The Portland daily press., 1888-01-16
PRICE THREE CENTS


of certain officials Is something phenomenal.
Meanwhile the mischief still goes on. A
minister of this city told me within a week
that he had stood upon the sidewalk over
against liquor shop close by that school
house and plainly seen the drinking, as the
thr0ng Of customers passed through the
swinging door. He further stated TO me that
he had never seen a more open selling Of
liquor during bis years Of residence In a
city that granted license.
In the face of snch facts as these, 1t Is pre-
p0sterOus TO suppose that our city and county
officials are.doing all they can 10 enforce the
law. have come most reluctantly 10 be-
lieve that the attitude Of the authorities
towards the traffic Is extremely unsatisfactO-
ry Let me state some Of the facts that
have compelled me to that conclusion. set
out, with friend, on a recent evening, upon
round OF Investigation. had heard much
OF the open sale OF liquor, and was 10th 10
believe IL; so went TO see for myself Pass
ing down Clark street, we came 10 Danforth.
just beyond the corner we saw a woman en-
ter the door OF saloon; we followed her in
a moment, and entering the inner room we
saw the pouring OF liquor by the bartender
for that woman. Passing 70 Commercial
street, we came almost Immediately upon a
saloon in full operation. The outer door
stood wide open. We entered, and passing
to the partition wall, we got full view Of
the bar in the inner room. My friend looked
through the scratched pane Of painted
window, and l found abundant vision
through the inner door, which stood ajar.
We saw a row Of men at the bar, some OF
them in the act of drinking while the bar
tender was busy serving others. In both
these places there was not sign OF watch
fullness; not door barred, and In the latter
Instance the outer door was wide open and
tine inner door ajar. The, unconcern Of both
seller and buyers was demonstrated by tie
fact we retired from the place last mention
ed undiscovered; and when my friend re-
turned q few moments later, he found the
same condition Of affairs. Up 10 this time
we had seen no policeman; but we soon
came upon two. They were inside restau-
rant, or at least a room that had that ap-
pearance. The only apparent business was
that OF loatng. After q brief observation
what we had seen, and asked them TO arrest
the man behind the bar at the place last de-
scr1Ded. They declined TO 20 with us, at
hrst on the ground that they would be known
by their dress, and afterward, when remind
ed that we had not been even seen during
our prolonged and close observation. on the
ground that they had no warrant We ex-
planned to them that 1t was not a ease of
search, for which a warrant would indeed
be required, but simply Of the arrest Of a
tanned that they had no right to enter with
out warrant, one of them telling me that
the bartender would have a right 30 knock
him down II he entered That the conduct
Of these guardians Of the law may be fully
let me illustrate by a case en-
tirely. parallel. No officer has a right to en-
ter house and make search for stolen goods
supposed TO be therein concealed, without
issued for that purpose. But IL Is
quite another case when man Is found In
the very act Of stealing. These officers did
precisely what an officer would do who, up
On information by two citizens that burgla-
~ was being committed within a block,
should refuse to arrest the burglar on the
ground that he had no warrant. Imagine
any policeman thus refusing, Resuming our
walk, we found no policeman until we
reached the corner Of Commercial and India
streets we found one upon his beat. Upon
evening, my friend and were
coming up Clark street from Commercial
street, when, within sight Of the corner Of
pan1orth street. we noticed policeman
standing with burly fellow upon that cor
ner. As we passed, this fellow left the po-
liceman. ran diag0nally up DanfOrth street
80 as to cut us off, and entered the very sa-
loon into which we had followed the woman
On the preceding evening. We heard him
slam the door and bolt 1t, and we wondered
why he was so much more afraid Of two
minister's than Of the policeman. am glad
o say that l had the pleasure on Friday
u hearing jury pronounce this man guilty
II maintaining a nuisance; and this, strange
IS II may seem, In spite Of the brilliant hy-
OF the honorable counsel urged
upon the jury with Ciceronlan eloquence,
that there was no proof that the LIQUID he
was seen pouring was anything NOE than
red ink or cranberry juice. 1t ought to be
stated also, that this conviction was not pro-
cured upon the complaint of any officer Of
the law, but upon complaint Of citizens
After the statement Of such facts as these
It seems tame TO say that policemen have, TO
NY knowledge, been repeatedly informed OF
The open loading Of liquors upon wagons In
mid day for transportation through the city;
and have failed to make seizure OF the same,
though the opportunity was within two
blocks Of the place where they stood.
