The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-09-13
THE lNTELLIGENCER..
wHEELlNo, sEprEMRnR 10, 1897.


taken In the current reports that the
grand jury now In session Is making a
rigid investigation of the cases of sa-
loon keepers in Wheeling who are doing
business under what is known as short
llcenses-that Is. state licenses which
only grant permits to sell beer, other
malt liquors and wines, very large
majority OF the saloon men have taken
out such licenses, 1t appears. and, con-
trary to law, are selling whisky and
other spirituous liquors, to traffic In
which would require the payment OF an
additional license fee to the state Of $3.50.
The state is thus deprived of consider
able revenue.
In response to the demand of the state
authorities the matter is being investi-
gated and 1t Is probable that a large
number OF indictments will be the result,
There are differences of opinion regard
ing the extent TO which this prosecution
should so, but no one doubts for mo-
ment that since the law has been violated
1t is clearly the duty Of the proper au-
thoriues to execute 1t as they are sworn
to do The result will doubtless be that
the licenses will hereafter be paid, since
that may be found to be less costly way
OF conducting business than by the eva,
sion of the law and running the risk of
having to pay heavy fines and costs, as
provlued by the law.
In commenting on these cases, how
ever. the evening paper has undertaken
the somewhat remarkable task of advls-
ing the court and the grand jury as to
their duties in the premises. In an arti-
Gle which seems to be inspired for pur-
pose the point Is made that the Ohio
county grand jury should overlook a
derellction OF duty on the part of more
than a hundred saloon keepers because
the same state of affairs exists in other
counties. In other words. violations OF
the law here must be excused because
the authorities In some neighborlng
,ounties are not doing their sworn duty
This Is strange advice for a public jour
nal TO give the officers OF Ohio county
and the courts OF the county
We have no Idea as to what extent the
grand jury will go the matter of find
Ing true bills against those who have
been short in their licenses, but the
natural presumption Is that the aggre-
gate fines imposed In each case where
1 Indictments are sustained will probably
about cover the shortage; II 1t goes be-
You'd that It will be because the court
may In It's discretion impose fine suill-
Client to make 1t serve as n salutary les
son for the future. The Inteligencer
does not know that this Is true, nor is Il
in possession of any information which
would warrant an anticipation OF the ac-
tion of either the grand jury or the court,
The Intelllgencer does not believe that
the saloon keepers are wholly at fault In
the matter In the article in our evening
contemporary the statement Is made
that the saloon men "acted on what they
considered good advice" Perhaps the
evening pape. knows what It Is saying.
The Intelllgencor does not believe that
the authorities OF West Virginia and the
prosecuting attorney of Ohio county have
given any one authority 20 promise I'M
munity to people who take out short
licenses. From whom, then, did this
good advice" come? Who was 1t that
advised these men that they would be
safe In running a risk Of selling liquor
without state license? The lawyer
who would give such advice must have
something In view for himself. possibly
big fee for defense. II appears, and
may develop. that the saloon men have
been deceived by some one. They will
likely hereafter weigh carefully the
value and authority Of advice before act
ing upon It.
The evening paper does not show itself
TO be unbiased In the matter when II
calls attention to the fact that certain
ofilcera OF the court will make big fees II
indictments are sustained This Is an
attempt to prejudice the caseg before
they are decided. The law allows the
officers the fees, and II In these Instances
they will reach q high Aggregate 1t Ia
because there has been large number
OF derellctions and no DETERMINATIONS
or fayorltlsm shown. The grand Jury
which Ia considering the matter is COM
posed of good men who have nothing at
stake and nothing to gain FOR themselves.