The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1883-03-10
TEMPERANCE HOTELS DON'T PAY.
The Experience OF Mr.. William Deiphy-
Liquor Drinkers His Chief Patrons.


Mr. William Delphy, well known Temperance
lecturer andprOPrie;or Of Temperance Hotel in
Baltimore, gives his views Of the temperance hotel
business to a reporter Of tho Baltimore ih,rican.
as follows:
IAN individual citizen might A. well buck
against the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in bust
ness a. temperance hotel gansi the liquor trade
Of the city Of Baltimore" Such was the ObservA-
tion Of Mr.. William Dclphy recently. while speak
Ing Of the coming sale 81 the furniture and equip.
ments Of his hotel on the southwest corner Of
Howard and sarntasa .,s~.s- ~ hss. bee" -.
jean Ia sbe business" continued Mr.. Dslphy.
"and during all that time have not made more
than q bare living" What do you attribute
your lack Of success 10 ?" ITO the temperate peo
pie themselves I have from forty i've TO lf,y
rooms In nv hotel for the accornm odation Of
boarders. aud charge from $3.50 10 s. n week.
while charge transient customers only 81 per
day. ! started in the Temperance hotel business
In the Pennsylvania House, on Franklin street
II did not pay me. and then opened the -. Louis
House, on the corner Of Mulberry and Howard
streets. The venture was little better than the
frat bat when I leased the house in which I ain
now located made sure | was going TO make
money. And what have mAdoi A bare living.
TO say the best Of it,
"Were all your bOaTders strictly temperate men,
enc, cir. About twenty Of them were Of The
teeto'al class. but, the rest would take drink Of
whiskey or beer when they fol, like il. They
simply boarded here because there vas no bar
and they were free from the broils and confusion
engeadered In places where liquor Is sold
"wh.n you started your temperance hotel. did
you have any encouragement from the Temperance
psople"
"certainly I had but never received it,
Only tive years ago, when the Temperance Alliance
held its eonvention here one of the officers Of the
organization came 20 me and asked how many 81 the
AZ fef lat II -.
any, and that would take that number at the
l0seH rate. Well about n thousand delegates
came to he city from the Sabbath schools aud
churches throughout the state. aud out Of the en-
tire number only had three. aud for thesc rooms
bad alFesdy been secured and paid for b. tho Al.
lance. Had Il no, been for that circumstance.
they wSsid PTssabiy have gene elsewhere. lee,
By the convention al that time, for I had made
preparations for from so to 60 people
"undsr the rule of your predecessor. Col. Glib
bons. tho hotel was successful. vas Il mott
81 believe Il was; but. you see. the Colonel dii
not run u on Temperance principles. lie had
great many professional people coming hsre-I
mean actors-and they, ~ rule. while temper
ate enough 10 their habits. do not care 10 be re-
strieted a. 10 uhat they choose 10 drink or eat. -
Shortly after ! opened this house the advance
agent Of . travelling troup came here aud desired
~ engage rooms.for eleven. offered 10 take tho
crowd al dollar day each, and the agent. " hilo
-
house. said that the people Of his troupe soms-
times felt like taking o little stimuiant on their
return from the theatre. we don't ask you said
he, 10 supply us With drink, but ycu will not.
suppose, object 10 your porter going out for what
Ne dssirel told him that nothing Intoxicating
should enter tho house az long as ran u 4; and
he finally consented 10 come. That was the last
heard Of him. and the profits Of tho 81 should
have received from the troupe was lost 20 me-
The following week n crowd of thirty failed 10
patrsnixe me for the tame reason, and thus was
out Il least 500 profit from the s3s7 should
have collected from the two companies had the
houss not been conducted on the strictly temper.
anee plsn. People even opposed 10 drinking do
not like the restrictions In house such ~ mine.
and will patronire othe. establishments instead"
"Do you propose going into business again ?"
"Net 90 the proprietor Of temperance hotel, ]
can assure you. The people who agree TO support
~ fail 10 do 80 and man cannot afford TO spend
bic time and strength for the sake Of bare living
shall Try soma other business In the future, aud
let the hotels severely alone. The temperance
plan In the light Of my experience. does not pay"