But there Is more to tell; and 1t Is. If posi-
Die, OF even greater consequence. l had
heard it affirmed that there was open sale OF
liquor in our hotels. / wanted TO know and
went to see. have repeatedly visited the
bar rooms In three Of our principal hotels. /
found them without the slightest difficulty,
though had previous information Of the lo-s
cation Of but one Of them. found nottne
slightest degree Of conceaIment In either case.
In connection with one Of them, which |
have visited six times, have never found so
much as closed door, even from the pas-
sage way could plainly see the selling and
he drinking. | declare to you upon my own
repeated observation that there is the open
md constant sale Of liquors over a bar in
'hree Of our leading hotels, all that / visited
constant unless Sunday be an exception.
There Is an open bar In each Of these places
running day and night. The business has
been carried on as freely and as openly as
billiard playing OF boot blacking. Indeed,
N one OF these hotels one cannot reach the
billiard room without passing the door OF the
bar room, and that door have never found
than wide open. Another door
opens directly from the bar room 10 the bill
lard room. Since the above words were
written there has been a seizure In all these
hotels, both Of liquors and bartenders. 1t Is
! pertinent inquiry why ii was left 10 clti-
ems to make complaint and procure the en-
0rcement Of the law. Why was IL not done
~ officials appointed for that purpose, aud
lone long agOO As have watched the Op-
ration Of these bars l have been deeply
tirred. / have thought of the multitude Of
Toung men who are from time the guests OF
hese hotels. l have thought Of their early
ZONES; Of their mothers, knecling every day
o pray that their sons might be kept from
he evil that Is in the world. / have been
compelled thus to think, as | have seen
10ung men IN numbers passing into the bar
'oom. Think Of the deYilish ingenuity that
places bar next door to the large and at
iraetive billiard room, so that no young man
AN enter the latter without passing the open
ioor OF the former. have thought, too, Of
he peril that these bars bring to the men Of
)ur own city, younger and older Two Of
ihese rooms. at least, may be entered direct
" from the street, without passing through
The hotel, and without risk OF observation. /
have watched these street entrances, and can
certify that they are largely used. In one Of
these hotels not long since a man fell from
The stairway and died from injuries received.
tie was drinking man, and a bottle was
found upon his mangled body. The clergy
man who attended his funeral was assured
that the liquor was not purchased In that ho-
tel. On MOI But just beneath the floor on
which he lay was the bar room, with its un-
checked business Of devastation and death.
We may well wonder how seme people can
sleep quietly In their beds.
My friends, you may think me unduly
moved by intense feeling / would to God /
might bring cOntagion Of fire to your own
hearts that you might be moved pity him
who is not moved by the contemplation Of all
the ravages of this awful curse. would you
might have seen the poor, dirty wretch that
came not long ago to my door, begging me TO
go with him to his home. lest he should fall
again into the hands Of the monster ON his
way. | would you might hear him groan and
feel him writhe as | did, while we walked
arm in arm upon the street In the evening
crying ''Ohl how 1t burnsl 0hl II
could only get rid Of that awful, desperate
craving for drinkP'
| would you might enter. as did. the
house where his family were waiting for
him in a condition of f0rlOrnness and .des
pair which | will not try 20 describe. | wish
you might sit down, this day, beside an aged
woman in this city whose only son was bur-
led not many days since. He was strong
man, brilliant. loving, tender and devoted;
occupying a position Of trust. He was a
graduate, think, Of our High School, and
for years Sunday school scholar. Only
last winter he rose for prayers In one of our