The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-04-21
ALASKA SALOON MONOPOLY.
ALLEGED SCHEME TO GET CONTROL
or THE LiQuoR TRAFFIC.
- Ne A~eonpIi.hed by . Trick tn
Aar xew Lieense Lsw-An I'm
povtant Clause In the Diit Sid
In ne 0sits Gea~raIIy Ovesioeked

There fs being planned II Il SD on
very good authority. : scheme which VIII
ss5rprase the saloon r8sn 81 Aasxka. OF
rrors 81 them III ss AR eT0Fs era fas
ra-. 81 a haff-1ozen wealth. and Dr1fs :
tnent xaloona@epers At skagway TO get
YuOuososy az tbs entire retail ls41or ouss-
ness - Alaska.
There left some fnw days ago for skag-
way very well known lawyer. asd
saIoon mao Rfo has been n0sofsoas IL
Alaska 70 tsss the scheme into operation
I. Is said that the attorney w!l care FOR
the legal end or the affair and the saloon
man will form the organization eEnong
nen % his ealasag who have been prom
la-at in the balsinsr~.
The nsefsyod by whi~n IL is sald they
will attempt 20 secure monopoly OF tns
business II 10 the new law for the govern
nent Of Alaska. passed At ths recent $50
s.an of conxrexa A. n known. TX pro
v.aes for ;ss licensing % saloons 1hss
will after July ] when the aes becomes
effective. be legitimate business enter
prlsex at the present time saloon men OF
Alaska are. I'M fact. outlaws Their oaA-
ness N continual violation % the Law
and has been during the existence OF the
acts now governing Alaska
The new las provides for Issuing IL
censea bur declares thar any one having
hssn convicted of keeping a saloon ssx
months prior 50 duly Is not eligible for
a license under e. This clause Is net gen
orally known. II IL said 30 have been
quietly slipped Into the bill when being
considered IN Washington. As IL Was
voIurnInons document each paragraph
waa not scrutinszed with great cafe by
those WHO s7sre watching the interests
Of the saloon u1en AZ Washington.
IL has been the custom for many years
ia Alaska to ane .aIoou men for their
violations of Jaw. Regularly for several
years they have been indicted ard fined
once each year. Since the klondike rush
the fine has been tieo and il has been paid
willingly. The arrangement was the same
az that which has prevailed In Seattle
in connection with gambling. TIE last
fine was Ia June Or Isss. and It is COM
monty believed thar the next fine viii be
levied during Aay or June OF this year.
two months or month prior TO Juiy !,
when fAs Law goes into effec. a quiet
payment. such has been made IN the
past and such as st expected woaid
b.. made would really keep all the saloons
from securing licenses. because there Is
an indictment and a conviction In each
case. Sssch " the trap that Il is said
has been cent for the vast ma ioyity Of the
saloon men OF Alaska.
will refuse IN pay their frss. They viii
not plead guilty to breaking the Lava. az
has been done Ia the past, bat they VIII
stand trial and make a fight, hoping I'm
-oIneway 20 save themselves by "squar-
Ing" the cars or by aequttal Such an
outcome weuld leave them in eonfsot Of
the hauar business for they would be the
oalv saloon men who could have licenses
under The new iaw. That l. the plan 10
IL. q
men do not learn or the prsiicament in
which they have been placed when they
ao learn they. too. VIII probably conclude
20 fight their trials for keeping saloons In
nfdsT 20 escape oanyie:lcn II possible.
How vast would be The monopoly OF
taese Ueu were their scheme worked on.
perfectly and the larger part af saloon
men driven from ousnstS may be under
sfeod when II ia known That there are gis
saloons In Alaska. one hundred or more
81 which are In Sksgway. These places
do a tremendous business. much greater
In proportion 10 the size OF the town
than sasoons of any pla e IN the country
except few mining camps
we'll known saloon man. formerly OF
Ska~wa said last night that ne knew OF
four saloons which had as large a hus.
ness as any ten such places In Seattle
All liquors. sadt waters and mineral va
tefs aF' - cents per drink. aad thus. not
withsiendins the great cost Of Smuggling
them into Alaska. the prasii Is very large
a monopoly az the business would mean
riches for every one concerned in a very
short time. of course such condition
os affairs could nos last long. hecausn "a.
leon men from the Sound aud the Pacific
eoart vino AID not have convictions hang
ins over them might commence business
In Alaska However Il would last long
enough "a Ray enormous profits