The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1896-01-10

AS stated by the FREE PRESS yeSter-
day, special meeting OF the council
was held last night to receive applica-
tions for liquor licenses. Vice-Presi-
dent Peterson presided and said that
the meeting was called at the request
of nearly or all of the saloon keepers
and many business men to consider
the applications of saloon keepers for
liquor licenses for the ensuing one
year.
The city recorder then started to
read the applications for licenses of
thirty saloon keepers.
When the first application was read,
Aid Bradley said that this was some
thing new to him, and he wanted to
know when the present licenses Of the
applicants expire, and he did not want
to cast his vote until he knew this
and all about it.
Recorder Smith said that Mr.
Orando's license expires July lst.
Aid. Andrews said that he would
like to have the city attorney present
in order to hear from him. 1t was
stated that he is out of the city.
Aid. Bradley said that he did not
feel that he was doing right to cast
his vote for any such thing at this
time. All of the papers in the state
have published that Mankato has
over 10000 population. Even if the
result has not been officially an
nounced anybody with sense knows
how it is, and that the law reads that
the minimum license fee for cities of
over 10000 people is $1,000. He moved
that action on these applications be
postponed until the next regular meet
ing, otherwise he would have to vote
against them. The motion was lost,
only Aids. Andrews and Bradley favor
ing it.
January oath was set as the day for
the hearing of all the applications.
Aid. Andrews said that he did not
want to appear as opposed to any
business interests of the city, and he
had many warm friends among liquor
men, and he would like to do them a
favor, but he could not violate his
oath to support the law of the state
by voting to grant licenses. Not an
alderman present but knows that
Mankato has over 10000 population,
and that to grant licenses for less than
81, 600 is violation of the law, which
he quoted. The secretary of state had
telephoned' to-day that such action
would be Illegal. All know that the
action tonight would be illegal. The
city attorney is absent, but must we be
hauled up anyway to do illegal acts?
Can we afford to do'it? We should be
too honorable to do it, and the liquor
dealers cannot expect US to do it. 1t
is clear on the face of it that it is
snap judgment. Let us wait until the
city attorney is present, and if he says
it is legal, then we can do what is le-
Sdl anu LII.
Aid. Zimmerman said that the
saloon keepers have not asked the
council to do anything unlawful, and
have only put in their applications.
If it is found by Jan. 24th that the
action is illegal, not an alderman will
vote for it. If it was right to grant
license in December to a nan whose
license did not expire until month
ahead, it is right now.
Aid. Peterson saidsthat if anybody
had any complaint to make, he can be
heard at the hearing, Jan. 9th. He
saw no use for any such talk as had
been made. The matter is the same
as the hearing on street vacation.
Aid. Bradley said that all he wanted
was to hear from the city attorney,
and he saw no great urgency in regard
to the applications, as all the saloon
men already have licenses. He
wanted it SO that everybody would
know that legal act was being done.
The following applications were re-
ceived, the dates being the time
when the present licenses expire:
Powell & Conrad, 10l S. Front, Dec.
I. VIM. Ditz, 225 S Front, July l.
Louis Balzer, 131 E. Main, May 4