Evening star., 1898-08-15
KEENLY CRITICISED
The Anti-Saloon League Reviews
Excise Board Work.
ALLEGED LOOSENESS OF METHODS
Influences Befriending the Saloons
Charged to Be Operating.
FORM DEM AN ED

| In lengthy communication to the Dis
| trict Commissioners the Anti-Saloon
League, in reviewing the work of the Dis
| trict excise board during the present iicens.
year, claims that the boards good record
| in keeping down the number of licensed
places has been very much marred by GER
| tain actions and nor-actions on it's part.
| for which, it asserts, no plausible excuse
can be found. The league charges that
| from the standpoint of very large number
Of citizens Of the District who regard the
saloon as evil. out of which no good can
come, the record of the board is rnsats-
| factory ami disappointing. ''The law of
1888, 1t Is stated by the league in a letter
received today by the District Commission
ers, was evidently intended to lessen the
evil Of intemperahce in the District. The
beard is clothed with the broadest discre.
ticn. and yet with it all. it has licensed al
ready this year 527 bar rooms. Washing
ton has more saloons in proportion to pop
uiation than any other city of the country,
with few possible exceptions.
Very Vigorous Claims.
"The members of the excise board are In
telltgent men," continues the communica-
ton. honorable and upright; they are well
| saloons; they recognize that the law gives
them a broad discretion in considering ap-
plications for licenses; they know that GER
tain sections of the city are cursed by sa-
| looms and clubs Men and women have
| pleaded with them to abolish at least some
o. these numerous places. and yet these in
telligent, honorable business men who COM
pose the excise board have turned a deaf
ear to pieadings, have thrown aside pro-
tests of property owners and residents
nd o1a-
tions of the police department and permit
| ted these 800 or more saloons and clubs,
some OF which are the vilest dens of in
fanny, to go right on in their nefarious bus
iness. And these gentlemen have the as
sLrance to expect the plaudits of the Chris
tlan people of the city for their work in re-
ducing the number of license places in the
District 1t is the opinion of some who
have observed the actions of the board that
about all of the licenses they dared to al
low this year have been allowed.
DfsapprOved, Then Allowed,
But the members of the board, inteIi-
gent and honorable as they are have been
and are handicapped in their good" work
no doubt by the influence of few citizens
who have occasion to interest themselves,
from time to time, in various applications
for licenses Through certain influences
these cltlzens are able to bring to bear
seemingly such pressure that applica tons
for license that had once been disapproved
nave been taken up, reconsidered and al
loWed applications for renewal of licenses
nave been rejected and the applicants or
dered to close up their places two months
hence and when such time of grace had
elapsed. additional time was given. Ad-
dltional time. For what? For the purpose
OF giving the dealer time to dispose of his
stock or to sell out his place TO another,
against whom there are no charges, or to
give him time to locate in a neighborhood
where people will not object to him, even
| IL he is a law breaker
Room for Improvement Alleged.
A number of alleged instances are quoted
in support of these assertions, and in con-
clUsion the document contains the follow
ing:
In view of the aforegoing facts taken
from the record of the excise board dur
Ing the present license year, it wouiG seem
that there is great room for Improvement.
The law, by virtue of which the excise
board was created, was undoubtedly de-
signed not a revenue measure not for
the purpose of increasing the number of
dram shops in our midst, but rather for
the purpose of decreasing the number and
lessening the baleful influence of liquor
drinking. 1t may be said that there is A
decrease in the number of bar rooms, but
the decrease is too insignificant TO be
worthy of much notice. and even though
insignificant very little credit for it is due
to the board. Out of more than 500 appli-
cations for renewal of bar room licenses
In November last only six failed to get
license This is very poor showing " hen
we take into consideration the number of
reports OF violations of law by the police
and inspector and the opportunities Of the
members of the board of personally observ-
Ing the location and character of the bar
rooms as they travel about the city in the
performance OF their duties assessors.
Irresponsibility Charged.
1.-THE gentlemen of the board may have
hoo
all they have done and are doing, but GER
tainly their record of laxity, uncertainty
and vacillation their failure to abolish the
dives that curse several sections of the
city, their refusal to weed out some of the
saloons on streets where they are disgrace
fully numerous, and their action in Iicens-
ing so-called clubs, which are organized
principally for dispensing liquors Sunday,
make 1t appear that they have not meas
ured up fully to their responsibility as ex-
else officers. There is no doubt that their
work assessors has been eminently sat
isfactory to all, as evidenced by the com
mendations and Endorsements of many cti-
zens. In this work they have proved care
full, energetic and faithful Because of
their good record as assessors they have
been indorsed by citizens and reappointed
to office by the Commissioners. Their rec
ord as an excise board very likely was not
seriously taken into consideration by citi-
zens or by the Commissioners. And vet
proper administration Of excise matters is
of vital Importance, not only to thu moral
interests of the city, but to the material
interests as we'll.
1--WE bring these matters to your atten-
ton not for the purpose of criticising the
gentlemen of the excise board, or to place
them in any unpleasant light before the
public, but rather to call to the attention
of the Commissioners, who are interested
In and responsible for the welfare of the
city, the aforegoing facts with the hope
that the matter may come to the notice of
the excise board, and that much good to
the community may result therefrom.'
The Commissioners, 1t Is understood, will
refer the letter to the excise board for a
report.
STREET EXTENSION DIFFICULTIES.
District COmmissioncrs Make Sug-
gestiOns Looking to Relief.
The District Commissioners today wrote
Messrs W. A. Gordon and others relative