Evening star., 1896-12-09
OPPOSED TO SALOONS
Commissioner Truesdell Makes Some
Interesting Remarks.
LIQUOR SELLING IN THE DISTRICT
Last Nights Mass Meeting Under
Auspices Of National League.
COU TING THE COST

favor of the abolishment of liquor saloons
in the District of Columbia.
The exercises began shortly after 1870
o'clock, with President Hiram Price OF the
Anti-Saloon League convention presiding,
and Mr.. James l.. ETin secretary. Rev.
DR.. l.. B. Wilson, first vice president OF
the organization, occupied seat within
the chancel rail. -
President Price introduced Mr.. Trles-
dell. who welcomed the visiting delegates
to Washington. He referred to the con-
vention as truly national in it's cha. .acrer
and purposes, representing the pro oninant
temperance organtZat tons of the several
states Of the Union, and pledged to the
suppression of the saloon in every state
and territory within the confines of the
republic. 1T was fitting he said, THAT
in so great an undertaking they should
take counsel together in this federal city,
which belongs to the whole people.
This is the only city In the country.
he said, where there is taxation without
representation. The taxes are paid into
the public treasury and your representa-
tives in Congress, acting as a common
council for this city, appropriate the money
raised by taxation, together with an equal
amount contributed by the United States
in lieu of paying taxes on ITS real estate,
for all municipal purposes. Three Com
misssoners, two of them citizens of the
District, appointed by the Presi1 ent and
confirmed by the Senate of the United
States. and one a major of the Corps o!
Engineers in the United States army, exc
cute the laws passed by Congress-
The License System.
"A license board, composed of the three
assessors who assess for taxation all the
real estate here, grant all liqCor licenses
under authority of a law enacted by Con-
gress. Whatever laws, good or bad. are
enac ted directly or indirectly by the repre-
Sentatives Of the people Of this country,
in the election of which the Inhabitants
of this District had no voice. Surely &c
one can question your right to assemble
in convention here to examine Inc laws
which the represent at.ves of the people
have enacted for the government OF this
federal territory, and tc be heard by Con-
gress in favor of whatever changes you
believe to be demanded in the interest OF
the welfare ard prosperity of the Whcie
people.
.sThe saloon is an established institution
here; it exists under aUthor:sy of I'D
eral statute which confers upon II, in con-
siderat.cn of the payment of a license Zee
of $4UO the privilege of selling Intoxicating
-ffuuor under certain conditions. ii you
believe that that law is an unwise one
and Tesults injuriously to the public, you
have a right to use all legitinat" means
to have it improved by am 4ndnient or ab-
roaated Congress has an undoub.c1 righ
to say that the saloon in this Ds.fict must
go, and no one can question your r!Shl
to exert your influence to make l. 60 ne
present lie ense law is great improve
mant on the old law, AMI the license hoard
is working conscientiously, l believe, 10
reduce as rapidly as a due regard foF the
letter and spirit of the law VIII permit
the number of saloons in this city.
The law, however, contemplates thal
any person having an established place oi
business and who has fully complied with
all the requirements of the law, shall be
or titled to a renewal of his license. The
rrmber of saloons however, has been re-
duced forty-three during the last year, anu
seventy-fve in the last two years, whlie
but one new place has been established In
two years and that had formerly been a
salocn. OF those which have been closed, a
large number were for violation of the Law.
and were the most Objectionable IN charac-
ter known TO the police. noticeable de-
crease in crime has followed the closing OF
these places and it goes without saying
that a further decrease may be expected
with the closing of every additional saloon
These places serve no useful purpose; they
are not demanded by any public necessity,
ard as an abstract proposition they are
generally admitted to be source of great
deal of the crime and misery in the world.
and that the country would be better OF
without them.
"They are justified by most of those who
defend them only upon the theory that it
would be violation Of personal liberty to
say that q person SEall not Drink lnlONl-
cants if he chooses to do SO, and that as
long as men choose to drink the saloon
meets a legitimate demand which it would
infringe upon the personal rights of every
citizen to say shall not be supplied. Under
our law a saloon cannot be established
within 400 feet of a school or church, nor
without the consent first obtained of GER
tain number Of property holders in the
square where 1t is to be located. Similar
laws exist in most of the large cities in the
Union.
A Menace to Society.
Here is a public recognition in these
laws, of what few persons will honestly
deny, that the saloon in the vicinity of Il
school or church is danger and menace to
society, and that it generally detracts from
the value of contiguous property This be-
ing a recognized fact, and not a mere
theory, it may be classed with other Of
fensive things Injurious to health that the
law forbids as constituting nuisance
which It is not regarded as a viola ton of
the personal liberty of the citizen to abol-
ish.
1.-The amount of crime poverty and mis-
cry flowing directly from the saloon Is so
generally recognized and acknowledged in
this enlightened age that the problem is 10
longer how to show that fact, but now that
1t is not seriously disputed anywhere how
to get rid of the evil
TT is strongly organized and intrenched
behind enormous capital in every city and
town in most of the states of the Union
and cannot. in my judgment, be overthrow
through the instrumentality of politics.
am thankful to see that this league has
avoided the rock which has hitherto wreck
ed most of the temperance movements IN
this country. by uniting all sects ind races
upon the simple propositi on that the saloon
must CO. and pledging itself not to affiliate
with any political party. On this platform
all enemies Of the saloon, and their name is
legion, can stand without jeopardizing their
political principles. or creating doubt as to
their party fealty. This movement will
grow in strength, and although the battle
will be long, and at times a discoura :,inr
one. no one who has faith in an overrnling
providence can doubt its ultimate Triumph
THE cause is worthy of the assistance of
every citizen who loves his country.
whether he be total abstainer or not; it
Is an effort to check the growing power
Of evil; to abolish crime and poverty; to
elevate the morai and improve the physi-
cal condition of the people. Any cause
which deserves to succeed, and has behind
1t 80 earnest and devoted hand of men.
cannot fail IN the end All over the civil
60 4