Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-12-20

reputable retail liquor dealers ana leave |
only the reputable ones. Upon that point |
we have the honor to observe that the dis |
reputable liquor dealers or the disreputa- |
BILE places where liquor is retailed are not
the small ones. There is not and cannot be
shown in this city single instance where
the poorer class of retail liquor dealers
are either disreputable in themselves or
conduct disreputable or disorderly house;
while, on the other hand, the same asser-
ton could not be made of certain places
where large amounts of capital are in
involved and the proprietors of which
could pay a license of $500 as readily as of
81. And the effect of increasing the Ii
cense to the extent which it is proposed
will be simply to drive out of existence the
respectable and honest dealers of small
means and replace them in the same local
tiles by other persons whose opportunities,
capital Or cupidity may enable them to
pay the additional amount.
We have no desire to argue this matter
to any extent before your honorable body,
but merely to call your attention to the
general features of the subject and to ask
at your hands fair consideration of our
interests and those of the persons whom we
represent; and in that behalf we desire to
observe that the entire subject of the control
of the retail liquor traffic is completely in
your hands, and that the remedy to be
adopted for repression of any actual or
fancied evils that may exist is not in the
application of high licences or requiring
large money bonus to permit a man to
carry on the business, but the enactment
| and enforcement of ordinances which will
| so guard against mistakes and provide for
an investigation that no person of i'm
proper character OF who will not keep a
reputable and orderly place can obtain a
license at any price. Regulations of this
kind are undoubtedly necessary and proper.
and We should be only too glad to lend
your honorable body or the executive Off
GERS of this city all the assistance within
on. power in enacting and enforcing them
and we think it is in that direction that
any needed remedy should be applied.
It must be very obvious, on very slight
consideration, that if the test of qualifica.
ton for license is mere money one, nc
result can be obtained excepting the in
crease of the city revenue, for it is mat
ter within daily observation that an un
scrupulous person can, by i'm
proper means obtain the requisite
sum far more readily than a repu
table and honest man who happens to be
Door can succeed in doing.
We ask that before the entire policy
heretofore adopted in this city anG
throughout the Northwest generally b.
changed and the license increased to sucl
a sum as will SO severely and unfairly af
feet the small dealer, that the other rene
dies to which we have alluded be applied
and stringent regulations be cast around
the class of persons to whom a license may
be issued and the issuance of the license it.
self and the regulation of the conduct o.
the persons holding them, rather than that
they should be increased to double theil
present and former amount. And it does
not seem to us that while it is within the
power of the executive officers of the city
to refuse license to anybody without rea
son or excuse or to take away the license
without reason or excuse, after it is grant.
ed. that the argument to double iti
amount, for the purposes of either repress-
ion or regulation, is necessarily very
| weak one.
We respectfully submit the foregoing
considerations to the judgment of your
honorable body, and ask that in common
with other classes of our fellow citizens
our rights and interests may be duly re-
garded in such legislation rs you may be
about to enact, and in addition thereto
that the retail liquor licenses be fixed al
the same amount as that which now exists.
| Yours very respectfully,
Geo. Benz, of Geo. Benz & Co.
Maurice Lyons. of Perkins, Lyons & Co.
B. Kuhl, of B. Kuhl & Co.
| P. j. Bowlin, of BOwlin & Mcclellan.
d. Aberle, of D. Aberle l. Co.
H. H. Miller, of Miller Bros, Cigar Manuf's
Theodore Hamm, of Theodore Hamm Brewing
| Company.
II. Camen. of Camea d Hofmeister, Cigar
Manufacturers.
Chas. Frey, of Grunhagen & Frey.
s. Peabody, of Peabody Bros.
At the conclusion of the reading the
council reconsidered the vote passing the
ordinance, and then sent the whole matter
to committee on license.
MISCELLANEOUS.
The resignation of John Jessrang as city
jailer was accepted.
The revuest to have Ellen street graded
was referred to the committee on streets
The request of Auerbach, Finch and Var
Slyck, and Others to have the fire depart
/ !