Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1898-01-14

Anti-SalOOn League The annua!
meeting of the Anti.Saloon League of this
county was held at the Town Hall, at this
place, on Monday last. The meeting was
well attended by members of the organiza-
ton and others from all parts of the county.
. A part of the business of the day was the
election of officers for the ensuing year, re-
sulting as follows:
President, John IL. Gassaway, German.
town; secretary, G. Scott Duvall, Gathers.
burg ice-presidents, Zone from each cleo.
ton district,) LIST district, Joseph G. Hig.
gins I'd, W. I. Dowden; Sd, Prof. Glen
Poole 4th, Frank Higgins; 9th, Benjamin
Kelley; 9th, Moses b. Montgomery 7th,
II. Bradley Davidson Sth, B. II. Miller
9th, Rev. L. L. Lloyd; 10th, Henry Chick
18th, Wesley A. Maxwell; 18th, John f.
Boyer 18th, William M. Terrell treasur.
er, Warren Choate, Rockville.
1t is proposed by the League to change
the time of holding meetings to the first Sat.
urdays In April, July, October and January.
The committee on legislative work is pre-
pairing bill containing the changes desired
by the League, which they will present to
the members of the Legislature from this
county.
Addresses were delivered by Mr.. Benz II.
Miller, Rev. A. O. Armstrong, Mrs Sarah
T. Miller, Rev :. X White, Mrs. f. L.
Hartshorne, Rev. Il A. Edwards, Rev, X. l..
McNair and others.
The Committee on Enforcement of the
Law made the following report
AS a prelude to our report let us quote
definition of patriotism, believing that it has
an appropriate application to the work in
which we are now engaged It's as follows:
"PratriOtsm is the passion which aims to
serve ones country, either in defending it
from invasion, or in protecting its rights
and maintaining its laws and institutions 10
vigor and purity; it is characteristic of "a
good citizen, the noblest passion that ami
mates man in the position of a cltlz n"
Ia pursuance OF that idea this Anti-Saloon
League was formed aud is to exist Not for
personal gain nor to crafty ambition, but
Tor the home and for the integrity of the law
zens to enlist in the cause The need for it
has been fully demonstrated, rs we will now
attempt to show. The following is the
demonstration:
We find in the statutes placed there by
the Legislature in 1881, at the request of a
majority OF the voters of Montgomery coun-
ty, the following law: 1t shall be unlawful
for any person, corporation, company or as
ISOLATION 81 sell, directly or indirectly, bar
ter or trade any kind OF intoxicating liquors
in Montgomery county, and upon convic-
ton shall pay fine of not less than $50,
nor more than $500, at the discretion of the
Court, or be imprisoned in the House OF
Correction not less than two months nor
more than SIX months.
Three times To our certain knowledge, and
perhaps more than that number OF times,
have the liquor sellers and their friends
sought to have that law repealed, but have
failed. Failing to secure its repeal in the
several Legislatures they have adopted the
method of openly deiyng the law and have
thus brought into dlsrepute the law ma
chinery OF the county. The evidence OF
this is the fact that there are one hundred
or more places in Montgomery county where
Intoxicating liquors are sold without con-
cealment, each one being IA demonstration
either OF the inab ity or unwillingness OF
the law officers to bring them to justice
These places are well known to US and are
located in general as follows; Twelve places
along the Conduit road, five places In Rock
vile, three in Germantown, three at Daw-
sonville, three at or near Poolesville, three
between Washington Grove and Laytons-
vile, three between Tenleytown and Be
thesda, three az or near Damascus, one or
more each at Layhill, Burdette, Goshen,
Barnesvtlle, Boyd's, Norbeck, Beallsville,
Comus, Randolph, Halpine, Colesville, For
est Glen, Takoma, Travllah, Choppers,
Darnestown, Olney, Redland, Boouack,
Purdum, Ounce Orchard, Mt. Zion, Mt.
Ephraim, Spencervlle, Falkland, Slidell,
Middlebrook and Montrose.
In the case of sixty of these places the
proprietors not fearing the local authorities,
but in confessed fear of the United States
Government, have paid to the latter reVe-
nue. tax annually, precedent to which each
one of them takes an oath that 1t is his pur
pose 10 sell malt or distilled liquors. On
the filing of this sworn to declaration aud
the payment of 500 or $25 annually, each
OF these sixty or more persons is given
certificate or tax stamp designating him AS
a LIQUOR dealer. What stronger evidence
could be obtained than the foregoing, VIZ
First, the evidence oi our own knowledge
and surely of the officers OF the law OF the
existence of these PLACES; and second the TACT
that the proprietors of these places have de
clared annually under oath to the United
States Government their purpose to sell
liquors and have paid the tax. NOtwlth-
standing the foregoing fragrant violations OF
law which we claim the law officers should
not have permitted, they were allowed to
increase and multiply importing interests
that every good citizen should be alarmed
AT, aud have caused the formation OF this
League These officers are the public ser
wants OF the & xpaYers OF this county and 1t
may well be asked why the latter should
be Obliged to still further tax themselves TO
enforce law which they pay their servants
10 enforce The excuse made that it is not
the duty Of this officer or OF that officer to
apprehend and present these violatOrs OF
law cannot hold, and If allowed may be
carried so tar as to result in anarchy.
In the absence Of any disposition on the
part OF the official conservatOrs OF the peace
to bring these vlolators Of law TO justice,
this League attempted to do II. We were
advised that it would be difficult 10 get clti
Zens CONTAGIOUS enough to secure testimony
aud spend the time and exposure necessary
to obtain indictments and convictions, and
yet when we employed paid agents to do
this, the counsel for the accused liquor sell
lrrs sought TO influence the minds ol the
Jury and prejudiced persons in the commun-
lty by innuendoes and slurs, but happily and
justi, the Judge on the Bench in his in
5trucsions to the grand jury sgnitied that
testimony from these employed persons was
entirely proper
lbe result was, the grand jury presented
70 the November Term OF the Circuit Court
iudicments 10 SO cases against about 30
persons for violations Of the local option
.aw. As to the experiences in the grand
Jury and the difficulties in getting the in
liciments in proper shape and in bringing
the accused persons 10 the Court report
unnlA be made that would not add much