The news & observer., 1897-03-04
Adverse Report on the Asne-
vile Despensary Bill.
BY THE SENATE COMMITTEE
RI1T IT'S FRIENDS HOPE TO PASS
TT ANYWAY.
LOADED Down BY AMENDMENTS
tf fhe Senate Passes an Amendment to
II That Settles the Matter For
the Billwili Never Again
passthe House.
Passthe House.

living II is not because the Senate Judi
ciary committee yesterday did not do its
best to defeat it.
They heard it discussed for two hours,
discussed themselves for half an hour,
amended two or three section of it and
then. made a favorable report ON it on
condition that the author of the bill,
Mr.. Gambler, accept the amendments.
If he does not do so an unfavorable re-
port will be made on it.
Ii he does accept these amendments,
however, the bill is certainly dead, for
it will never pass the House again. II
he doesn't accept them the Senate may
kill the bill or they may pass it, no one
knows So he has decided, | understand
not to accept them and take his chances
in the Senate.
This is. indeed, his only chance and
some of the friends of the bill think 1t
not a bad one Certainly under these
latter conditions if it is defeated ne VIII
know where to place the responsibility;
under the former circumstances the Dlil
would die natural death and nobody,
except Father Time would be responsible.
The argument before the committee
Yesterday was begun by the Rev. Heze-
kiah Gudger, who appeared for Battery
Park Hotel in opposition to the BILL He
said Asheyille had bonded Indebtedness
of about SS00,000 and from the bar
rooms under the present regime $4,000
is received to help pay the interest on
this sum. Now, he argued it would be
wrong to cut off this source of revenue
which the city enjoyed when the debt
was contracted Further, he said the
hotel be appeared for represented an in
yestrnent of about ST 100000 and some
fines had a thousand guests a day. To
PASS this bill, he argued, would result in
IT'S being closed ait least four months
in the year and a consequent proportional
decrease in receipts.
Mai. ". w Rollins Senator from that
district, thought it the universal senti
ment in Ashevilie that if the bill We're
passed it ought to be submitted only to a
vote of the people Of the town. He
thought it would be a death-blow to
AsheviIle to do otherwise. A telegram
from the manager Of the Battery Park
Hotel. he said, estimated that the estab-
lishment of a dispencary would cut off
the hotel receipts 80 per cent
Maj Rollins later acknowledged that
he didn't want the bill in any form, and
that leaving it to a vote of Asheville alone
meant its defeat
Mr.. J. NJ. Moody, Of Waynesville, APP
peared as attorney for the saloon-keepers
and asked the committee not to forget
that it would be the seyerest blow that
could be given to the city of AsheTille.
Moody was asked if he didn't have dis
pensary bill passed for his town in the
L. nI.4. L. ~ffAJcr flauf
he did, but said that his bill prohibited
the manufacture or sale of liquor in the
county.
Mr.. Gambler, Of Buncombe, said it
was pretty hard for plain citizen to
appear before a committee in opposition
to paid attorneys, the president Of the
Liquor Dealers Association and the
mayor Of the city Of Asheville, who had
been here lobbying against the bill.
Mayor Cooke denied that he was here
for this purospe or was taking any part
in the fight
Rev. Hezekiah Gadger asked Mr.
Chandler if he didn't know that Ashe-
vile had the best regulated bar-rooms
in the State.
II don't know" replied Mr. Chandler,
I'm not one of those who frequent such
places. / don't know how they are con-
Quoted"
Mr. Gambler said he and Mr. Lusk
were here, and Senators Smathers and
Rollins were here by virtue of support
given them by the prohibitionists and
with the understanding THAI they would
support this bill
There are thirteen bar-ro1ns in the
city of Ashevile, and no whiskey IS
sold elsewhere in the county, and if this
L. 1s1gia{ +fp
whole county ought to be allowed TO vote
on il. Asheville, ne argued, now has
= monopoly of the liquor business and
of course it will try TO keep it. If left
TO the city of Asheville alone the bill
will be killed. With little whiskey
big majority of negroes and trash can
be bought.
The moral effect and influence of dis
pensary we're argued at length by Mr.
Gambler. He said he had "a long petltion
from most Of the best citizens of Ashe-
viii asking that the bill be passed and
left to the people of Buncombe county.
The other side claimed to have petition
signed nv about 800 names. They, Mr..
Chandler said, were for the most part
negroes and ignorant white men who can
hardly write their names.
Chairman Smathers also took hand
in the fight and while Mr.. Candler kept
the floor Smathers tried to persuade
Gambler to allow the bill to be amended.
At this time of the session this, Of course,
means the defeat Of the bill.
Mr. Gambler said the committee could
do as they liked about the matter. He
had performed his duty and he could now
90 back to his people with the con-
esciousness that he had kept his promises
and done what he believed right
Mayor Cooke next took the floor to re-
peat his denial of the charge that he was
here opposing the BILL and then went on
to do his best to defeat it by saying that
its passage would mean bankruptcy to tho
city. He also claimed that in South
Carolina the dispensaries had practically
ruined the towns in that State. In Ashe- |
vile, he thought it would mean financial