Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1895-04-03
SOME INTERESTINGF FACTS
HOW THE LIQUOR LICENSE LAW IS
CONSTRUED.
What the Liquor Traffic is Doing for
Our City Some Startling Facts
for the Thoughtful to Con-
slider


Mr.. EDIToR AS the time is APP.
preaching for the City Council to again
issue licenses To keepers of saloons. /!
desire through the columns of your val
uable paper, to call the attention of the
citizens TO a few facts which l think is
of great importance TO every resident
and property holder, II we expect To
continue 10 reside here.
Every one must know, especially those
of us who are trying TO make an honest
living in business, that If something is
not done to check the tide of drunken
ness, that nearly one half of our popula-
tion will become paupers, for IL Is a
well-known fact that the saloon, crime
and poverty so hand-in-hamd.
/ believe the population of Annapolis
is from seven To eight thousand, (nearly
or quite one-half of this number, | he
lieye, are eolored.) Now TO supply the
demands of this people, the City Coun-
Gil issued last year licenses To twenty
six persons 10 run saloons-one e. about
every three hundred persons, including
men, women and children.
Is il any wonder that drunkenness is
on the increaseY That poverty stalks
abroad in our midst. and that men who
have to furnish homes for these people
to live in, and be compelled to feed them
in the winter to keep them from starv-
ing, aud all because nearly every dollar
they earn is spent in the saloon?
Now, in regard to the liquor law, as
amended 10y the last Legislature, section
1S4, G., reads as follows: THAT there
shall be annexed to each application for
| lioanca aarf ifanfa ciupad bp nj laacf faa
reputable tax-payers,b ,boad-fde residents,
or doing business iR the city in which
the applicant proposes to conduct the
business under the license applied for,
who have not signed an application for
license for the same year for any other
person." &c, sc.
The old law before this amendment
was passed made it obligatory upon the
saloon keepers To get at least ten repu-
table voters residing in the ward where
the saloon WAS to be kept, to sign theiI
application, and the amended law was
passed SO as to make it stronger and tC
be protection to persons owning prop
erty or living near where the nuisance
| is kept, but under the construction plac
| ed upon the word ricipitg by the pres
ent Honorable Board of City Council
| the law failed TO give the desired protec.
| ton, as the word vicinity was so applied
as to take in nearly all Annapolis.
/ was present at that memorable meet
| ing, when the licenses were granted anC
| to see how the law was ignored, | con
| fess / never felt more mortified in my
| life, and how | wished that | had never
| invested one dollar of my hard earning,
| in real estate in Annapolis. Then an
| other thought occurred to me, and il
| was this: Suppose a murder had beer
| committed on the corner of West anC
| Cals ert streets on q certain night anC
Mr.. Jones or Mr.. Butler were strongly
suspected of committing il; but suppos,
they were out on Murray's Hill at tn,
time. ask them In all candor, if, whel
| placed on the witness stand to testif,
in their own behalf, and the question
would be put to them, "were you in th'
vicinity of Mr.. Taylor's saloon at th,
time this murder WAS committed, -
would they answer yes or noy
Only common sense would cOmpe
them to say "no, T" and so in the case o
the saloon on the corner of Marylant
avenue and Prince George street. SOm
| of the signers live down on HOLLAND
street, some up on Market steeet, AM
there were others just as bad. So vol
will perceive this section of the law wa
entirely ignored, this speaks well fo
the Maryland Legislature does it not
Why not place the same construction
upon the law against petty larceny ant
let the poor colOred people who some
times steal chicken or ham go free
l am sure it would be more humane t
do so, than to fill the town with saloons.
Now. to show the demolishing effec
of this rum traffic, and the poverty j
brings with it, annex a statement 0
the business done by two of the leadinj
oyster packers of this city. Mr.. Chas
A. Dubois had shucked in his hous
| from September, 1894, to February, 1895
1887 gallons of oysters, which he give
check valued at fifteen cents for eacl
gallon. and out of that 1887 checks
1872 were returned to him by the sa
loon keepers who drew the money 70
them.
In one week, while the soup hons
was in operation here, he shucked 46
gallons and 347 of them went into th
| rum holes. Messrs. e. w. Martin
Co., shucked in one week during tha
severe spell Of weather in February
3,7S6 gallons, and nine saloon keepen
brought in 2,S70 of them. One salOol
| keeper mas Deei pau Uy MeSSIs. S1dItli
& Co., during the winter months, on
thousand nine hundred and dseventy-nin
dollars and twenty-five cents, (S1 $685..
/, who sell coal and wood and groceries
have taken in from January to the pres
ent time, about forty checks, represent
ing all the oyster packers in the city.
Now, do you want any better proc
of where the poverty comes flomI Tn
serious and important question present
itself to us as citizens, how long shal
this state of things go on I
More anon,
Jos. s. NJ. BASIL.
| The AAAarn wav