The herald., 1895-06-12
ANNOUNCEMENTS
WEDNESDAY, JUNE u. 1903.
coNsIDERATE COMMISSIONERS

evidently believes that ithe people need
saloons on Third street between Spr ing
and Broadway more than they do hand
some and substantial improvements.
The police comm ission is a humane body
and intends to reduce suffering to the
minimum. No better proof of this hu-
manity could be instanced than the alac-
rity with which they provided ntw quar-
ters for the female prisoners. Some COM
missions would have taken maybe three
or four days to consummate the change
determined on, but this board, with ce-
lerity peculiarly its own, did it all in
three or four weeks. 1t knew that the
criminal femininity were suffering, so it
hurried. Once again this sympathetic
ofciary has evidenced its solicitude for
languishng humanity. Conscious OF the
speedy approach of long and heated
summer, 1T proposes to guard assiduously
against the possibility of :any wand er-
ing wayfarer perishing with parched
throat and burning thirst on the wild
and sandy wastes of Third street. Men
have been known to die for the want of
drink. But they won't honor any death
drafts OH Third street twixt Spring and
Broadway if the police comm ission can
help it. Hence, presumably, the saloon
license granted yesterday for that block.
No one out a person seltishly interested
in the Improvement OF that part of the
street would expect a sun beaten, tongue
protruding creature to drag his blistering
feet on scorching August day
around to the eight or ten saloons
scattered at long intervals on the
blocks Just north and south of Third on
Spring. Hence the privilege granted to
draw the foaming lager, concoct the
mysterious cocktail and brew the sooth-
ing mint lulep on the weird and isolated
block of Third street between Spring and
Broadway. In the dim and barbaric past
petition signed by two-thirds of the
property owners of block was requisite
to the obtaining OF license. But the
world moves, and the police commission
follows suit. Usages are antique and
row petition signed by little more
than one-ihird is the price OF saloon
licenses in valuable localities. IL is true
that protest signed by more than one
half OF the proprtey owners was filed
against the awarding OF the saloon privi-
lege. but to have concurred with the pro
testants would have been to admit that
majorties have rights. a proposition al
together too ancient to be accepted by
progressive police commission. And
then, again, had not permission been
granted citizen desirous OF erecting a
nasty, great big $50, 900 building to con-
duct restaurant. Every body knows that
restaurant and saloon are one and
the same. Only man in the habit OF
eating would detect the difference.
Either the members Of the police COM
mission are not addicted to this expen.
sive and wasteful habit, or else they are
in blissful ignorance of what res
taurants are commonly used for,
if there is any real dissimilarity
between the two. So if you grant
license TO one why not to the other?
Why it did not occur to the economical
Mr.. Field that one license might do for
the two establishments wien there is no
apparent difference between them, we do
not know. Probably when the matter
was before the house his mind was di-
vertcd by the task of figuring out low
many courses could be furnished in a D.
cent city Jail meal. And if any real diff
IerenCe eA isteQ Lne QeIcate, sensitive and
discrminative Mr.. Pirtle woull have de-
tected it with the same keenness of per
ception he displayed when he attemt ted
to procure the naturalization or an in
eligible foreigner few years since. In
fact calm, dispassionate review of the
case compels the conclusion that a two
for-a-quarter saloon on that particular
block has beer very long felt want; that
majority of the property owners OF the
block have no rights the minority are
bound to respect; that the fine improve.
ment dependent on the rejection of the
petition for a license would have been
an unbearable nuisance anyhow; that
what this city needs is not first-class res
tlurants, but cut-glass sample roums and
rlenty ofathem; that the people opposed
to the petition were all wrong and that
tle police commissioners are all right.
An appreciative public should see to it
that such broad minded, philanthrop
and dutiful servants of the people are not
tayai beyond their energies. but at the
earliest practicable moment be retired to
private life. where in quiet and remin-
iscence they may spend their declining
years consoled with the knowledge of
public service nobly performed.