Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-04-29
LOCAL MATTERS.
ADVICE TO MANCHESTER LIQUOR
DEALERS FROM JUDGE FRENCH.
All Who Get Licenses Must Pledge Them
selves Faithfully to Observe
All Laws, &c.

members Of the Association to appear
before him at 10 o'clock yesterday
morning. At the appointed time large
number were in court, and Judge
French addressed them as follows:
Gentlemen: ! have caused you to
be summoned here to-day to speak
kindly but plainly to you.
1.-The General Assembly Of Virginia,
at its late session, saw fit to empower
the people, in their respective jurisdic-
tions Of cities, towns, counties, and
magisterial districts, to vote upon the
question Of licensing the sale Of intoxi-
eating liquors whenever, upon proper
application, an election should be
ordered by the city or county judge.
Upon the application Of the required
number Of voters an election was or
dered to be held on Monday the Goth Of
the present month. which election has
resulted, by determination of large
majority Of those voting, upon quite a
full vote, in favor of licensing the sale
Of Intoxicating liquors in this city.
Pending the canvass previous to
such election am informed that those
engaged in the business Of selling in
toxicatiDg liquors gave notice Of their
resolve hereafter to close the doors Of
their respective establishments on SUM-
day, and pledged themselves not to sell
intoxicating liquors to such as were
under age. 1t was almost an open Sc
cret prior to this enunciation that the
Sunday traffic in liquor, to be drunk
where sold, was as notorious as its sale
on any other day in the week-indeed,
that it was acknowledged that the sales
on Sunday we're more profitable than
those of any other day in the week.
Your resolve was eminently proper,
especially in view OF the fact that the
sale of liquor on Sunday and to minors
was in direct and open violation Of the
law.
such resolve, however, was plain
acknowledgment on your part that
Heretofore you had been carrying on
your business in defiance Of the law OF
the land; and so, in good conscience, in
the exercise of the discretion vested in
me, | could not excuse myself before the
law or this community were |, with
any suspicion on my part, to grant a
liquor-license TO any person who enter
tained a purpose to return to former
practices and continue such sales in dis
regard Of the plain inhibitiOns of the
statutes. You all must know that the
license is granted to you to sell ardent
spirits and a mixture thereof in accord
dnce rdh and not contrary to the pro-
visions Of law.
"In the exercise Of the discretion
imposed on me | have been as mindful
Of the rights Of applicants for license
as | could possibly have been. do
not remember TO have turned away any
applicant save one, and | refused license
to that one because in open court he de-
clared that be did not propose to give
is bar bis personal attention, but in.
ended to leave the sales thereat to his
aughters, young women. | did not
elieve such a person to be proper
'nan to have the privilege, who had so
little regard for the white females Of his
family as to subject them to the un-
feminine task of standing behind bar
to serve liquors to all classes and cOlOrs
Of men at all hours Of day aud night.
Again and again have | been ap-
, pealed to to refuse and TO revoke
licenses upon the public opinion that
you were pursuing your business in
defiance Of law. 1t was not for me,
however. to pronounce any Of you.
upon public rumor, to be guilty, or to
anticipate, when | granted you the Ii
cense, that you would violate the
law. Without ogicial information |
could not regard the well-accepted
opinion of the public that every bar
room in the city was open on every Sun
day to the sale Of liquor, and to minors
at all times. The grand juries, sum-
moned quarterly to inquire-diligently
to inQuire-intO every inlracuon of the
penal laws Of the State, had failed. save
on one occasion years ago, to inform
the Court Of such disregard on your
part of her statutes. And hence !
granted every application made to me
save the one above noted-requiring in
each case that the applicant should be
youched for as man Of probity and
good demeanor, and fit person to have
such privileges.
but, gentlemen, there is change
in your surrounding, and applications
are now to be made by you, or some
of you at least, for license, with the
open confession on your lips that
Dame Rumor had done you no in
Justice, and must be frank with
you. With the lights before me, ]
cannot-I will not-renew the license
of any one Of you unless upon
your pledge--and |, trusting to your
honor, will regard your pledge-that
in the future you will not, personally
or BY your agents, permit in your es-
tablishment the sale Of liquor on Sunday
to any, or the sale to minors at any
time. You must premise me that your
bar-rooms shall be Theoretically closed
to all on Sunday.
~ understand that you have an or
gsnization for your own protection.
Let me advise you, in the spirit Of all
kindness, to enter upon your records,
if you have not already done so, re-
solve that in the future you will not
yourselves violate the law in respect to
the sale of liquors on Sunday to any
one, and to minors at any time that
you will not permit your agents or EN-
ploy eeS so TO do, but further, that you
will give every aid to the officers Of the
law in bringing all offenders to punish
ment.
"To the members Of your orgauiza-
ton, with such pledge, | will cheer
fully renew your licenses /; and if any
applicant fer license, member Of your
Association or not, shall decline to
make such pledge, in the interest Of
the law and of this community shall
be constrained to refuse the license.
"It has been suggested that should
hold you to bond and security condi-
toned for your faithful discharge of
your duties under the law. ! decline
Ia do this. trust to your honor as