The San Francisco call., 1896-03-18
The Governor, They Say, Is
About to Steal Their
Thunder.
OFFER TO ACT AS CENsORS.
The Movement Backed by a Member
ship of 5000, Employing $4,000
People.

In the California State Protective Asso-
citation this State has most powerful and
energetic influence at work, according to
the statement of its president, J. P Edoff,
for the taking of the liquor traffic out of
politics.
Briefly outlined the plan of the associa-
ton is to secure high license in every
county of the State. 1t is thus hoped to
keep out of the retail liquor business ire
sponsible individuals from commercial
andpoint, and those who do not bear
thoroughly good reputation in the COM
munity in which they intend to carry on
their business.
incidentally, the policy includes a sort
of censorship over the issuing of licenses
throughout the State. But this feature of
the work of the association is made clear
and unmistakable by clause included in
recent petition to the local Board of
Police Commissioners, and copies of which
petition, suitably modified, have been sent
to every liquor-licensing power in the
State. 1t reads as follows:
1t is to be presumed that your honorable
body has at hand the ready means, through
the instrumentality of your police force, to
ascertain the places and establishments in the
City whose past methods and presen: practices
forfeit the right 20 license privileges, but in
case our cooperation in this behalf is desired,
our organization will furnish you the names
of such places as we believe are unworthy to
hold liquor license by reason of their abuse
OF its privileges
President Edoff, on being asked yester-
day to give a full history of the assoca-
ton and its proposed line of action and
the motive actuatlng its creation, was at
first loath to speak of the matter, but on
further con nsideration said he would go
thoroughly into its status and proposed
plans and then leave it to the public to
Judge of the justice and fairness of the
work of the association. Thiswashis tale:
about two years ago the wholesale
liquor dealers OF San Francisco formed the
California Protective Association. That
association had as members every repu-
table wholesale liquor dealer in San Fran
cisco and California. The object of that
association was two-fold.
"First-To get the entire whisky prob
lem out of politics.
''Second-To elevate the traffic.
By elevating the traffic we mean this:
We recognized that we were better able to
handle the traffic in our particular line of
business than any temperance OrganiZa-
tion or those back of any temperance
movement could handle it.
THE outgrowth of that association was
the present organization known as the
California State Protective Association,
which takes in not only the wholesale
liquor-dealer, out also all reputable retail
liquor-dealers in the State. This new
organization was formed in Decem Der, 1894.
I'VE take in the reputable retail dealers
for the purpose of being better able to pro-
tect the traffic throughout the State, and
with the further object in view of getting
the various local governments to join with
us in movement to prevent license be-
ing issued to any man who does not Bear
good reputation. and for the revocation of
the license of any man who does not
properly conduct his place.
I'm order to make the situation perfectly
clear will have to go back q little. We
went before the last Legislature and asked
them to pass two measures. One was to
amend the County Government act SO as
to permit of local option. The other was
to pass, not uniform license, but Jaw
that would fix the minimum license at
$500 year. In our argument before the |
Senate Judiciary Committee we demon
strated that if this minimum license was |
insisted upon the revenue of the State |
would be increased by $2,s00.000, and that |
only three localities in the State would |
have their revenue decreased. These |
counties of Los Angeles and San Diego.
'The Senate Judiciary Committee ad- /,
mitted that the recommendation was |
good one, but they refused to recommend |
a bill containing it because it would be |
considered legal recognition of the liquor
traffic. We claim, however, that they |
have recognized it legally by delegating its |
control to local boards.
"And now comes Governor Budd follow |
ing up the movement we started. He is |
now engaged in sending out a circular to |
all the County Clerks in the State for the |
purpose of compiling statistics with the |
view OF recommending this very plan that |
we were the first to suggest. He may thus |
be trnthfully said to be stealing our |
thunder.
"It seems inexplicable to us why our |
recommendation was not favorabIy acted |
upon. We represent some 5000 memb bers, |
giving employment to $1,000 people and |
have joint capital invested of more than |
800, 100000, and still the Senate commit
tee would not recommend the very thing |
that the Governor Is now going to recon-
mend to the Legislature in his next mes |
sage, as we believe.
lone of the arguments advanced for the |
failure to act favorably on our measure
was that it would take away from the |
local boards the power of local govern |
ment, yet the Governor is about to recon- |
mend the same thing. Surely we should |
be recognized in t. is matter Our men, |
bers, 5000 strong, extend from Siskiyou to |
San Diego, and they are entitled to some |
rights in the matter under consideration, |
particularly when we are honest and |
anxious III our endeayors to reform the |
traffic within ourselves. We can refer to |
the City councils OF Oakland and Los An |
geles and to the Board of Police Commits !
sioners of this City as to the sincerity of |
this association, and whether or not we |
haye been a help in handling this matter.
ut is my personal determination, so far |
as this association is concerned, to keep
the movement out of politics in the en- /
deavor to accomplish the desired result, |
but if it requires going into politics, we |
will go into it. 1t is a matter Of protection |
to us. And we will not go into politics as |
either. And neither will we |
allow any party to use us as their catspaw |
to pull their chestnuts out of the fire.
''Has any action been taken by the local |
authorities on the proposition of your asso-
citation TO aid them in determining to whom |
licenses shall be issued?" was asked.
NO." was the reply, "the action of |
Chief Crowley in rendering his resigna-
tion has drawn attention away from most |
oil of hor N, a. tiers hut in a few davc fhoro |