Morning journal and courier., 1894-02-22

must be limited to relation of the doings
of our own estimsble board Of commission
ers in their liberal use of their powers
under the liquor laws. One object of this
study of the records of the county COM
missioners is to give to the general public
some better idea of our present license sys
tenn, as we'll as to show in what ways the
lave are evaded by those doing an iiIegiti-
mate liquor business.
1t ia due our commissioners that should
acknowledge that at all times they have
shown Us the utmost courtesy and aseist-
ance in opening their records to our inspsc-
ton, even at some Inconvenience to them
selves, and in furnishing us al: possible in
formation.
To proceed in this rastter in an orderly
way l shall take up in succession several
statute g, and review to come extent the
records of the commissioners in relation to
these statutes.
LICENSES TO BE GRANTED ONLY TO SUITABLE
PERSONS.
Section 1858 of the general statutes en-
powers the commissioners to license suita-
bic persons in suitable places. Other sec.
tons of the statutes define to some extent
who are suituble persons and what are
suitable places.
Upon the list of licenses granted up to
the 10Th of this month we notice the
names of number of women whom we
presume are known to the commissioners
as coming up In character and reputation
to the full requirements of the statute
Our general information, however, leads
US to suggest that too much care cannot to
exercise when applications are made by
females to keep drinking places. Two ap-
plications have lately been refused by the
commissioners under the statute which
:orbids the granting of license to the
keeper of disorderly house. O.e of
these Cases is 30 illustrative of the opera
ton il several RESP eets CT the law that I
cite it somewhat in de.sil. On tie 4sh of
October last George Frank, proprietor of
the Germsnis hotel, was convicted in the
city court of keeping house of ill-fame
1t Is an oversight in the liquor laws to be
remed;e ], that conviction on that chargs
is rot included among the causes which
require revocation of a license. Mr..
Frank, accordingly, kept Oh selling until
his license ran out on December 81. OF
course he promptly stopped selling
that night In his Germania hotel!
Not at all; for what one cannot
do by law in New Haven, he may do by
courtesy" custom has been inherited
by the present board of commissioners of
allowing liquor sellers to keep on selling
after the expiration of their licenses, until,
in the course Of business, new licenses can
be granted. This custom arose doubtless
from a natural desire on the part of the
officers to be accommodating, and from
the difficulty of keeping the business of
issuipg licsnses up to date But as lie often
the case with similar customs by which the
laws are good naturally relaxed, this cour-
tesy of the commissioners has been made
a Convenience by the sinners. would
call attention to the fact that ruling
made by Judge Hotchkiss in this very case
of MI Frank this week, establishes the
point that the courtesy" of the commits
sioners does not furnish legal ground OF
defense in pros ecution for selling with
out q license. Every dealer, according to
this ruling, 30 selling ''by courtesy" ie
liable for selling without license. Mr..
Frank, however, under this custom con-
tiuued for nearly a month his whole bust
ness in the Germanis hotel.
His application for renewed license came
up January Is; the court record against
him was offered to the comm.s sioneIs, but
instead of acting at ooce upon that record
they continued the he ,ring and permitted
him with great courtesy to 60 on until
January "a in his unlicens I'd business.
Then, as in duty bound, they rel -cted his
application. Mr.. Frank, however, still
kept on the even tenor of his way until on
| the Both of January he was arrested fol
illegal selling. On the 9Th, however, an
| application was made out for license fol
the same premises under the name of Mr..
George White from New York Objection
was made before the commissioners to this
license, and evidences as to the repute OF
| the place was laid before them. Yet un
| der another's name license was granted
| by them covering these same we'll known
premises. Possibly the former proprietor
| may have retired permanently into the
| invisible; but the county commissioners
ha 7e contented themselves with deny ing tc
Mr.. Frank the privilege Of conducting the
saloon part of the business personally, a.
| under the statute they could not help re-
| fusipg him license, while they have al
lowed the business itself to 60 on uninter
| rupted in the same place for which a po
| appeal on the ground that this license II
| for an unsuitable place might be taken tt
the superior court, If any friends of public
decency will raise the money to do 80; bu
why should any board of commits sioner
allow license to be granted which is itsel
| az aHront to public morals and an insul
to the virtue of the town?
| CONSEQUENCES OF OVER COMPETITION IL
| THE SALOON BUSINESS
The libeIality with which our open
handed commissioners dispense liquor II
csnses should not bs suffered to pass ua
noticed. Usually about 400 liquor license
are granted in this city. Estimating on
voting population at 20 900, that would b
one saloon for every fifty voters, or on
for every $50 persons. One consequence
of having SO many licensed drinking place
deserves more attention than it has usual
~ received. 1t necessarily renders tn
competition within the business very, yer
sharp. Consequently not all of these 81
looms can be expected to live by conduct
ing good moral business according {,
law. Some of them must manage to hv
by other means than those recognized Il
their licenses. How many of them, undo
the cover of q license, manage to thrive
shall have occasion to speak of more par
ticularly before the police commissioners
My present point is that ovsr-competitiol
in the business of liquor selling na.urall
and necessarily produces great deal o
other Legitimate business.
| APPLICATIONS FOR LICENSE.
Itake up next in order certain sections o
the statutes which relate to application
for license. Section 3.06S requires smonl
other things that all applications shall b
endorsed by five electors and taxpayers o
the town, within the limits of which tn
business under such license is to be trans
acted. This statute, however, has sppsr
emily come to be regarded as merely I
formal law, for We notice that on many
| annie affnna for Hoon 4,
appear, most Of them, In the same hand