The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-02-11
HE FAVORS A NEW LAW
SUPERINTENDENT POWELL TALKS
OF THE NICHOLSON BILL.
Says He Could Enforce 1t aad mt the
Same Time 1t Would Not Affect
Law-Abiding Saloon Keepers.

1coISt w. TOWeil, superintendent OIL lno
Indianapolis police department. talked yes
terday about the liquor traffic as it is car
ried on in this city. The superintendent
wants to go on record as favoring any law
that Will change the present statute regu-
| lating the sale of alcoholic stimulants. He
is also eager for some relief from the wine
room evil. He considers it the curse of the
city, and will welcome any enactment that
will abate the nuisance.
Il am not the champion of any particular
bill" he said in reply to a query. Il do
not believe that 1 am fanatical or a crank
on the liquor question, and with the ex-
perience l have had / have endeavored to
look a. the question as broadly as possible.
l do not want impossibilities in new legis-
%lation, nor do L think the State should
longer be saddled with existing impossible
ties. The law now on the statute books IS
a failure, in so far as it regulates the traf-
hc. So many devices for the evasion of the
law have grown up since its enactment,
the burdens placed upon officers of the law
in the detection and conviction of its vio-
lators are SO heavy, and the attending eX-
penses SO great that unouestionably such
changes should be made as Will enable an
enforcement of the will of the people. 1t is
all well enough to say, we have law
enough If enforced but the law, as it has
\ UeS1l IIdAIleu anu lIl@ QeCiSlOllS VI TIC COuIIS
under it, render its enforcement practically
impossible. This is conceded by the press
and all who have studied the present law
and it's operations. This. 1 think, is the
very reason why some are so willing to
say, Let well enough alone
II cannot See that the Nicholson bill
places any restrictions on the man who is
willing to obey the law that do not now
exist under the present law; they only mako
it possible to enforce the Law. The law
now says liquor n ay be sold from 8 O'Clock
a: m. until IL O'clock .. M; so does the
shall not be sold after IL ? m and on sun
men in the business desire and intend to
obey the law It can make no difference If
the law IS amended so That police officers
may have a clear view OF their rooms after
IL .. m. and on Sundays. Shoe dealers,
dry goods merchants. tailors, booksellers
and all other merchants make no objections
to officers of the law and all other passers-
by looking into their rooms through the
windows and doors. free from bi-nus and
screens after business hours. and Why
should the saloon keeper? The wholesale
dealer has no blinds, frosted windows or
screens before his doors; they why should
the retail dealer object to removing such
hindrance S to the insp ction of his premises
at illegal hours? The liquor business is rs
legal as any other business when con,
days. The passage tof the bill now pending
before the Legislature would not necessa-
my SQl All thC it5oi SdiO Vi APA0OA ~ 49,
could go and come and drink as freely from
5 a. m. till IL p. M, and for SIX days DUR
ing the e week as .sd Lney tb can ia una sme sns 9fa as IL
proposed, 1t should appear that the volume
of business Is decreased it would. clearly
prove that by just so much is the business
as conducted under the present law Illegal"
What IS your opinion of the wine-room
feature of the bill" the superintendent WAS
asked. -.
the selling and drinking to one room and the
pay1.nxyal Of all rartiti0nG from the room are
worthy of the highest consideration" he
replied. They mean death to the wine
compelled to drink, it drink they will, in
the open barroom. Very few women Will
go into the barroom exposed to the view or
young girl fresh from the schoolroom could
not be induced to enter the barroonn II she
| INTO which she and her friend could go
with no fear OF detection or exposure. The
wine room as conducted in this city is, in
my Judgment the greatest of existing evils,
and is the cause of the downfall or mere
girls and women and the destruction of
more domestic happiness than all other
evils with which we have to contend. L
have conversed freely with a great many
| majority of them would hail with delight
a law which would make the existence OF
the wine room impossible. The definition OF
a wine. room, by statute, as proposed In a
bill which has lately been introduced, will
not cure the evil. The wine room is the
feeder to houses Of prostitution, the cause
of the majority of our divorce cases, the
cause of suicides, wrecked homes and
broken-hearted mothers and fathers. In
| the name of all, that is good and pure. what
ever else may or may not be done, the
abominable wine room with all its attendant
SUPERINTENDENT Powell believes that the
only objection TO that feature of the pend
sons to be found in a saloon on Sundays
or after legal hours has been raised by that
class Of men who are really responsible for
violations of the law-the men who want to
drink whenever they please.
Il have had occasion to talk with about
in the last sixteen months" continued the
Superintendent, ION the subject OF the en-
them has told me that he would gladly re-
main away from his place OF business on
Sunday and after hours il it We're at for the
clamor and demand made by men who want
to buy. They tell me If every saloon was
closed tightly so their regular patrons could
business they would be glad to spend sun
day at home with their families: But they
are told if they 90 not sell on sunday ana
after hours the customer will 90 where he
can buy, and then the trade leaves them
permanently and goes to the neighbor1ng
rival. One thing is quite sure, there cannot
be a seller il there is no buyer. So if it is
made an offense for a person or persons 10
| be found in a saloon during prohibited hours
and days, a long step will have been taken
in aid Of the enforcement OF the law
Discoursing upon the drug store re EVIL eS the
islature should not allow themselves to be
side-tracked by side issues OF any klnd; or
the cry Tor l6g1SiaJOn u leSiSldle the tluS
store. No one detests the drugstore Saloon
| more than I, and there should be some lesis-
Iation which would regulate and bring that
class of offenders to justice, but the need of
such legislation does not lessen the neces-
sity for legislation to regulate the saloon:
1t is q common experience with officers or
the law that whenever an offender Is ar
| rested, or 'pinched,' as we say in police
circles, he at once says: why cid you ar
rest me: there is A or B, who Is just as
guilty as /, and you have not arrested him.
1t is the old cry of 'Watchman, watchtnan,
| don't take me, take that negro behind the
tree
"Give us legislation which will enable Us
to enforce the law against saloons. and then
the officers of the law will have time to de-
vote to the drugstore violator, which is
now taken up by both, and in indianapolis,
at least. when we have nothing but the
druggists to watch the task will be easier
| and the effort more effective"
Nicholson Thinks 1t Will Pass.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
ANDERSON, nd, Feb. 1o.-E. s. Nichol-
| son, of Kokomo, author of the temperance
| measure now pending in the Legislature,
| addressed a mass meeting in this city this
afternoon. Hon. A. T. Durbin was selected
| chairman and j.. w. Carr, superintendent
| of public schools, secretary Of the meeting.
Mr.. Nicholson was greeted with applause,
--l ~,o11 -, 40 r,0yf nln1 for his mQQ sure