The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-06-30
GEN.HARRISON FAVORS 1T
A LETTER FROM HIM ON THE sA-
LOON Restriction PLAN.
Proposed Ordinance VIII Only Apply
to the First, Second, Third and
Fourth Wards.

General Harrison has expressed himself
favorable to the movement to restrict sa-
Icons to the nonresident districts of the
city. Recently Rev. t. A. Goodwin, one of
the first to agitate the subject of combining
saloons to the part of town south of Tenth
Gold First street, invited General Harrison
to preside over one of the mass meetings
for the discussion of the project. n.reply
General Harrison wrote as follows:
I had a previous engagement for Tues
day evening and could not attend the
Friends Church meeting. / am in full sym
pathy with the movement to exclude sa-
looms from the residence districts. No man,
except a saloon keeper, wants to live next
TO saloon, and someone must ii there are
saloons in a residence neighborhood. They
depreciate the neighboring property and
introduce lawless elements into quiet neigh
bOrhCods.
"A petition was yesterday presented to
me for my signature, and l suggested to
was not aptly framed. 1t asks the exclu-
sion of the saloons from certain wards
named-which is well-and then adds, and
from all other residence districts. This
makes the request vague. I think the petit
ton should distinctly relate to particular
district and should be signed only by per-
sons living in that district. l do not know
that / shall have time to write another
letter, but you may use--if you think best
what 1 have written above"
DR., Goodwin has turned the letter of Gen.
tary of the executive committee. Mr.. Mas
son explains that while the petitions ad-
dressed to the Council urging the passage
of a restrictive ordinance contained the
clause to which General Harrison objects,
it was never the intention to have any such
indefinite words in the ordinance When
the subject was first talked about there
were some complaints that the southern and
western portions of the city had not also
been included, and it was in Difference to
this sentiment the clause was embodied in
the petitions The executive committee has
drafted the ordinance and it will proba-
bly, be presented to the Council at the next
meeting. Some members of the committee
are in favor of submitting the ordinance to
General Harrison for his approval before
it is introduced in Council The ordinance
will apply only to the First, Second, Third
and Fourth wards. and the expression,
from all other residence districts will not
be embraced in it,
Woodburn Mason says that reports have
not been received from all the canVaSserS
who are at work in these wards Those al
ready in show, he says, that about rs per
cent. of the voters have signed them The
CanVasserS have been provided with books
in which the names and addresses of voters
refusing to sign have been put down. with
the reasons assigned for their refusal. In
the two squares of Broadway between
Seventh and Ninth streets, but four voters
refused to sign. Out of $50 voters living
on College avenue, between Seventh and
Twelfth streets, only four or five did not
sign the petitions. In these cases the rea-
sons given were business and personal re-
lations."
The members of the executive committee
say that while not much publicity has been
given to the movement lately the work has
gone on quietly and satisfactorily.