Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-12-31
LIQUOR AND LAW
Measures Pending in Congress to
Regulate the Traffic.
HIGH LICENSE PROPOSED.
Tho Several Bills Introduced-A Measure
That 10 Favored by Liquor Men-The strin-
gent Regulations Proposed by the McNil-
Ian Bill.

One Of the most important questions relating
to the District of Columbia which Congress has
had and still has to deal with is that of regulat-
ing the sale Of liquors in the District.
Even before the laws now on the statute books
we're virtually declared inoperative. 90 far a.
the prevention Of the sale Of liquor il con-
cerned, there was demand for new legislation
on the subject. On the one hand, those in
favor Of placing greater restrictions ON the
liquor traffic favored high license and more
stringent laws. and, on the other hand, repre-
sentstives Of the liquor interests complained Of
what they regarded as hardships imposed by
tbs existing law and favored legislation which
removed some Of the difficulties encountered by
the saloon keepers. Since the rendering Of the
decision in the Nnu case has left the District
almost without any law at all ON the subject
there is urgent necessity for some legislation.
A number OF, bills some dealing with particn-
lar features of the liquor question and some
proposing general license law, have been in
trodnccd and are now pending in the House and
Senate.
The District Commissioners have made spe-
cific recommendations on the subject. They
sent to the last Congress two bills providing
lara. In the present Congress bill introduced
by Senator Mcmillan and known as the McMil-
Ian bill has takon the place of the Commission
ers bill by covering the provisions they recon-
monded and more. One of the things re-
gardcd US essential to any new law was definite
ness az to what constituted bar room and az to
penalties for violation of the law. Under the
existing law, even before the decision Of the
Nsu case was rendered prosecutions frequently
failed through various imperfections of the
statute.
THE PENDING BILLS.
Senator Mcmillan has Introduced, in fact, two
general bills--one on February IS last and on
on April 5. The latter, a more complete bill,
taking the place of the former has been re-
ported to the Senate with some amendments.
Out OF the several bills introduced in the
House the House committee on tho District of
Columbia proposes to construct a new bill as a
substitute for them all, appropriating the best
features Of each.
The three important general propositions at
present formulated are the Mcmillan bill on
the Senate calendar, and the Campbell bill and
the Meredith bill in the House.
Or these three the Mcmillan bill is the one
which seems to meet with most favor among
temperance advocates and others favoring
stringent regulation of the liquor traffic. The
prohlbitionists. of course. cannot logically in
dorse any license bill. The Campbell bill is re-
garded as the one that would be most accepta-
BILE to the liquor men.
All three bills provide in the first section
that no Intoxicating liquors, &c, shall be sold
IN the District without a license, bu. the Camp
Dell Dill has proviso that the provision Of the
act shall not apply to sales made by u person
under provision OF the law requiring him to
sell personal property, nor 10 sales made by
the maker. brewer or distiller thereof, not to
be drunk on the premises"
The Meredith bill provides for license
aud hxyx
Commissioners. The Mcmillan bill places the
power to grant or reject licenses solely in the
hands OF the Commissioners, under the condi-
tions laid down in the bill. The Campbell bill
provides for an excise board composed Of the
chief OF police. who shall be chairman, and the
assessor and collector Of the District to pass
upon the question, and makes the action of this
board final and conclusive. The board is given
power to make such rules and regulations to
carry the act into effect as it may deem requi-
cite and proper. A clerk to the board is pro-
vided for. who shall be inspector Of licenses
issued under the act.
THE AMOUNT OF LICENSE TAX.
All the pending bills propose to increase the
present license fees. The Mcmillan bill pro-
vides FOR fee Of $500 for either wholesale or
retail. The Meredith bill fixes the license fees
at go for wholesale and $50 for retail.
The Campbell bill fixes fee of $3.50 for bar
rooms or for grocers selling in unbroken pack
ages, and 500 fo- wholesale dealers. In all the
bills the presence of the liquors with the ap-
pliances for serving them is regarded as prima
facia evidence OF bar room.
SOME PROHIBITIONS OF TIE M'MILLAN BILL.
The Mcmillan bill provides that any person
desiring a license shall make an affidavit and
file it with tho Commissioners. making oath to
his answers to series OF questions of q most
searching character intended to show his uuali-
hcations under the law for receiving license
No person shall be granted license who is
under twenty-one years of age; who has been
convicted OF violation of license law within the
license year terminating the 31st of October
last past or whose license has been revoked
within said license year; who will not person.
ally conduct the business and who does not do
business for himself and not as an agent of some
other; who holds a license for any part of the
period for which license is sought; who in
tends to carry on bar room business within 400
feet OF any portion Of q lot on which q school
house OF the District Of Columbia is built or
within 400 feet OF church measured in an air
line from that part Of the lot on which
the church OF school house is built to
the nearest portion Of the lot on which
stands the building in which it is proposed
70 conduct the bar room; who has not filed with
his application the written permission of ma
Jorlty OF the persons owning property and q
majority OF those keeping house ON the side Of
the square where 1t is designated to locate the
bar room and on the side of the square 'front.'
ing opposite, ard if it is a corner, majority
OF owners and residents on both sides Of the
street on which it faces within the space Of a
square; who designs doing business outside the
city limits within 900 feet Of any other bar
room; who is an employee Of the District or
who intends to conduct the business under the
license In or adjacent to a building wherein is
conducted a theater or variety entertainment.
REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE CAMPBELL BILL.
Under the Campbell bill the prelim mary re-
quirements prescribed for the granting of q
license as to signers, &C., are similar 10 those
Of the present law.
The bill then says: Every place where in
toxicating liquors sold to be drank on the
premises shall, for the purpose of this act, be
regarded and considered bar room. and the
possession OF intoxicating, liquors and the SELL
ing or disposing OF the same to be drank on the
premises shall constitute and make the place a
bar room; provided, that this section shall not
apply to hotels or taverns or to duly incor-
po-ated clubs; provided further, that any es-
tablished otel or tavern having 100 chambers
for lodging guests shall always have the right
to obtain for itself q license for bar room on
complying with the provisions of this act. and
the petition In such case must be made by the
owner or lessee OF such hotel or tavern: and
provided further, that not more than 500
licenses shall be issued for such bar rooms by
said board IN any one year; and provided
further, that after such applicant shall have
obtained and filed with his petition the ,
consent aforesaid and obtained from the board
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