Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-01-27
Saloon Men Insist That They
Must Pay a License.
OFFICERS ARE ROASTED
Charge Made That Prosecutions OF
Liquor Cases Have Been Delayed
Formal Protest.

The room of the county commissioner
was the scene of a decidedly warm de-
bate between the county attorney and his
deputies on one side and John Bloor on
the other. Mr.. Bloor is secretary of the
Retail Liquor Dealers Protective assoc
citation, and in company with an associa-
ton grievance committee, consisting of
John BOde and n other liquor dealer,
called at the commissioners rooms for
the purpose of entering a protest against
the sale of liquor by the grocers Of the
city who pay only a merchants license.
The protest is practically a continuous
one having been made first about two
years ago and revived at intervals to
suit the exigencies of the demands Of the
association. The edition presented to
the board yesterday, however, is stronger
in tone than any of the others, a portion
of it being emphatic and to the point of
refusal or the part of 173 saloon keepers
in Silver Bow county to not pay a cent of
license unless the grocers are either
stopped from selling liquor or compelled
to pay the regular retail license for SELL
ing it. After reading the petition, Mr..
Bloor threw his whole sou into the work
of discriminating the grocers' liquor
trade. Among other things he said:
1.-The county attorney and his deputies
have not, In my opinion, been doing their
duty. Your county detective is a mem-
Der of our association but he is not doing
his duty. We have paid a private detec-
tive 500 a month to look after this BUSH
ness when it should have been done by
others paid out of the county treasury.
The man employed by the county to look
after this matter has his favorites and
he does not modest them. The man to do
his work should be one that has no
favorites. This board knows that we
have taken up fifteen or twenty cases
and obtained convictions in each, but
these cases are now hung up in the dis
trict court, and Judge Clancy and God
Almighty only knew when they will be
unhung. Some of them have now been
reached a crisis. 1t is not alone in exist
ence in Butte. but is being carried on in
Park county, Helena and Anaconda"
Bloor further said thata similar condi-
ton of affairs existed in parts of Michi-
gan, but there he rohibitionists and sa-
loon keepers had combined their forces
and were moving against the grocers.
While Mr.. Bloor was talking, some one
notified County Attorney Connolly of
what was t~ranspiring. and he appeared
upon the scene, as did also his two depu-
ties.
Mr.. Connolly denied that the fault for
the condition of the cases prosecuted and
hung up laid with his office. He said he
was ready at all times to begin prosecu-
tons when cases were presented to him.
Chairman Clark said the board had
done everything it could to stop the gro
GERS from selling liquor.
After the matter had been thorough1v
discussed it was decided to ask the two
Judges of the district court to give the
liquor cases pending on appeal the right
OF way over other business.
Following is the petition presented to
the board:
T the honorable board of county COM
mlssloners OF the county Of Silver Bow.
Montana:
"Gentlemen-In October last a commit
tee appointed Dy the president of the LID
uor Dealers Protective association
waited upon your honorable board with
complaints against numerous grocers and
others who were illegally selling liquors
and beers, not having paid a license
therefore as required by law. That com
mfttee reported to the association that
you had employed a person at a salary
OF 500 per month to assist the county
license collector in detecting these fraud
ulent merchants. During the month of
October your officers prosecuted in a few
cases and secured convictions, but sine.
tina lime all interest in this matter
seems to have died out so far as your
appointees are concerned; n although
several complaints have been handed in
to your license collector for investiga-
ton nothing has been done in any of
these cases.
your petitioners respectfully represent
that they pay annually into the county
treasury over 800 600 for licenses with
which to carry on the sale of liquors,
wines and beers n lave no protection
whatever inasmuch as it is an acknowl-
edged fact that upon nearly every street
in Butte City to-day grocers are selling
wines, beer and liquors without paying
any license whatever except the mer-
chant license Of $24 per quarter. We
would especially call your attention to
the fact that there is not now nor ever