Evening star., 1895-11-01
She Presents a Letter to the District
Commissioners.
SOME SERIoUG CHARGES MADE
Why She Had the Lattice Screen
Erected.
THE SALOON QUESTION

Gently fitted up by her for the education of
boys and girls:
You have permitted me brief respite
from prosecution, to tell you through the
medium Of a brief" she states, why
1 am prosecuted by these men who object
to the lattice and signs of my pharmacy,
which has been established for the practi-
cal education of the boys and girls of our
beautiful city.
ut is the saloon element that Is battling
my little pharmacy. You can see that my
porch is no detriment to the neighborhood.
AS soon as Congress meets 1 am going to
appear before it and plead with it to
inform me why 1 am deprived of my prop
erty rights in the District, and why my
protest against the saloon in the neigh
borhood is ignored. Here in this garden
spot of the nation, where women stand be-
fore thsir Maker with the same political
rights, instead of aiding me to found my
practical school, am harassed beyond ex-
preston by the very ones who should aid
me in giving these boys and girls the
chance to learn something by which they
can earn an honest living. 1t Is true that
I have put few feet of lattice at the end
Of the porch but 1 submit it is not con-
trary to the building regulations which, If
1 understand correctly. expressly provide
against solid walls being so erected, and
lattice can hardly be construed as solid.
And what was the object of this lattice?
Why. to blot out from the sight of the pu-
pills of the school the horrible panorama
that bar room offers.
Her Protest Ignored.
THE saloon on the corner, less than 400
feet from the cluster Of public schools, con-
tanning sixteen hundred boys and girls,
large number being almost men and wo-
men in the High School, makes the privi-
lege worth a royal BATTLE she continues.
THE regulations governing the sale of
liquor has been ahrogated regarding ho-
tells, but still stands, I understand regard
ing school houses. The law says that prop
erty holders must sign the application of
the salconist. l am the only citizen that
owns a foot of land opposite the saloon,
but by closing door, the Commissioners
abrogates the land OF property clause. l
want to find out whether the District can
decide rights of property. l am going to
ask Congress to send the assessor to meas
ure the land, and its proximity to the sa-
loon. I wrote my protest last year, and it
was published in The Star and other news
papers. This year it is smothered, the
newspaper reporters having no access to
certain documents. This saloon, which has
made more drunkards in the last twenty
five years than any other ten saloons of the
District, has sold to boys. and 1t has been
brought in pals to be drunk under my
trees, thus making me a partner in the ne
farious traffic. This ring that has turned
this beautiful Pennsylvania avenue square
into the worst rendezvous for the worst
element of the navy yard and other quar-
ters is making war on me-
II thank you. Mr., Truesdell, for this twen-
ty-four hours respite and one more chance
to plead against the desecra ton of my
pharmacy. You asked me why / was so
determined to commit the crime of break
ing your building regulations, but he
the carpenter, has gone three inches out
of the way and put the sign on the edge of
the porch instead of little farther back, 1
am dragged up here to answer before the
people, and the misdemeanor spread to
the four winds of heaven on the wings of
the newspapers lawbreaker. Your
building inspector admitted that the ven-
geance of the neighbors. not the regulations
of the District government, governed the
matter The saloon at the corner and the
speak-easies in the block are making me
feel their vengeance"
Charges Worthy of Investiga tiOn.
1.-The school for drunkards, in the shape of a
dainty and handsomely ornamented saloon,
is within 400 feet OF school houses which
ntain 600 children" says Mrs. Briggs.
Their play ground is around the saloon
whenever their recess comes. We can pre-
vent drunk kards. but we cannot cure them.
l own every foot of land possessed by
citizen, opposite this vile spot, upon which
is built the hell mandatory. By closing
up the doors opposite my property, the
clause relating to obtaining signatures of
property holders on my square is evadeG,
as the saloon is cEnningly placed so the
For a quarter of century the saloon
keeper has had his hand on the throat of
Wallach school, where he found the ma
ter.al to get in his work. There are cum
n:Lgly devised cellar doors, where the big
boys can slip down apparently for play, and
come out the same way unnoticed. In the
summer time pals of beer are drunk by
boys on my square, and the Italians, with
their fruit carts draw under my trees and
drink their beer, which makes me feel that
1 am in the liquor business What rights
of property do 1 posses, so far as the liquor
business is concerned?
The Saloon Worse Than the Lattice.
1.-The building regulations nowhere provide
against lattices such as are objected to.
In fact, the only reference that has any
bearing on the subject is that relative to
porches, which says:
"Porches.-Must not be inclosed by solid
walls, except by ten inches of coping on
platform or five feet above grade or ter
race.
Now, gentlemen" says Mrs. Briggs, in
conclusion, 81 submit that this regulation
does not cover in any respect the case be-
fore you. My lattice is not in any respect
a solid wall The object of the regulation
was to prevent the construct ton of brick
or stone walls, which would be disfigure-
ment to the street, and permanent barrier.
"Since you have seen tit to eountenance
the saloon at the corner, 1 must beg of you
with all the earnestness at my command,
leave my lattice as 1t is, and help me shut
out from innocent eyes the degradation that
a saloon with Its evil influence brings"
Sewer Clashes With the Grade.
There was an important question brought
before the Commissioners yesterday, and
the result determines the establishment of
another grade crossing.
Some time lagor the president of the
Maryland and, Washington Railroad Com
pany appeared before the Commissioners
with Engineer. fSchoepf TO ask for the grade
of Rhode Island avenue, in order that the
company could make suitable provisions
which would enable it to pass under the
tracks of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad,
and thereby avof1 a grade crossing. The
grade was promptly given. although atten-
ton was called Ito the protested sewer
which was to, he built on Rhode Island
avenue. The officials of the railroad, how
ever when they asked for Information on
this score, were Informed that there would
be no trouble in changing the sewer If the
necessity arose.
The necessity arose, but the engineer de-
partment changed its mind, and notified
the president of the road that the sewer
would he constructed in the middle of
Rhode Island avenue. This was a startling