The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1902-03-15
SELMA IS STIRRED UP
GRANTING OF LICENSE TO
BRIGGS CAUSES DISCUSSION.
The Dispensary Question Being
Agitated by Many Of the Good
Citizens Of the Central City.
Other News.
Advertiser Bureau,

i
Advertiser Bureau,
Selma, March a.
There is still great deal of talk about
the City Council Of Selma granting a
| license to John Briggs to open saloon
| on the west end of North Street or Jeff
Davis Avenue. There are three or four
| saloons on JEFF Davis Avenue In the
''tenderloin'' district of the city. One Of
| the signers of Mr.. Briggs petition in
formed yours correspondent that when he
signed his name to the petition he had
no idea where the saloon was going to be
located, but thought Of course that 1t
was going to be In the neighborhood
where the other saloons are. or he never
would have put his name on the paper.
asking the City Council to grant the
license.
The people of the First Ward are up III
arms against the location of the saloon
in their ward. The first and the second
Wards are considered the two most
aristocratic wards in the city and the two
comprise that portion Of the city west
of Broad STREET and Is known as West
Selma. There has not been a bar room
in either one Of these wards for many
years and the granting of a license to
open one. even In the extreme north
western portion of the First Ward, has
Selma politically from center to ctrcum-
ference.
Some go SO far as to say that they
will not vote for a man to go to the
Legislature who will not promise to give
Selma a dispensary. There has been
little or no dispensary spirit in Selma,
heretofore, but since the granting of this
| license to Mr.. Briggs to open bar in
the First Ward. a great many are talk
80 v,rn
inent and wealthy man remarked to your
correspondent this morning;
There are twenty houses selling whis-
key in Selma, and in the neighborhood
of 800, 900 invested. 1t Is said that money
invested in the whiskey business doubles
itself every year. There are said to be
$50 people engaged in the whiskey traffic
or living Off the proceeds Of the sale in
Selma. II that is a fact, why can't the
people, as a whole, engage in the trafhc
and make that 100000 per annum and
thus cut down the taxes on those who
have to pay the money to maintain the
government. both city and county. With
that much money we could establish
beautiful parks build macadamized roads
have a public flower garden, and in many
other ways beautify and improve our
lovely city. Besides, dispensary would
do away with so much public drinking,
and would especially break up the treat
ing habit and that would be great thing
toward lessening the consumption Of
whiskey in our midst"
On the other hand man who is OPP
posed to the agitation that has been
stirred up by the issue of the license to
Mr.. Briggs, said:
Yes, / know that there is going to
be a bitter fight made on Mr.. Briggs
about the license that has been granted
| him. But to save my life do not see
what the people of the First Ward are
making such a kick for. l live in the
Fourth Ward and the people of that Sec
ton of Selma sent up numerousiy
signed petition to the Council a year or
| two ago, asking that no license be given
bar rooms in this ward. The City Coun-
| Gil paid no attention to that petition and
| went ahead and showed saloons on us any
| way, and now 1 am glad that the
aristocratic First Ward Is getting dose
Of the same medicine that. their repre-
sentatives in the City Council helped to
thrust down the throats of the people of
| my ward.
II am opposed to a dispensary, but l
think the whiskey element Of Selma had
better Withdraw that application for
license in the First Ward. They are
tampering with fire There is a dispen-
Already a great many counties have dis
pensaries and the prohibition districts are
clamoring for the establishment of dis
pensaries IN order to get rid OF blind
tigers and to swell the revenues by
means of making those who drink pay
the money that Is necessary to keep up
municipal and county governments.
II believe that the establishment of
dispensary in Selma would be the means
of knocking down property values so per
cent but il the whiskey element of the
city push things too far and get the
people mad, they will go ahead and try
the experiment anyway. 1t Is time for
the men engaged in the sale of whiskey
to be conservative and not try to run
rough shod over public sentiment. IF
they attempt it, they will find out to
their sorrow, after it is too late, that
they have made a fatal mistake"
Messrs Peacock and Phillips of the
First Ward did all in their power to pre-
vent the issuing of the license. Mr..
Briggss license gave him permission 10
open his saloon in the Skinner building.
This building is on the corner of jeff
Davis Avenue and Fifth Street, but the
license reads corner of Lapsley and
North Streets" There Is no North
Street. since the name has been changed
to Jeff Davis Avenue.
Mayor Mcleod and Chief of Police
Walters. held a conference Yesterday af-
ternoon and as a result Chief Walters has
notified Mr. Briggs that he cannot open
a saloon under that license in the Skinner
building, as it is not located on the cor
ner of Lapsley and North Streets. Mr..
Briggs has employed counsel and says he
proposes to stand on his rights and make
the city grant him the privilege of selling
liquor, as he has paid for his license and
claims that it is a mere clerical error in
issuing the license In mixing up the
names of the streets; that the City Coun-
Gil knew where the Skinner building was.
and he intends to open up and do bust
ness on his license or know the reason
why
Messrs Peacock and Phillips. who rep
resent the First Ward are just deter
mined that he shall not sell liquor in
that ward and they are receiving the
backing of the best people of that part of
the city.