Evening star., 1896-03-02
DIS TRICT AFFAIRS
The New Excise Order for the
Division.
HOW 1T CAME ABOUT
Health Officers Report on a Med
icaI College.
w ARM intel VIE w

The order given to the police Saturday
to prohil it the sale of Intoxicating liquors
in the "Division,' except in regular Ii
censed places, and to treat those guilty of
violating the law the same as other speak
easies originated with the excise board.
Last week a conference was held be
tween the Commissioners and the mem
bcrs of the excise board, upon the subject
of the amendment to the bill regulating the
sale of liquors, and increasing the license
tax. 1t was at this conference that the
subject of liquor in the Division" came
up During the latter part of last year,
The Star called attention to the fact that
the excise board, through majority Of its
members, was i'll favor of wiping out every
liquor saloon in that locality. The result
mas been that up to this time not single
liquor license has been granted to any one
within the limits of the ''Division.' All
cases We're held up by the excise board
Every week the board has been urged to
dispose of these cases, but final action was
pat off from day to day. 1t was openly
hinted that there was a division in the ex-
else board, and so action was deferred un-
til some action could be unanimously
agreed upCn.
1t is understood the Commissioners ask
ed what had been done concerning this
matter, ard the reply, 1t is stated. was
general subject of selling liquor in that
section was discussed, and it is said. the
excise board called attention to the viola
tions that Were of daily occurrence in the
houses of i'll repute, and then it was that
a member of the excise board first suS-
Sested that the sale of liquor in these
houses be prol ibited. 1t was argued that
it would be unfair and unjust to those
men who paid license in that section to
shut up. and allow the houses OF i'll fame
to sell liquor. So strong was the case rep
resented that the order to prohibit the il
legal sale of liquor and to treat the Of
tenders as any other violator imme-
diateiy given.
The order issued Saturday concerning he
sale of liquor by the demi-mende element is
not a new one. From time to time as cru
sades have been made against the section
the order has been revived, but after short
time 1t fell into disuse. and the sale of liquor
went merr1ly on. Not SO with the present
order. The Commissioners propose to see
that this order is kept alive, and within a
short time, or as soon case can he made
their policy of dealing with the subject will
be thoroughly understood. 1t is said that
WITHIN short time a copy of the liquor law
and regulations will he served upon the
Keepers of these houses, in order that they
may be given chance to dispose of their
stock OF liquors on hand. For it is not gen
orally understood that the mere presence of
liquors is sufficient evidence to convict nm
der the liquor law
The rigid enforcement of this order Will
numDGr
houses in the Division. Nearly all of them
pay eXorbitant rents, and they depend ,Inon
the sale of liquor almost entirely for their
revenues. Inc people who own the prop-
erty are some of them prominent in society
The order will be fought by them for lis
enforcement means number of vacant
houses on their hands, a great reduction
in the rents. Already the Commissioners
have been bes!eged, but they maintain a
dignitied silence, and give no hone of r.
voking their order
Washington Homeopathic COIIere.
There was midsummer whirlwind at the
commissioners office this morning The
trouble arose during a public hearing on the
bill TO incorporate the Washington Homeo-
pathic Medical College. Secretary Tindau
lad read Health Officer Woodward's adverse
report, wnen Mr.. r. B. johnson questioned
the right of the health officer to make re-
ports upon bills. 1t was within his province
to report upon nuiSances, he said and the
gentlemen were present to prove the pro-
posed college was not a nuisance. Referring.
TO the health officer, the speaker COM
n.enced by saying: Being common scay-
enger-
But that ended it. Commissioner Ross
promptly raped for order, and said: The
Commissioners do not propose to hear tho
health officer abused
The speaker said oh" and withdrew. =.
Dr. Woodwards recommendation, which
it was stated some time ago in The Star
WOulQ De adverse, is as 10llOWS:
while purporting to be a homeopa thic
institution, there is not representative
homeopathic physician among its incorpor-
ators, nor does 1t receive recognition from
the representative body of homeopathic
practitioners in the District, the Washing
ton Homeopathic Medical Society chartered
by act of Congress, April %. 1870.
IAN institution styled the Washington
Homeopathic Medical College is at present
In operation in this District, having been in
January IS, 1896, under the gem
'eral incorporation laws: it is the successor
of the National Homeopathic Medical Col
lege, which was Incorporated in the same
way. The reputation of the latter institu-
ton among medical men not connected with
it was by no means good, and its character
was at one time attacked by the board of
dental examiners of this District; the for
mer has not been in operation long enough
to establish a reputation of any kind and
it's character can be Judged only by the
fact that it is under the control of the same
men who controlled it's predecessor 1t IS
not entirely clear why 1t was deemed ad-
visable to change the name of the institution
if the operations of the one already in ex-
estence had not discredfted the title by
which it was known. The bill now before
Congress seeks to establish by special char
ter the college already in operation under
a charter obtained as stated above.
"The apparent object Of obtaining such a
special charter is to relieve the institution
Of the possible supervision of the Commits
sioners of the District Of Columbia. as to
the sufficiency of its facilities for giving in
struction in the branches which ii is pro-
posed to teach, which it is sought by pend
ing legislation to impose on such institu-
tions as are OR may hereafter he incor-
porated under the general incorporation
laws of the District This supervision on
the part of the Commissioners cannot be
made to operate to the detrment of any
properly equipped institution, and is. there
fore, not inimcal to such an institution
The exemption sought from such super
vision should, therefore. not be granted
1.-The most important reason, however
why this bill should be adversely reported
appears in section {. In this section the in
corporators of the proposed college ask from
the government authority to confer the de-
grees of doctor of medicine, doctor of
homeopathic medicine, master of hon1eo-
pathics and doctor of dental surgery; they
do not propose, however, that the govern
ment shall limit this authority by specify
ing the requirements to be enacted of candi-
dates for any of these degrees, or by any
supervision over the methods of instruction.
the sufficiency of the equipment, etc The
proposed college could, under such a char
ter as is sought, confer, by authority Of the
United States government any of the de-
grees mentioned above, on any person whom
the faculty might designate, without regard
whatsoever as to the physical, mental or
moral fitness of such person. Such right
manifestly should not be granted to any
body Of men, and certainly not to one,
part Of whom, at least have already asso-
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