The Press., 1889-02-28
THE BACK DOOR.


 the cigar stores and the fruit stands.
 The enforcement of the law rests more with the people than with the police. Ten years ago would have secuted this idea, but now believe it. It is much easier to pitch into the county commissioners, the | city fathers, and the police department 1 than to accept our share of the duty.,
 Now we are all agreed that liquor is l bought and sold over the bar in great | many saloons in Hartford every Sunday, 1 by the law-breaking saloon keepers, the | foes of the country and the home. Let us | see what obstacles stand in the way of en- | foEcing our Sunday laws. What is the chief obstacle which makes violation easy and detection diffcult2 The answer may be given in word-The Back Door. With l that you have given the saloon-keeper ev- cry advantage and opportunity to escape detection. The hallways and family en- frances form SO many outlook stations from which he can watch your approach, warned by automatic electric enunciators. One of | our city judges said to me the other day | "In striking at that you strike at the tap. only one entrance, and that on the street, 1 and you have done much towards stopping this evil" Now see how necessary these back doors are to the business of the saloon man. Application was made to rent cer- tain room for saloon purposes. The apart ment had front door, rear entrance and door communicating with hallway. It was proposed by the corporation owning the building to close the side door. What was the result? The application was with drawn. That side door was worth the price of the rent. It was the side door the applicant wanted to rent, with the room thrown in. The requirements which a room suitable for saloon must have are a back alley way, back door, a side door, and rear hallway opening into other apartments. Ifthese are lacking, the saloon keeper does not want the place. Or, if he is building, there is @ saloon architecture which provides for all: these conveniences Then he comes before the commissioners and makes prayer, and says that unex- pected necessity demands these entrances, and prays our good commissioners that they may be open because it will be hard 1 ship and an inconvenience not to have ] to struggle along without the back door will be a hardship. A very good name hardship door!" Do you know that our county commissioners are given abso- lute discretion in this? Will you stand by them if they use their power? Will you give them your political, financial and moral support if they close up these doors Now the petitioner may be @ customer of yours, and if you do it you may lose his patronage.
 Another obstacle is the screen. These also prevent the enforcement of the law. If the law was enforced in regard to these it would be almost impossible for man to sell liquor on Sunday. But it is not sur. prising that this business loves darkness. But if there was one door and no screen the people could see and the police could see whether or not there were a dozen young men eating and drinking in there every Sunday night If saloon-keepel has permission to open side or back door the law provides that nothing shall be per. mitted to obstruct the view into the room from the sidewalk from 12 o'clock on Sat. urday night till o'clock on Monday morn. ing. There shall be no obstruction before
 his bar. The thing for him to do first is, if possible, to have back door without g
 permit, which will, of course ald in sec j ond breaking of the law in keeping up the screens.
 Another thing is allowing the saloon and
 family apartments to be adjacent with oper
 communication between. What does the
 law say In the Revised Statutes for 1888
 section 8, ,047, we find it expressly stated
 that no license shall be granted where there
 is communication between the bar-roon
 and the living room-except in the case O hotels-ezcepti in the cases where the coun ! ty commissioners shall make special or
 der to the contrary. Upon violation oi
 this rule the license may be revoked. Thii is plain and positive. The law absolutely E prohibits such entrances and doors com ] municating with other apartments, ana . none are lawful unless the county commis i, sioners exercise their discretionary power l and set aside the laso, What the commis sioners should do is to take their stant ) behind the law. If the law is set aside, i is done by the commissioners who gran , them the right to open these "hardshil doors."
 II thank thee, Roderic, for the word. 7 A hardship Yes, they are hardship t the police, to the commissioners, to tn 3 law-abidine citizen, to the mother and ? the children into whose home the door c r Hell is opened. The law puts up part
 tion between them and this evil and tn
 commissioners ought to leave it there, an l. you and ought to support them in it. , believe the sentiment of the city will SUI 1, port them. Are you in favor of it MI . Merchant? Are you Mir. Tradesman2 The n support it and strive for it in every way e have been living in the interest of on l. door, only one, and that the front door
 and believe that it is along this line thu {: we should work. If the time comes fe '- prohibition we will welcome it, but no # let us take all we can get.
 }. There are thiee difficulties in the way l. enforcing it as police measure. In tt
 first place great many are afraid of sti
 ring up the ''saloon element" patronag, and votes. In the second place the que r tion is so e1tangled with politics. It is /. great political machine. And then al s other is that there are great many men some are here tonight and great man e more are not here-who occasionally take ,s drink there are few teetotalers there al IT moral men drinking; church member
 drinking, and fashionable ladies sippin
 their champagne at parties and receptions re there are beautiful young girls giving vii 3, to young men who have already drank te d much.
 p-f will tell you who is to blame Ot Y county commissioners are to blame, oI cs police commissioners are to blame, oy city fathers are to blame, our police fore
 is to blame and you and are to blarn t, andI do not know but that the great'