Evening star., 1903-07-14
LEAGUE MAKES APPEAL
TEMPERANCE PEOPLE OPPOSE
SALOONS NEAR UNION DEPOT.
Urge the Commissioners and the Elk
else Board to Refuse Licenses
to Applicants.

The Commissioners granted a hearing
this morning at II o'clock to representatives
of the Anti-Saloon League and allied
bodies who are protesting against the lora
ton or licensing of saloons in the neigh
borhood of the new union depot. The com
mttee having the matter in charge con-
sists of James l.. Ewin president. and a.
n. Garfield. secretary of the Anti-Saloor
League; S w Russell of the Good Tenn
plars. Rev. c. II. Butler. president of TIE
Lutheran Young Peoples Union: Frank /.
Israel, president of the Washington Dis
trict Epworth League, M. F. Church; Mrs.
Clinton Smith, president of the Women
Christian Temperance Union; +. M. Brai-
ley of the Sons of Temperance. and II. {.
MetCalf. secretary of the District Chris
tian EndeaVor Union.
Mr.. Ewin was the first spokesman at the
hearing this morning, which was some
what informal in character. Mr.. t-Wli
presented memorial to the Commissioners
entering protest against the licensing ~
saloons in the vicinity of the new railroad
station. Mr.. Ewin said he appreciated
that the Commissioners had to look at All
practicable sides of the question. The com
mittce present. he declared. represented the
reform interests of the District. and =
members were anxious that the district
about the new station, which is to he I'M
proved at considerable cost to the tax,
payers. should be kept free from the con-
tamination of saloons. Mr. E,win SAID he
felt sure the Commissioners would deal
wisely with the situation as they saw it.
The Other Speakers.
Rev. c. H. Butler was next introduced
and spoke for the Lutheran societies Of the
District He stated that they were in ac-
cord with the position taken by the Anti
Saloon League and wished to urge upon
Z Ia. hn
wisdom of keeping the space about the
depot in good condition. Mr. Canfieli also
spoke briefly. did Mr.. Frank T Israel.
Mr. Israel said it desirable that Stran-
gers entering the city should be imp cSsed
with the fact that this is Il Christian and
Il temperance community. Other remarks
were made along the same line. The near
ing was a brief one, the matter being pre-
sented in the papers left with the Com
miSSiOnerS.
Commissioner Macfarland. president
of the District board. stated that the mat
ter was one which came under the iurisd!c-
ton of the excise board. The Comm:ss on
erS will refer the matter to that board w tn
a request that it be given special cOnsidera-
ton.
Letters Placed on File
A letter on the same subject addressed to
the excise board stated, among other
things, that:
THE Anti-Saloon League of the District
of Columbia earnestly requests that the
board exercise in the interest of the com
munity the broad discretionary power
which the law gives 1t, and grant no license
to any person to sell Intoxicating liquors
al any place near the grounds on which
the union railroad station is to be built.
The act of Congress providing for the
building of union railroad station in this
city appropriates a very large sum OF
money to be expended in ornamenting and
Identifying the station building and the
grounds which it is to be located. thus
making the proposed structure correspond
in architectural beauty and in maGn fl
cence of setting with other public buildings
in the capital city
The tendency on the part of saloon
keepers to establish themselves on streets
known, and it is equally well known that
places where many saloons are located. by
their attractions for the vicious, the
profigate and the idle, produce condit: :ons
that repel the better classes of business
and of citizens. and make such localities
lawlcSs. squalid. unSightly and in every
way Objectionable. This is Illustrated by
the present condition of Pennsylvania ave
nue. between the Peace monument and 9TH
street northwest, and by the conditions in
the streets Immediately around The Balti-
more and Ohio and the Pennsylvania, sta
tons.
Appeal to Commissioners.
\ letter to the Commissioners represented
that:
THE Anti-Saloon League of the District
of Columbia, representing as a federation
the membership of I'D societies of the re-
lgious and temperance people of the Dis
trct. and on behalf of all who are like
minded, appeals to the honorable CommiS-
sioners. the responsible executive head of
our local government, and earnestly re-
quests that they the great influence
their high official position gives them. and
such authority AS they may have in the
premises, to prevent the location and licens-
ing of saloons near the grounds on which
the union railroad station is to be built
The remainder of the communication was
a duplicate of that sent to the excise board
Both were signed by the committee.