The San Francisco call., 1896-02-25
THE SCOTCH STRAW RUSE
Restaurant'Keepers Planning tc
Adopt Southern Pacific
Tactics.
Being Deprived of Liquor License They
Will Resort to Stratagem to
Hold Business.
OAKLAND OFFICE SAN Francisco GAIL.

9OS Broadway, Feb. "a.
The revoking of the license of the Louvre
Restaurant to sell liquors, and the pros
pect that the licenses of several similar
resorts will meet with a like fate
at the hands of the City Council, have
caused some of the restaurant keepers to
resort to their wits for the purpose of
evading the law.
1t is known that for some time past
other houses that claim to be restaurants
have been kept under surveillance bv the
police and that omplaints will shortly be
lodged against them. Without their IL
quor license a large proportion of their
trade is destroyed and they will endeavor
to hold 1t. The manner in which they
will attempt to hold their customers is not
original, as it is well-known device in
Glasgow, Scotland, and in other cities
where the closing Of saloons on Sunday is
m ade compulsory. The plan outlined by a
restaurant-keeper,' who is in daily fear of
getting into trouble, is as follows:
"In Glasgow, where the canny Scotch
men like their whisky on the Sabbath as
we'll as on any other day." said the restau-
rateur, "the Sunday CLOSING act is in full
force. The saloon men did not see how to
prevent it, but as the law required that if
any one travelled three miles he was q
bona hde travellers and was entitled to
legitimate refreshments at public inns,
many of them kept houses just three miles
outside the city limits and continued in
business on the Sabbath. This, however.
was too expensive, SO the saloon men re-
solved to follow the tactics of the men who
sold forbidden books on the streets. These
men peddled their books around and when
thew took their fan1 thayr
duce bundle of straws, and would an
nounce that with every purchaser of
straw a book would be given away.
The saloon-keepers thought this would
be very good way to avoid the Sunday
law, so they adopted the same tactics.
They placed bundles of different-colored
straws on their counter and by the color
OF the straw purchased the boniface would
know what kind of a drink to present TO
the guest. The scheme worked we'll and
as the saloon-keeper could not be fined for
giving man q drink there were no con-
victions. The plan is being worked to this
day. If driven to desperation to hold onr
business we shall be forced to resort to
just such tactics"
When the scheme was reported to Mayor
Davie that official did not seem a bit sur
prised. That's the result of thirty wears
of education by the railroad company" he
said. 1.-The Southern Pacific has been
uoinS tndC rignC dloHR. IL is being done
to-day. The law says that the company
shall not charge fare for ride within the
corporate limits of the city of Oakland.
"Thehprivilege and the right of citizens
for the use of the streets How is it
avoided? A man buys ticket at Broad
way for West Oakland. 1t is illegal to sell
him one, SO the ticket agent gives him
ticket to Alameda and he rides to West
Oakland. 1t is a very clever but purely
illegal method of securing an income
The saloon-keeper who resorts to the old
straw game is employing exactly the
same ruse. There is one big difference.
however. The railroad is powerful enough
to do as it pleases, but | guess the first
restaurant-keeper that follows suit will
quickly find himself where Huntington
should have been for the past ten years."