Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-03-19
CHRISTIAN GENTLEMEN WANTED.
The Kind of Commissioners Called For
by the Waugh Church Meeting.


TEMPERANCE ADVOCATES WHO INSIST ON HAVING
OFFICIALS WHO WILL ENFORCE THE LICENSE
LAw-THEY SET FORTH THEIR VIEWS IN
MEMORIAL TO THE PRESIDENT.
"The people on Capitol Hill are awfully
afraid of getting wet" said Major s. n. Walker
to STAR reporter. as he looked somewhat rue
fully over the audience that was assembled in
Waugh church. There were many vacant
spaces in the pews. Now and then new ar
rival came in with dripping umbrella. 1t was
mass meeting called "to express disapproval
of the outrage to our Sabbath by the saloon
keepers, particularly March 8; also to adopt
memorial to the President for protection
against the liquor traffic and the appointment
to District Offices only Of such persons as will
enforce the law and protect the interests of the
community rather than that of the saloon"
The audience comprised many persons from
churches in distant parts of the city, who were
not discouraged by the rain. Rev. Dr. Baldwin
was chosen to preside and Mr.. r. NJ. Cheshire
secretary. DIR. Baldwin stated the purpose Of
the meeting to be. as he understood it, to de-
fend society against Sabbath breakers. law
breakers and saloon-keepers, who are banded
together to overthrow our institutions to me-
morialize the President to appoint Commits
sioners who will enforce the law, and to ex-
press their indignation at the open violation of
the law on the Sabbath preceding the inaugu-
ration. They were told that prohibition law
could not be enforced. They could see here
in this city that decent license law could not
be enforced They demanded that this license
law should be enforced against every breaker Of
the law.
MR.. MoULToNs REMARKS.
Mr.. Hosea B. Moulton, the first speaker, said
that they had right to ask and insist that the
laws to protect the home against the encroach-
ment of the saloon be enforced. They had a
right to demand of the proper officers the en-
forcement of the law prohibiting gambling; to
demand that the haunts of degradation and
vice should not be openly maintained, that the
license law, such as it is. should be fully en-
forced. They had he said. whole blocks of
houses in Washington publicly known gam
bling houses. If one Of them had been broken
up in months past, he had not observed it.
They had here hundreds of places of vice
known and enrolled by the police. but he
doubted whether half dozen such places had
been broken up. Not one-haf of the 1,500
licensed saloons had obtained their licenses.
legally. He was told, too. that many places
were permitted to keep open without license.
The authorities had not only the power and
the right but it was their duty to enforce this
law. They wanted the executive of this ma
ton to appoint solid. noble, upright Christian
men as executives of the District. They had
that he knew-but the great trouble has been
the want Of good. solid, well-defned back
bone.
SLIGHT MISUNDERSTANDING.
Mr.. F. NJ. Bradley, who next spoke, said it
was difficult undertaking to try to get Chris
tian man to enforce the license law.
There might be Christian men who would
sign their names to licenses and have them
hung up III 800 bar-rooms, but $1,000 year
or so, 600 year would not pay some men to
have their names hung there. If there was
one reason stronger than another why they
should have good men as Commissioners he
said, 1t was that they should have men who
when they went before Congress would recon-
mend righteous instead of unrighteous laws
They had had Commissioners who recon-
mended to Congress the abomination of high
license. MIR. Bradley said he defied any one to
show a case where anything had been done for
temperance by high-license law. He was
proceeding to argue against high license, when
Mr.. j. III. Hitchcock interrupted him and
claimed that he was not in order. but was dis
cussng political question. There are men
here" said Mr.. Hitchcock, who are in favor
of high license. In fact, 1 believe majority
are"
Then if that is the case" said Mr. Bradley
rather tartly, II beg to be excused from further
service. Mr.. Bradley turned on his heel and
walked down from the platform to his seat on
the floor.
Mr.. Mahoney, smiling blandly. said he thought
it ought to be explained that Mr.. Bradley was
not present when the object of the meeting
was stated.
Mr.. Bradley said he had no apology to make
for speaking to the platform which the men
they endorsed that night were expected to
stand by.
Mrs. S. d. La Fetra made a brief address,
She said there were saloons open on the Sd of
March that were never known to be open on
Sunday before.
MAI. WALKER ARRAIGNs THE AUTHORITIES.
Maj. S. H. Walker, who followed, said the
most conspicuous violation of the liquor law was
the result Of the abolition of the liquor license
board, which comprised two men who we're in
favor OF enforcing the law. Since that day the
application of licenses have piled up until the
Commissioners are at leisure 20 go over them
The liquor laws, he said, had been openly vio-
lated every Sunday for the past three years.
Had the law been enforced there would be few
saloons open in Washington to-day. 1t was far
better to have no inauguration at all than to
have had it scandaliZed by such lawlessness az
was observed here ON March 8. He expressed
confidence i'll President Harrison's loyalty to
Christian sentiment an6believed that he would
give careful attention to any appeal they would
make. Maj. Walker read resolutions passed at
the quarterly meeting of Waugh church de-
nouncing the fragrant outrages" witnessed at
Inauguration time.
MEMORIAL TO THE PRESIDENT.
He then offered resolutions in the form of a
memorial to the President, which. after recit-
ing various complaints regarding the non-en-
forcement of the law. stated
THAT We. citizens of the United States and
residents and property owners of the District
of Columbia Ill mass meeting assembled, rep
resenting the various churches and homes of
said District, and desiring to protect our homes
and our people from the ravages and devasta-
ton OF the evils and iniquities hereinbefore re-
cited, do hereby most respectfully petition the
President of the United States and his Attor-
ney-General to select to fill the various offices
in this District, and especially those of Com
missioners Of the District only substantial, re-
liable, temperance, Christian gentlemen in no
way interested or related to the saloon or
liquor interests of the country; and be il
further resolved that committee of repre-
sentative men be appointed by this meeting to
present this memorial and resolutions to the
President of the United States and to the At
torney-General, together with such further
recommendations as said committee NAV think
it wise and proper to make"
The following committee was appointed to
present the resolution to the President: s. H.
Walker, Dr. York, A P. Clarke, T. W. Smith,
j. G. Lee, l.. Chappell, +. NJ. Bradley, H. l..
Strong, NJ d. Teck. Rev. E. ID. Bailey, Dr. c.
n. Whitney, DIR. j. E. Carpenter, Alex Giles,
DR.. G.. II. La Fetra, Arson s. Taylor, W. NJ
Clayton, j. r. Mahoney, Rev. Job Price, l.. A.
Jewell, Z. G. johnson, Alex Ashby, W. H.
Smith. Rev. c. NJ. Baldwin, Mr.. Van Ness and