed i'll, and tho
Committee adjourned.