Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-08-11
.THESUBW TAVERN
NEW YORK PHILANTHRoPlsT'S
EXPERIMENT BRINGS
cENsURE.
what Bishop Potter Recommends is
Worth Trying" Says Rev. J. Hollis
ter Lynch-What and Where the
Tavern Is.

for being wise and shrewd and thing
that is recommended by him certainly
Is worth trying" said Rev. j. H. Lynch,
rector Of Trinity Episcopal church in
speaking of the Subway Tavern in
New York city recently dedicated by
Bishop Henry G. Potter, of the New
York Episcopacy. At the close Of the
|dedicatory exercises Bishop Potter al
lowed the Doxology to be sung and
thereby has brought upon himself all
manner of censure and comment from
all parts of the country, and has at
tracted widespread attention to the
statements made by him on thai oc
casion.
!. The Subway Tavern is located in the
vicinity of Mulberry and Bleaker
streets, one of the toughest and hardest
sections OF New York city. 1t is con-
Quoted by an Incorporated company
having capitalization of $4,000. Jo-
seph Johnson, Jr., commonly known
as acorn" Johnson is the manager of
the place and those interested with Mr..
johnson are all noted philanthropists.
The Idea.
The idea Is to run saloon and cut
out as many as possible of the objec.
tionaDle features, and thus reduce as
far as possible the evils and dangers
OF the saloon. The wine rooms, dance
halls and gambling rooms are discard
ed. Only the purest and best liquors
obtainable are sold and they are sold
SO near cost that the venture is expect
ed to provide only five per cent re-
turn upon the money invested.
Liquors are not sold to those who have
become intoxicated and in every way
an effort is to be made to run the sa-
loon in as decent and orderly manner
and with as little bad effect on the GUS
toner as possible.
Its promoters are all practical, hard
headed men who realize that it is ut
terly impossible to close up saloons
and to prevent the sale of liquor in
that section of the city. Realizing and
admitting this they believe that the
best means to handle the liquor sell
ing business is to take it out of the
hands of the present class of saloon
keepers and to remove as far as pos.
sible from it the dance hall, wine and
gambling room features They believe,
too, that pure liquors will be less
harmful than the class of stuff that
has been and is sold in. the regular
saloons.
The plan is similar in many respects
to the saloons which were run in many
cities and states several years ago un
der government and municipal man
agement and which while they were
declared to be successful in Norway
i Sweden and Switzerland, did not prove
successful in America. Whether the
plan conducted as strictly business
proposition by an incorporated com
pany of philanthropists will meet tho
difficulties and exigencies of the oc
cason in that particular district Of
New York city is a matter that time
alone will settle.
Tried In England.
"The same experiment has beer
tried in England" said Rev. Lynch
"but do not know with what success
do not know the conditions that are
to be met in that district in New York
city and can not express any opinion
as to whether would consider the
1 plan practical one or not. The mer
who are making the experiment know
the ground, know the condition anG
circumstances that must be met ant
we must give them credit for meeting
them in the way that seems mos
practical. The result of their expert
iment will be watched with the Creates
interest"
Crowds Large.
The crowds at the tavern are large
drawn as much by curiosity as any
thing else, and the barkeepers are KEEP
busy.
The water wagon room," where thu
soft drinks and beer are served, ha!
not returned the profit that the ba
has, as was to have been expected
The chance to secure good liquor a
Ito cents drink has appealed as
practical sort of charity to the thous
ands of drinkers, permanent and trans
lent, in the neighborhood of Mulberr
and Blocker streets. The efforts G
acorn Johnson has been to preserv
order and to live up to the intent O
the movement-announce as an effor
to provide pure liquor, served at cos
and in clearly, respectable saloon, a
competitor for the business of tn
old line "gin palace" No man is r.
fused anything he calls for, so long g
the barkeepers, who are described q
| !, t.