The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-10-12
THE SCHOOL FUNDS LOSS.
Some Facts from the Records About
Delinquent salOon-keepers.
Extent of the Efforts Made by the Proper
Authorities to Enforce Settlement
with the Treasures.

Keep it up" said a tax-paying saloon keeper
to journal reporter yesterday, accompanying
the words with an approbative nod. Saloon
Keepers like myself who nay government, State
and city tax have long wondered why dealers
who pay nothing have been allowed to go free
year after year. 1t occurs to me that most of
this loss to the school fund is due to a plain
neglect of duty by the prosecuting attorney and
the grand jury"
On calling at the city clerks office the reporter
was told that some of the saloon keepers pub
lished in yesterdays Journal as delinquent in
city license had dropped in yesterday and paid
in great haste. Although these men have
violated the law they Will, of course, be allowed
to escape the penalty-a fine of from So to 800
for each days sale without license.
AT the city clerks office a deputy said:
There has never at any time been more, at the
outside, than 325 liquor dealers who have paid
the city licer.e. We know that there is quite a
large number of saloon men and grocers who
keep Jar, who have never paid a cent for
license 20 either the county or city. There's
many family grocery that does a quiet but
remunerative tippling and bucket business with
out license"
Democratic friend said: "Somebody ought
to open fire on the Board of Police Commits
sloners, who wink at these things. If the
police commissioners want it so, there's not
drinking place in the city, drug stores in
Guided, that could escape paying license. And
II they paid city license, of course, they would
find it handy, being on record, to pay their
county license, too"
Bernhamer, alderman-elect: "It is right to in
vestigate and bring out the liquor dealers who
do not pay and make them pay. They ought to
be made to come up to all the legal requirments
On Meridian street, near Ray, is liquor seller
who escaped paying any license for years and
may not be paying any now"
The books of the collector of internal revenue
give the names of more than dozen keepers of
houses of prostitution in this city, all women,
who have'taken out the government license to
sell liquors. None of them pay any license to
either the county or city, but they know better
than to violate the United States internal reve-
nue. law. Under the State law none of these
women can obtain license or sell intoxicating
drinks, as liquor dealer is required TO be a
man and of good character So these keepers of
houses OF prostitution add the illegal sale OF
liquor 10 their other transgressiOns of law. This
sale OF hquor las the government license is of no
effect against the State law can be stopped by
the police and shonld be. If it continues, it will
be by the conuivance of the Board of Police
commissioners and the police.
An Investigation of the records at the county
auditors office shows thai from June l, 1881, to
June !, 1882, there was received from liquor
licences Uhis does not include the auditors fee
OF $3 for each license) the sum of So, $50. One
of the dealers rece wing license selling only malt
liquors, paid but $50; the others selling malt and
splrltuous liquors, paid 800 each There were
then IN This county on the first day OF June,
lSS2, 337 liquor dealers who had taken out
license for the preceding year. On June l, 1888,
the amount 1n received for The preceding year was
these 1913 dealers all but eight
do business in Indianapolis. Thirty -foul less
county licenses taken out in the second pc
Rod of twelve months than in the preceding ne
Rod and $3,4o0 less MONEY to the school
fund. Now every one knows there was no such
falling off in the number of saloons between
June l, 1882 and June 1, 1888. On the other
hand, everything Indicates that the number has
increased rather than diminished. deputy at
the auditors office acknowledged 1t was hard
WORK to keep the run of the saloons, as they
and so many of them were given 10 devious
ways, but he thought there were fully eighty
places IN tnls comfy where liquor was retalied
without license. The reporter asked if IN this
he included the drug stores iii the county, and
received the answer that the drug stores, if
added, would more than double that number.
Mr.. Charles Smith. of the Board of School Com
misslOners, when asked by the reporter if the
board intended doing anything toward collect
ing this money, of which the school fund has
been and is being defrauded, said he did not
know what would he done. A man was en-
ployed for little while each year, but the board
would not like to incur the expense of employ
ing man by the year, and through the entire
familiar with the dodge that some liquor deal
ers played of swindling the county out of three
months $50 or more) every year or so.
Mr.. E. z. Thompson, another school cOmmis-
sioner was found at the post office ave en-
ploy man to take the enumeration of school
children each year, and expect him TO make it a
part of his duty TO look after this matter of
saloon licenses" said Mr.. Thompson.
But that is only for a few days each year,"
said the reporter
"Well, the school board don't like to do it. 1t
looks too much like spying"
''If several thousand dollars are lost each year
that might be saved to the school fund by look
ing after it" said the reporter.
'Mr. Bingham and myself have favored look
ing after this liquOr-license money all along.
Some of the commissioners thought the way TO
attend to it would be to get good religious fell
low to go around, while we thought wicked de-
tective would do better work. It's the business
of the finance committee to look after all these
matters of revenue, and am not on that COM
mittee."
"Why isn't it attended TOT"
ooh, like everything else; somebody gets up
and talks, ana nothing is done"
"HaVe the commissioners considered how
much is lost to the school fund each year2'
81 don't think they have. What want is TO
get every cent that belongs 10 the school chill
dren of this city. No respectable, lava abiding
man to watch this license business, only the fell
lows who evade the law. Men like Chaplin &
Gore, Ferd. Christman, Charles Lauer, Philip
Reichwen, Peter Bany ana Ernest Knodel will
approve of any measures that Will bring the
guerrllas in their business up with round turn
and make Them pay like legitimate dealers. BY
the way, that license money goes to the tuition
fund imagine if 1t went to the special fund
there would be greater effort made to get all
of it,"
The Gas Companys Charter.