The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-05-19
One to Look After Saloons
TO Be Suggested.
Transfer Tickets and the
Sibyl'S Old Prophecies.
Chairman of Special Committee Il
lHstfates by Virgil.

The joint special committee of the City
Council on investigation of the License
Commissioners which bored this town
with public hearings frcm Feb. 13 to
April 8, held its final session today and
will present its report on Thursday after
noon to the Board OF Aldermen.
They will recommend several things
which. the city cannot authorize without
the consent OF the State Legislature. The
most interesting recommendation of the
report, however, Will be for the creation
of new Office, nsmely2 that of a saloon
inspector, who shall not be a member of
the board of license mmissiouers and
whose duty ii shall. be TO make periodical
visits TO all the retail saloons in town to
see how things are. IL the Legislature
should create the office ii Is Anticipated
that large open field would be necessary
in which to receive the applicants for the
job and the drama "Ten Bar Rooms in
Night'wculd acquire a new local interest.
The committee will also recommend the
increase of the price of license from
800 to $500 and the reduction OF the num-
ber of Lenses that may be issued in one
year 10 800 and the reduction OF the mem
bers Of the board OF commissioners from
fYe to three. The committee. however.
js not unanimous on the $500 fee and
the 800 limit. Two members voted against
that recommendation but they will not
present a minority report.
As a matter of fact the Council has no
voice in any OF the matters except that of
the-price for license. The number
which may be issued is left to the discre-
tion of the Board and the mem bership
of the Board is fixed by State law. Regis
tration commissioner John Il. Blodgett,
asked Chairman Fuller today how he pro-
posed to decrease the number of com
missioners and the Alderman retorted-
''The same way you get your salary rails
an amendme ent." And echo answered
snit.' nutk
The State law IN the case is as follows:
Chapter 1o2. Section 81
''Tbe Boards of Aldermen and the
Common Councils OF the several cities
shall, in JOINT convention in the month
of July, I'm the year 1898, and in the
elect five commissioners who shall hold
Office for five. years from the first Mon
day in the month OF August next, follow
ing their election; provided that the
commissioners now in Office shall con-
tinue1te- held effsee ffem the date OF their
election until the first Monday in August
in said year, 1898"
TRANSFER TIKCETs PROBABLE.
The Joint special committee Of the City
Council on transfers held its first meet
ing today since the passage of the substi-
tute transfer bill by the General AS
sembly. And the hour which the MEM
bers were in session this afternoon was
devoted to the discussion of that act.
To say~that the members are vexed would
be to state tho case mildly, but
as mad as they are, Ii Is more than prob
able that q resolution viii be introduced
in the Common Council to accept the
terms of the act on the part of the city,
and that resolution may come In at the
session next Monday night.
Chairman West was asked today what
he thought the city would do and by way
OF answer he repeated that story from
Vergil OF the Sibyl's Books:
The Sibyl OF Cumae offered Tarquin
nine volumes of predictions for a certain
sum OF money, but the king refused to
purchase them deeming the price exorbi,-
ant; whereupon the Sibyl burned three
OF the volumes and the next year offered
Iarquin the remaining six at the same
price. Again he refused and the Slbyl
burnt three more. The following year
she again returned and asked the original
price for the three which remained. At
advice OF theaugurs the king purchased
the books, and they were preserved with
great care In houses specially built for
that purpose.
And in the Immediate afterwards when
the gilded sickle of the moon of the
eleventh. month, now called November,
was rounding into the full shield the
Goo-Goo party of AeolIs withered away
and was not.
The member from the Tenth Ward was
then asked IL his particular reference to
the classics meant that the city, after re-
jecting the first offer OF transfers would
now accept them at a greater cost and he
winked both eyes,