The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-06-01
AT THE BATTERY.
MR. KLINE's UNLICENSED SALOON
He Gets HIs Location Rent FREQ and sSnVoS
License Fees besides.

He Gets Ais Location Kent FREQ and Snvos
License Fees BesIdes.
The only LIQUOR saloon In this city which IL
openly run without license, or the effort TO
get one, is situated In one Of the most conspic-
uous places In the city, on tho edge OF the Bat
terry right next to the Staten Island Ferry
house and the new immigrant station at the
Barge ONCE. In spite Of its unlicensed con-
dition, however, It Is very likely to stay righS
there for good while to come. and to make q
small fortune for the man who runs it, unless
the temperance folks mako too much fuss, or
unless. through some other power, the proprie-
tor Is deprived OF his pull at Washington.
@. T. Kline is the happy man who
is getting rich In this easy way. Who
Mr. Kline is. and where he Gots his
pull" Is one OF the city's political
mysterles He was newspaper reporter for
several years and was connected with the
Stats Zeituno. lie covered the ship news de-
partment for that paper, and while thus en-
gagged in the ship news office at the Battery
may have first got his eye uron the tender
plum which has since rlpencd SO gorGeousy
for his benefit.
Mr.. Klino's place Is unique in moro than It's
lack OF license; II Is probably the tiniest sn DON
in the city. 1t Is Just wide enough to hold
narrow counter with a shelf behind it and
leave room enough IN Il ont Tor two ordinarily
loan persons to pass each other easily. It's q
squeeze when one 81 the men + Iat; h9wcyer =,
the place. Mr.. Kline admits tie sale ol live
Kegs OF beer day. Jealous rivals, accuse him
of selling ten kegs daily. Either way It
in year. This is besides th.,, income from
sandwiches and other eatahles. Tho use OF tho
created the bulk OF the business Tor Nj.
kiines tiny restaurant and saloon. but tno
in view Of the fact that thers is no rent 10 rar.
The saving OF license fee Is small matter
10 ' h. Even when the mmigrat station is re-
moved to Ellis Island the barge, once dock
to that island. ami Mr.. Hines saloon will bea
sort of last chance house on tho wny 10 Tho
immgrant station Al, and r r., chance place Tor
When some changes, we're contemplated In
tho little shin news building few m9nths nGo.
Mr. Lewis, the manager q the est4bllshment.
made an application 10 Collector Erhardt Tor
tho privilege of extending his domain oyer tho
building an! the Large Unire r;emises. The
Collector said he would forward it TO tho
heard Of it until ono dav Mr. Kline came
around with some "arcnniers and began to
strip which Mr. Lewis wanted lie announced
that lie held n privilege for runnint n restau-
T nit ana se,,nG oye[ on n' rnrir
nj the Custom House proved that he told tho
truth. Collector Erhnrdt said that M anl'i-
cation for the privilege must have been made
directly TO the Washington authorities. Orders
e let Mr. Kline have tie place had cone IRON
with Secretary Window.
The rearranGement OF the Offices in the ship
ly without interfering with Mr.. Hines plans,
and his first opposition came from another
quarter. saloon Keepers in that Part OF TIC
city were up In arms as soon as the first kcG 81
beer rolled into the new place. They mad9
things interesting for the clerks at the oih"e
WINGED that tho Board real ly had not gone
back on them and that the ir new rival WAS
unlicensed. Then they made things interest
ing for while longer. wanting tho excise
clerks to tell them why in thunder the fellow
was allowed to sell there without licen~e.
The Excise Department promised 10 sec about
see Mr.. Kline, and cGmc back, with The
information that Mr.. Kline said he had
eminent ,nt''H for The sale o. beer: and as
he was located on United States ground, ho
didn't care q cent for tho excise inspector.
county and State OF New York or any, each.
or all of them. Then he had asked the in
6e %as to he
for a pull ut Washington than for all the en-
else officers in the country. Nevertheless. he
Then the inspector had left Mr.. Kline al"ne
with his nnlicen scd beer still lagrantly IN tap.
Mr.. Kline hasn't heard anything more from The
pect to- The point involved in his case was
settled 1t il said; good while ago IN the rass
House. which was held TO be exempt from local
excise laws because situated upon territory Of
the NATIONAL Government. ,,.,. 49, r.,i.o,
Mr.. Kline pays no rent, because the nlfcd
States Government is TOO big an institution 10
go into the landlord business. II holds no lgHi
except for public uses. aud all the privileges
that it gives are given upon the theory hat
they arc for the public benefit, and that thav
are given to the man who VIII pest serve ne
the public necessity OF beer saloon NEXT door
TO the Barge ONCE is that it will save the Gov
tors whose LeadIuarIels are there will lose
less time in going Tor drinks.