The morning times., 1896-12-30
THEY WANT THEMORSE BILL
Anti-Saloon Leagues Hearings
Before the Commissioners.
FAVORABLE REPORT URGED
Strenuous Opposition Expected to
Provision for Appeal from Excise
Board to District Supreme Court.
Attorney Wilson Thinks Attorney
Thomas Slightly Inconsistent.

4
| A delegation numbering fully one hum
| dred ladies and gentlemen, representative
| of the Anti Saloon League, and with
| President James l.. Ewin at its head, 6p-
/ peared this morning before the District
| Commissioners TO appeal for a favorable
| report by them upon the measure now
in their hands, as recently adopted by the
House Of Representatives and known as
the Morse bill, TO amend the act regu-
| lating the sale of Intoxicating liquor in the
| District.
President Ewin, the first speaker, re-
| ferred to the favorable action by the
| lower house, and said he hoped the Com
| missioners would stand by the league IN
| its efforts to secure its passage through
| the Senate. The delegation, he said, came
| to speak Tor the homes, the churches and
| Sunday schools, representing in that char
| acter large constituency.
The amendment to the bill, Mr. Ewin
| thought, which would excite the greatest
opposition is that which provides for ap-
| peals to the supreme court of the District
from the decisions of the excise board
| upon citations Of errors in matters of law ,
and he introduced Attorney Andrew Will
son to speak TO that amendment.
Mr.. Wilson'S Argument.
Mr.. Wilson said it was deemed by the
| advocates of the measure that il woLld te
wholesome and proper change, aud was
proceeding to discuss it more at length
when he was asked by President Ross If,
under the present law, sthe excise board
! should err. there is not a remedy through
an application for a writ of mandamus.
This, Mr. Wilson said, was an extraord-
mary remedy and not always practicable.
An opinion by Attorney Thomas, rem
| dered several weeks ago, upon this point
| was read. IL was also stated that the
board has the right 10 refer questions of
law to the attorney for the District, but
this, Mr.. Wilson said, was not judicial de-
termination of the question. The cues
tion then arose as to whether any case ad
occurred when injustice had been done
under the present regulations.
Mr.. Shoemaker being called upon cited
the granting OF a license to the Hotel
jefferson on the corner OF Sixth street
and Louisiana avenue, located within
granted only upon the construction that
hotel has extraordinary privileges under
the law.
President Ross inquired whether or not
it is not possible for the proceedings in
that case TO be reviewed under a writ of
certiorari, but Mr. Shoemaker said there
was a doubt about it, since the law eX-
pressiy states the decision of the excise
board shall be final.
Nevertheless" said Mr. Ross, there
is no minor tribunal whose proceedings may
not be reviewed by a higher authority
The Donnelly case, on street, about which
so much has been written, was called into
question as an Illustration OF the possi-
bilities OF the present law as to appeals,
and Mr.. Wilson replied that people of
wealth probably found no difficulty in
getting beyond the excise board, but he
did not believe the proceeding should be
required.
Thinks Mr.. Thomas Inconsistent.
He said, also, without desiring TO criti-
else, that Mr.. Thomas had taken an in
consistent position in that he had de-
INJURED in the Donnelly case upon the point
that there is no jurisdiction beyond the
board, and yet in an opinion before the
Commissioners he had indicated that there
is a chance of review.
Attorney A Z. Shoemaker spoke to the
| amendment to section 8 of the bill, which
defines the conditions which shall con-
stitute place barroom, and Mr.. Jesse C.
Sutcr TO that which requires the interior
of saloons to be kept constantly exposed
| to view during business hours, as well as
when the saloon is closed.
Commissioner TrucsdeIl said there had
been an objection to this amendment, upon
the grounds that view of the dispensing
of liquors from the streets would be
demoraliZing to the children. Mr.. Suter
said the advocates of the measure took
an entirely different view. 1t would, on
| the contrary, he thought, he more of
| horrible example than otherwise.
Rev. A. n. Garfield, past grand templar
of the /. O. OF u. T, also spoke in favor
Of the amendment.
Rev. Wilbur F. Crofts was introduced to
speak upon the bill as compared with legis-
lation upon the same subject in other
States and said that instead Of being more
severe ii was milder in its provisions than
prevailed elsewhere.
Laws in Various States.
Mr.. Crofts proceeded TO compare the
measure with the laws in the States, and
put in plea for the enactment of the bill.
He was followed by DR.. Muir of the Z
Street Baptist Church and by Mrs. Margaret
B. Platt, president Of the w. c. T. o., in the
District.
The ladies' all wore the white ribbon and
aided in applauding the good points made
by their speakers.
The Commissioners promised to give the
arguments their most careful considera-
tion, and, at the request of Mr.. Ewin, also
agreed to file with the Senate copy Of
the brief filed by the attorneys who had
spoken.
Among those present We're Mrs. Walter
Brown, Mrs. II. B. Plat, Mrs NJ V. Noerr,
Mrs. Jennie S. Bartlett, Mrs. Catchings,
Rev. C. w. Baldwin, Mrs. Clinton Smith,
Rev. f. W. Bliss, Rev. Walter H. Brooks,
Rev. Luther b. Wilson, Hon Sidney Per
ham, Ex-Governor OF Maine Rev. D. E. T.
Stevenson, Rev. DR.. Luccock, Rev. J. j.
Muir, Rev DR.. York, Mrs. l.. S. Weight
man, Mrs. Emma F. Shelton, Rev. F. ID.
Power, Miss NJ. E. Drown, Rev. S. H
Greene, Prof Foster OF Howard University,
Col. John F. vinal, Mrs. Drown, R. A. Dins-
more, Mrs. A. b. Foster, Mrs Grace L.
n