The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1883-04-20
The License Question.

On the LIST of May the licenses that
are now in force, granting saloon.keep.
ers tho right 10 ply their VOCATION in the
city OF Ma"kato, will expire, and in the
meantime there promises To he Il pretty
thorough discussion of the powers
vested in the city council regarding the
fee charged. Last spring the license
was increased from 800 Ia $3.50. The
State law says that County Commits
Sioncrs shall not grant saloon licenses
for less sum than S.5 per annum, nor
shall they charge more than 500 there
for.
At the council meeting on FRIDAY
evening last, Mr.. Pau, on behalf at the
Liquor Dealers Association, appeared
before the council AMI modcsiIy III
formed that hody that in charging $50
for licenses they were trtnScendiag the
powers vested in them 10y the laws at
the State, taking the ground that they
could not legally collect n greater sum
than the maximum price named in the
statute.
OF course this il legal question that
will require research. The city at Man
kato is governed IN its municipal organ
i2ation 10y I'm independent charter, and
IT would seem Ia many not familiar with
law that it would have RIGHT Ia liz It's
own maximum for licensing saloons.
The charter bearing upon this particular
point says:
"All license Tor 81 dealing in spir-
ltuouS, VinouS or icrmcntcd liquors Shalt
not bc less than $500 "A year, and no
license shall bc granted for II less term
than one Year, and all licenses shall
commence and terminate on the first
dav nf Mav at ench year. .iHd pre-
rtdod. THlihcr, such common council
shall have the exclusive right to license
all billiard tables and saloons wherein
spirituous, vinous or fcrmcntcd liquors
are sold within SAID city"
The charter reads very plain. Ii dis
tinctly provides, after naming the min
imum price which shall he charged for
licenses, that the common council shall
have the erclUsirG right to control the
liquor business within the city. If err
clusice means what Webster says it does,
''debarring from participation; possessed
and enjoyed To the exclusion OF others,
then it is not clear what the grounds
for complaint are on behalf of the liquor
dealers. The maximum price of 800
only, us we interpret the meaning Of the
law, and AS it expressly stipulatcs, re-
icrs To the county commissioners in
whom the authority is vested for issu-
corporatcd towns and villages. but what
earthly application 1t has to a city work
lUS uuicr CHtItti ~ liS 'Nh, anu
where that charter Enthusiastically gives
said city the crciusiC" control of the
Incense question, providing only that it
shall not 90 below stipulated sum in
granting licenses, is II conundrum that
only lawyer is qualified to deciphcr.
On Monday evening next, the council
will convene IN special session for the
purpose Of allowing the Liquor Dealers
Association an opportunity Ia prcScn:
their case i'm lis full force, and the city 5
side of the matter will Ne given by City
Attorney Wiswcll. \ good deal of in
lcrcSt will he taken in tins discussion,
and if, rs is claimed, the council has
Sl00 Tor licenses, that sum should be
the maximum, while on the other hand
II they have the right Ia charge 81 30
there is no good reason that we have
heard advanced for reducing tins sum.
THE lroquois Club of Chicago, on
Friday night last, rendered Il banquet
at the Palmer House in honor of the
memory Of Thomas jefferson, the
father Of Democracy. The affair is
represented as having been Il most
brilliant one, and there were present
many of the leading minds of the
Democratic party of to-day. The
keynote sounded for the Presidential
struggle in 1854, was tariff reform,
and as those present are the leading
spirits controlling the destiny of
that struggling organization, it is
reasonable Ia presume that the edict
gone forth will be the w;ir-cry of the
battle.
THE cigar makers, us tradesmen.
are shoulder. hitters when they
" strike" The Milwaukee Union re.
Gently demanded IN advance of 81 90
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