The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-07-08
BUTTE News.
THEY TALKED LICENSE
The First Meeting of the Liquor
Dealers Association.
GROCER Is A GRIEVANCE
The Butte Organization the Parent OF
Similar Associations to Be Organ
lied Throughout the State to
Influence Legislation.

Ihe saloon keepers of Butte are or
ganizing into what they have termed
the Silver Bow County Liquor Dealers
protective association. The first regu-
lar meeting of the association was held
Yesterday afternoon in Muntzer hall,
John Mclaughlin was elected tempo
rary chairman and John Bloor secre-
tary pro tenn. A committee on consti-
tuition and bylaws was also selected
to report at the regular meeting next
Friday afternoon, as was a committee
on organization and order of business.
IL is expected that at the next meet
ing permanent organization will be eff
fected
There was much enthusiasm mani
rested at yesterdays meeting, and the
~ members present declared that thew
would push the thing through to a bril-
ilant and successful end. 1t was agreed
20 divide the city into districts. and
commlttees from each district were
named, whose duty it shall be to enroll
every saloon keeper in the several dis
tr1cts SO that representation in the as
socfation shall be complete and unani-
nous. Already there are more than so
members enrolled.
Among the topics discussed yester-
association that some day it may be
powerful enough throughout the state
TO influence legislation. The Butte or
ganlzation is what is expected to be
the parent of similar organizations in
the state. The argument was advanced
that there should be graded scale of
licenses. Men doing business on side
streets or In remote quarters of the
city, should not be required to pay as
nlgh licenses as those who do business
IN the center of town CT in districts
where traffic is large. This PROPOSE
ton, however, will not be seriously con
sidered in meeting until the association
attalns greater power in the state.
Another grievance the saloon men
have is the grocer who sells LIQUOR
1t Is claimed by some that number
or grocers sell liquor on wholesale
license in less quantities that a quart
and on election day the store remains
open and sells liquor, while the saloon
must shut UP like a clam and do moth
ing The following resolution explains
the attitude of the saloon men on the
matter of grocery men and liquor
sales:
Whereas, A large number of grocers
and other merchants in the city of
Butte are fraudulently evadirg the
payment of city and county licenses
by selling liquor in quantities less than
ohS ioail anu Hol. paying the proper
license therefor, and instead of paying
the said license they are wrsngfully
and illegally paying a much smaller
license, to-wit: merchants license:
and
Whereas, The said persons are ma
terially injuring the business of saloon
keepers and retail liquor dealers, who
have to pay the full amount of license
as prescribed by law, thus rendering
many of the said saloon keepers and
retail liquor men unable to successfully
compete with those persons who are
thus wrongfully defrauding the treas
urers of the city of Butte and county
of Silver Bow"
The primary objects of the associa-
ton, as set forth in the preamble, are
to protect the interests of it's members
by enforcing the payment of proper
licenses of all persons, grocers, mer-
chants or any other person who shall
retail spirits in less quantities than one
quart