The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-01-12
WILL HEAD IT OFF
MAYOR DORIAN FURNISHES THE
WHOLESALE LIQUOR DEALERS
WITH A POINTER
ABOUT THE RETAIL LICENSE.
THEY WILL TRY TO HAVE THE
RESOLUTION REQUIRING THE
PAYMENT OF $1,000
KILLED IN The COMMITTEE.
AssembIyman Dix's Second Effort
Stirs Up Almost as Much Trouble
as His First One

Mayor DOran had d consultation with
the wholesale liquor dealers at his
office yesterday afternoon and incident
ally gave the gentlemen present a
pointer as to how they could save
themselves from paying in the neigh
borhood of $4,000 into the city treas
ury. None of those present needed
more than half a bunch, and the result
of the conference will be a special
meeting of the committees on license
from the board of aldermen and as
sembly to take action as suggested by
the mayor
At recent meeting of the assembly
a resolution was introduced by Assem-
blyman Dix directing that the whole.
sale liquor dealers be required to take
out liquor license especially those
who sold in quantities Of less than five
gallons. The resolution, also, directed
that the mayor notify the wholesalers
OF the passage Of the resolution In
order to make the resolution operative
1t was necessary that it should pass
the board of aldermen and be ap-
proved by his honor, as are other res
olutions.- Without waiting for the res
olut1on to come to him in the regular
course Of business, the mayor suggest
ed conference, and yesterday after
neon about twenty of the wholesale
liquor dealers met at his office. The
session was an executive one. and,
When 1t was adjourned, it was given
out that nothing but an informal dis
cusslon OF the question of whether
wholesale dealers should be required
TO take out a license was considered
and no action was taken
ID
ence, said no other city in the country
made wholesale liquor dealers take out
a license, and, in his opinion, it should
not be done in ST. Paul.
George Benz said his firm had paid
a license in 1895. but had refused to
settle for one last year He had
been obliged to pay a license in Min
neapolls last year, but this year he
would not pay one in that city, unless
ooIlged by the law to do so. The
resolution, which had been passed in
the assembly requiring wholesalers to
taAe out a license, had, he thought
originated from some Of the retail
dealers or some good friends of the Ii
quof men. A committee, he said. had
been appointed by the meeting. and
the members would bring what inf1u-
ence they could to bear on the board
of aldermen to prevent the passage of
AS the matter would come up before
the board Of aldermen at the meeting
tonight, 1T was possible that a sDeciaI
meeting or the license committee would
be held this afternoon and the matter
fully discussed. If the wholesale deal
ers are obliged to take out a license. he
thought it very likely that they would
go into the retail business in addition
to the wholesale trade.
A number of retail daaIarS -aa,, Jor+
evening said, as it was now, there was
no distinction in the sale Of liquors be-
tween the wholesale and retail dealers.
Write the wholesalers did not. as a
rule, have bars in their places of BUSH
ness, it was possible for any one to
step In and purchase anywhere from
pint to a gallon Of liquor This was
an Injustice to the retail dealers. who
had to put up their $1,000, while thu
wholesalers paid nothing; in fact, only
two wholesalers took out licenses last
year.
On the other hand, the wholesale
dealers claim that it would be an in
Justice to make them pay license, and
that the law providing that those sell
ing more than five-gallon lots made
tEem exempt from license. There
might be some instances where less
than this quantity had been sold by
these engaged in the wholesale trade.
but such cases were the exception
rather than the rule
Some of the aldermen who discussed
the matter last evening thought the
wholesale dealers We're not obliged to
take out license if they did not sch
in less than five-gallon lots 1t would
be impossible for the license inspector
to make Investigations and ascertain
those Of the wholesalers who were VIC
lating the law in selling less than five
gallons, and then have them arrested
The opinion advanced by Mayor
Doran in his inaugural address that
there should be no favoritism shown in
the collection Of licenses, but that all
should be placed in the same position
in order that there should be no in
justice. and no loss to the city, sounded
all right at the time, but in the light
of recent events, it is evident the may
or has materially changed his views.