Morning journal and courier., 1883-06-25
9onrnaI anA Geurier.
SINGLE COPIES THREE CENTS
Monday, June 25, 1883.

HIGH LICENSE IN CHICAGO.
 Somebody has called the government Of Chicago government of the saloon keepers,
 by the saloon keepers, and for the saloon keepers. That this description is not very wide of the mark is indicated by the action of the Mayor and common council of Chi cago concerning the new high license law.
 The new law does not go into effect until July l, and licenses to sell intoxicating liq- uors in Chicago run to June 3o As soon as the high license law was passed an alderman introduced an ordinance changing the timo of expiration of licenses to May 3I, intending to permit saloon keepers to take out new licenses at once and run another year at the old rate. This would make quite saving for the 4,OOO saloon keepers of Chicago, for the new law provides that licenses to sell spirituous liquors must cost $500 and to sell beer $50. When the matter came up for action in the board of aldermen the ordi- nance passed by a vote of twenty-four to ten amid the rejoicings of the saloon keepers who crowded the chamber Then ensued an interesting performance by Mayor Carter Harrison AS soon as the vote was passed he rose, drew from his pocket roll of man. uscript, and proceeded to read message vetoing the ordinance. The saloon keepers were much surprised, but their surprise did not last long, for they soon discov- cred that the Mayor remained friendly to their order. He made several objections to the proposed ordinance, among them that it would work injustice by curta' ling the term of some licenses and by extending the term of ethers, that the period of time was so long that it had the appear ance of an attempt to evade 6 law of the State, and that the law was invalid because the period of ths expiration of the licenses to be granted was fixed at time beyond ths present municipal year, which he had but recently discovered and in this connection he announced that all licenses granted for ten years past had been illegal, because in violation of the city charter in this particu- lar. Calling attention, then, to the fact that the State law did not require cities to issue licenses he dwelE at great length on the hard ship to the saloon keepers in refusing to license them, or of requiring them, on so short notice, to raise and pay the sums re- quired by the ne law. He made much of 1AS Ahcs LuAl Cu0 I6aS0S were DQaQ6 In MaV when it was believed no such law would be enacted To make every thing right the Mayor proposed that new licenses should be issued before July 1, to run until April 30, 1884, but thirty days less than the time proposed in the ordinance he was vetoing. which, according to his own showing, placed Interpolation of the licenses l so far off that it seemed to be an attempt to l evade the statute and openly defy it.
 The Mayors message struck the saloon keepers present and their friends favorably. 1 As soon as he sat down the voke pass ing the ordinance was reeonsidered, | amendments were then adopted so as to per- init the issuing of new licenses to run until l April 1st next, the previous question was or- l dered and the measure passed by the old vote l of 24 to 10. This time the Mayor signed the 1 document, and saloon keepers are all taking | out the new licenses at the old rate. This | whole affair must be specimen of the real | "'Chicago cheek'' that we read so much l about.