The Anaconda standard., 1895-03-05
BEER HALLS MUST 60
The People Are Heartily Tired Of These
Vile D3nS.
NOW THE MUSIC STARTS
Under the New Code 1t VIII Be Easy
Enough to Turn the ThleVinG
Dons inside Out-The OFF,
GERS viii Do Il Tco.
THE MUSIC STARTS

BUTTE, March At is evident from the
wide open and insulting manner in which
the beer hall proprietors continue to vio-
late, not only the state law but the city
ordinances as well, that there must soon
be end TO their dishonest prosperity and
there can be little doubt that their day of
reckoning with the law is close at hand.
There are dark md mysterious whispers
tonight of action Oh the part OF the
proper authorities which will result in put
ting an immediate eud 10 the ''robberies
and thuggcres," which are constantly oc-
curing III the beer halls, and which are
their principal sources of revenue, and
while it is impossible to secure any def
mite information in the matter, the reports
are such as would indicate that beer hall
proprietors will soon he where they should
have been long ago-in Jail.
just when the proceedings will be insti-
tuted is a matter of conjecture, but 1t can
he safely stated that If the action is taken
at the contemplated time, the respectable
people of the city, who have been anxious
to SEQ the beer halls done away with, will
not have long to wait.
The matter of tho revocation OF the
licenses of the Palace beer. hall and other
disreputable joints will come up before
the council again for final action Wednes-
day evening. and it will probably not take
long TO dispose Of tho matter. There can
be no doubt that at the meeting two
weeks ago, when final action was post
poned on account of n technicality, n ma
jority OF tho aldermen were in favor or
wiping out the beer halls, and il would be
doing them an injustice TO suppose that
they hnvo since changed their Oh in ions.
The aldermen who favor doing away
with the beer halls feel that prompt ac-
ton should be taken in order 10 head oil
any possible prosecution Mt the hands of
the county authorities, which they would
rightly consider n direct slap III the face
and an implication that they have been
derelict in their attention to city affairs
and in needing the expressed wishes of
their constituents.
1t is apparent that the beer halls are
running in violation of the spirit of tho
law governing such places, and it is the
opinion of good lawyers that they are vIo-
lating the letter OF the law as well.
After their conviction by Judge
Specr some months ago which, II
was hoped, would teach them to be
half way decent from n selfish reason, IL
from no other reason, the beer hall men
changed their vile joints around so as TO
evadc the law through a technicality, as
tncy thought. Partitions were built in
such n way that the bars are now separ-
ated from the body of the saloon where
the filthy females sit around and urge the
men to buy drinks. and finally beguile
drugged and robbed. The bars are as con-
venent as formerly, however, and are, to
all intents and purposes, a part of the
saloon, the only difference being that two
beer halls can now be run from one bar
located between them. In making these
trIiiing and immateriai changes II, their
dives the beer hall men believed that they
had evaded the law. butt is quite possible
that such is not tho case.
The new code provides a much more
stringent law in regard to beer halls. and
under il convictions of the keepers of sl-
looms where women are employed or al
lowed to congregate will be very easy
matter. A great deal of surprise is mani-'
tested over the abolition of gambling
while the beer halls are allowed to run. as
the latter are generally looked upon as by
far the greater evil of the two. When a
man goes into one of Butte's gambling
houses to tackle the festive tiger, he
knows that he is going against square
game and that no has the protection of
the law. On the other hand, when n
sucker visits Butte beer hall he is run
ming up against the biggest sure thing
game in the country, and tho very best he
can get is tho worst of il, If he has any
money. II he has no money he is kicked
out.