Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-10-31
LIQUOR LICENSE PROBLEMS.
The Commissioners Have Hundreds
of Applications to Act On.

The Commissioners Have Hundreds
of Applications to Act On.
QUESTIONS ARISING UNDER THE NEW REGULA-
TIoxs-xEIaHsoRHooDs WITH MORE SALOONS
THAN NECESSARY GENERAL PROTESTS NOT
ooxsrpEREp-rSyEsTIGAI MADE By THE
POLICE.
Tomorrow Is the first day Of the new liquor
license year. Nearly seven hundred applica-
tions for licenses have been fled with the Com
missioners Under the new regulations the
applicant is required to file his papers ten
DAYS before the beginning Of the license year
IL he intends to continue his business without
interruption. This morning not a single appli-
cation had been acted upon, and consequently
no saloon had been guaranteed permission to
run for another year. The Commissioners
have delayed action on the applications, it is
said, to give every person desiring to do so a
chance to enter protest. Under the new regu-
lations many saloon-keepers were required to
obtain many more signatures this year than
heretofore.
CORNER SALOONS.
For instance, in cases where a saloon is sit
uatsd on the corner Of two streets heretofore
the proprietor could get his license to open a
door ON either street by obtaining signatures
OF residents and property-owners on that
street. In many such cases the saloon keepers
were required to close a door on one street be-
cause they could not get the required number
OF signatures and sell from but one side. On
the street where he was refused he could as
many did, make q large display with pictures
OF 'stovepipes," and other bar-room insignia
Ihe fact that the bar-room was situated on a
corner was always an advantage to the keeper,
because he had two chances Of getting his
license. Now, the chances are against him, for
ne has to canvass two streets for signatures.
The police say that the saloon men
have had more trouble to overcome the obsta-
eies put IN their way by the new regulations
than they ever had under the old rules Then
again the officers say that many persons have
signed this year who would never sign before,
ana many persons who have heretofore signed
all applications have positively refused to do so
this year. In several localities where there are
a number Of saloons on a square the residents
have tried to pick out the most orderly saloon
and signed the application for that saloon only.
TO CLOSE TOMORROW.
As the police construe the new regulations all
persons in the liquor business whose licenses
are not granted tonight viii have to close their
places tomorrow or keep them open in VIOLA
ton Of the law. The saloon-keeper as well as
the police have considerable trouble about the
applications. The former is obliged to call on
the property owners and householders on both
sides Of the street where his place is located.
cANvAssINe FOR SIGNATURES.
It often occurs that q saloon-keeper only
lacks one signature of the majority required by
law. The saloon-keeper himself is unable to
get it and he sends friends to talk to the resi-
dents or property-owners as the case may be,
and the police say they are often compelled to
pay good price for the required signature.
When the application is fled with the Com
missioners it is referred to the police. Each
application is carefully inspected. The sigma
lures are verified by the officers who have to go
from place to place and interview the signers.
Then the record Of the applicant is searched, and
each arrest or conviction is marked against
him. The lieutenant of the precinct then
makes his report and returns it with the appli-
cation to The Commissioners. Complaints or
protests against the granting of applications
are also received by the Commissioners. and,
like the applications, are referred to the police.
When the Commissioners get ready to take
action on the application the report of the
police-lieutenant and protests are considered
In finally disposing of the application the re-
port OF the police-heutenant is generally ap-
proved
THE NUMBER IN ANY ONE LOCALITY.
Commissioner Webb and Major Moore have
for some days been looking over the applics-
tions received preliminary to action upon them
by the full board of Commissioners There
will be many applications suspended. The
Commissioners are asked in many cases to re-
ject applications under the recently adopted
rule by which they assume the right to regu-
late the number Of saloons in q given neigh
borhood. One case brought to the attention
of the Commissioners is that Of Pennsylvania
avenue, between 18th and 18th streets There
are fve restaurants on one side and one on the
other side OF the avenue, making six in all.
The records OF all these restaurants are said
to be good, there being no court convic-
ton and no report against them, and
each has the requisite number of signers. In
fact. the signatures are substantially the same
on all the petitions. Now the Commissioners
have either to grant all the licenses or to dis
criminate and say which places shall be closed
II they decided that three saloons were enough
for the locality and closed up three, 1t Is held
that they would be merely giving the monopoly
of the business to the three saloons. The Com
missioners, it is said, can exercise their powers
under this rule only in cases Of entirely new
applicants, or in the cases of restaurants who
have been reported or suspected of violating
the law.
A CAMPAIGN ON SEVENTH STREET.
Acampaign seems to have been made against
all the saloons on It'll street. north of L street.
Protests are fled from residents of that street.
showing that some one has been making an
anti-saloon canvass there. As the protests are
a rule, general and not specific, the Com
missioners are not inclined to consider them.
There Is a general protest, too, against the
number Of saloons on 7th-street road lust north
Of the Boundary, in two squares, where there
are said to be ten drinking places. The pro-
testants ask to have the number reduced to
two. The difficulty in this case with the Com
missioners is in deciding which two are the
fttest to survive.
WHAT LIQUOR DEALERS ARE DOING.
Mr.. N H. Shea, president Of the Local Board
Of Trade and Liquor Dealers Association, said
to STAR reporter this morning that the liquor
men would use all honorable means to procure
their licenses. Their business, he said is a le-
gitimate one, and can be conducted as orderly
as any other business. According 10 the decis-
ion of the courts, he said, the Commissioners
have full power to make rules and regulations
regarding the liquor trade, and the liquor men
will, therefore, make no movement against their
authority. They hope the Commissioners will
use proper discretion in the matter because
he said, men in the liquor business have rights
regarding their property and business inter-
ests. The Commissioners, he thought should
be careful not to do anything that will iniure
the business Of any law-abiding citizen.
THE woNAN's CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION,
Mrs. La Fetra, the president of the woman's
Christian Temperance Union, said this morn
ing, in speaking of the issue of liquor licenses
that the temperance people made strong efforts
L.. NJ -