The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-01-07
LAW Is PLAINLY AGAINST IT.,
BUT THAT FACT ISN'T ENOUGH FOR
THE COMMITTEE TO ACT
UPON.
PLACE GIVEN A VERY BAD NAME.
DIR. HiGbee Testiies That 1T Is the
Center of q sink Hole of
IAiquify.

ment the present officials, from the
mayor down, took occasion at every
opportunity to howl about the manner
in which the laws and ordinances re-
lating to the sale of intoxicating liquors
and the granting of licenses were en-
forced. AS the records Of their public
speeches will show, they promised
great reforms in this direction, and al
luded to the fact that while the laws
might be harsh In instances, they were
on the book and should be enforced to
the letter. Now it is altogether differ
ent, and if the public could have wit
messed the farce which for two hours
yesterday afternoon was enacted be-
fore the joint council committee on
license, surprise and modification
would have been expressed.
The meeting was called to consider
the application of Charles F. Eggert
for license to sell liquor at 484 Robert
street for the year commencing Jan. 1,
1897. Present from the assembly as
members of the license committee were
MeSsrs. DAILY, Reardon and Mabon, and
from the board of aldermen Messrs.
Bigelow and Donnahower. Assembly
man Craig was a silent spectator Of
the proceedings.
D. w. Doty, attorney for the Citizens
league, stated to the committee that
he had received notice of the meeting
in the morning, and for this reason he
did not want the hearing to be final
one, as it might be that he could not
get all his witnesses on such short no
tice. In addition to the objections pre-
scented at a previous meeting by the
Citizens league relative to the arrest
and conviction of Eggert in the police
court of keeping open his saloon after
midnight on April 3, Mr.. Doty had
other objections to offer. One of these
was that Eggert, after having paid fine
Of $40, imposed by Judge TWohy, for the
violation Of the law, had his license re-
voked by the judge of the police court.
In addition to this, Eggert, Mr.. Doty
said, had been openly violating the law
since Dec. 81 by keeping his saloon
open and selling liquor without having
taken out a license.
The record from the municipal court
presented by Mr.. Doty showed that on
April 9. 1896, County Attorney Butler,
after Eggert had been convicted and
fined for keeping open after hours,
moved that the license issued to Eggert
be revoked. This was opposed by the
attorney for Eggert and the court al
lowed the lawyers to file arguments
Dec. 81 Judge Twohy filed a decision
directing that the license issued to
Eggert be revoked.
The objections raised by Mr.. Doty
were six in number.
First-That the. application did not state
the applicant was resident of the city and
over twenty-one years of age.
Second-That he was not fit person to
operate q saloon.
Third-That he mad of cd with he
city treasury the $40 which required un-
der the law.
Fourth-That the applicant had violated the
law by keeping open his saloon at various
times after IL O'Clock midnight.
Fifth-That he had been convicted and
fined in the police court for this offense on
April and paid a fine Of $40 for the
offense.
Sixth-That since JAM / he had kept omen
his saloon and sold liquor without a license
Mr.. Doty wanted Mr.. Eggert to be.
sworn as he desired to examine the
applicant for the license. F. G. Brady
and Aid. Bigelow hardly thought this
was the proper way to proceed, as
Eggert had no attorney present and
might be taken advantage Of in the ex-
animation. Mr.. Doty suggested that
Eggert seemed to have no lack of
counsel even if he had no regularly
employed attorney. Mr.. DAILY said
the committee had no authority to pass
on the question of what Mr.. Eggert
might, or not, admit, and in reply Mr..
Doty said the committee had no
authority in the matter at all, except
to hear the evidence and report the
same to the assembly, the supreme
court having held that only the council
could grant applications and licenses,
and that the authority could not be
delegated to any committee Aid. Bige-
low had a number of questions which
h 4nd nrN|x, A0
gentleman informed the alderman that
1t was the assembly committee who
were in session and that the mem
berS Of the board of aldermen were not
concerned with the proceedings AS
semblyman DAILY took the same view of
the matter and said he had called a
joint committee simply to allow the
aldermen to hear the evidence so that
when the matter came before the board
1T would not have to be gone over
again. Mr.. DAILY stated that so far as
the objection made regarding Eggert
having kept his saloon open since Jan.
L without a license, the committee
would pay no attention to it, The ad-
ministration had taken the RESPONSE
bility of doing this and there were some
thirty saloons now open, none of which
had license.
Summed up and simmered down, the
objections made to the granting of a
license to Eggert were that he was not
a fit person to conduct a saloon; that
he had violated the law by keeping
open after midnight, and had been
fined in the police court for the offense
committed on April 8, 1896
Mr.. Eggert was called and sworn by
Aid. Bigelow, who announced that in
addition to his other attachments he
was also a notary public and entitled
under the law to take the oaths of
persons. In answer to questions put
by Mr.. Doty, Eggert said he was the
applicant for a license at 484 Robert
street. He owned the saloon and also
the house adjoining on Robert street
He rented the building adjoining the
saloon to a man for a boarding house
He did not know whether there were
female boarders in the house or not
At this juncture ex-Ald. F. G. Brady
said it might be best for Mr.. Eggert
to have an attorney. Eggert had a
consultation with Mr.. Brady and sew
eral members of the committee, and it
was decided that he could refuse to
answer questions which might not APP
pear proper Mr.. DOty said he wanted
to show that the house adjoining the
saloon was a house of questionable
character, and as Eggert was the land
lord of the place and conducted a sa-
loon next door, he was not a fit person
to have a license. The committee
ruled such a proposition out of order,
and as Eggert refused to answer as
to the character of his tenants. Mr.
Doty had the clerk of the meeting put
his offer on the record. Mr.. Eggert
also refused to answer the question as
to whether he was running a saloon
since Jan. l without a license. He re-