The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-08-14
REVELATIONS BY AN BX-MAY0R.

1 large city the explanation of this remark
| able growth in spite OF cont uous at
/ tncks and incessant opposite Is sfr,-s
Sple. 1t IL because the saloon Is q. so-s
cial center It supplies a need. and be-
3oa,,ne Of this will continue to exist until
q better substitute Is found
had the police department group the
several thousands of saloons II, my city
under various heads, and the anal sls Of
1.-THE schedule showed that considerably less
than per cent. OF ali the saloons came
Under the heading .'low, d sreputa BILE, law.
breaking {. s. THAT Is, less han 8 per cert
cast diunn and gave q ] be name to the
this schedule Il came \ TO the conclusion
that the proper solution OF the saloon
problem lay iii closing up I he coinrarn-
litiVely small number Of bad places But
I, after carrying out part OF this pro.
gramt1,eS found that so soon as ono
tough ga loon was closed UP some other
saloon, listed as ''respe a.ble, IS because
Tough and then I arrived Mt he con-
cluslong that IL was bcnaus the frequent
ers of \ the tough place had transferred
their trade to tho other saloo Aftel.5a'
|stlme I became convinced n thu 81 about s.
iper cent. OF the patrons of sal looms we're
Thoughts, strong-arm men, thieves and So
clal outcasts. and they established the pro-
portion OF tough to respectable saloons.
| II had these figures before me when q
delegation OF clergytnen walked into the
Office They. presented what the sspokes.
man called aPpetitIon,' but which was a
demand IN mo Is ms family close Spracti-
Ically all the saloons In the city. The;
Idelegation Included ministers OF several
denominations, and most of them be-
|1onged to the sensational school. / cx-
Inhibited the schedule which classified the
saloons; and sal ssS}$zs
81 ere Is a hard fact to facc-the greas.
bulk OF the saloons have not figured III
Ifpoice areports. They are the ga looms you
call @respectableA Less than per cent.
of the saloons are o T. the kim Will CHI you
demand II close up and OF this small per
cont less than half have violated those
police equations which give me the riElt
| to revoke their licenses and TIL cir Licensees
have been taken away from tn EN-. Nov
what am \ to do wit the o. per cent
lleft rs ID vi M Il s3 5ii 5ga
Close them up on general principl es..
Mr. Mayor = en- claimed the pokesman OF
1.-The delega lion. Then he launched into
"a speech-there were q number OF ne VS.
paper reporters present--in which he 5dc-r
nouncd me for trucking TO the liauors
Interest. ~ 4 Ell Il 5
Il was hard for me TO cit there, Quietly
while he mad all kinds OF miss tatementsi
ana dashed me for not 5doin 81 hat IN he
Iplnin$ law declared j could no do Bu
! / held my peace. and wl1en he had y II
ished bowed them out. l3s That dele CATION
was like scores Of o theirs Itch ca lied on,
me to insist that I do the In possible
1 thing. No man should ask q may 10
comrr,it m illegal aet, and yet ] & have
Ehad committees and deleg all ons OF honest,
well -mea Ming citizens urg me 70 do GER
stain8 things which We're clearl " uncon s IL
tutional, Illegal and against pu bile 8p Obey.
The saloon is the club Of the poor man
the only place IN here he is wei ONE. - !,
1.-The So loon he finds the cheer and warmth
Nh ch$ man Graves and the compani onship
which he needs. The sail on-keeper does
mt offer these antagesH from a. phtiall
u thrnnic 4 notiye.9sI II Is mere matt 81
b,Isi ess with him, but still he prov es
what the maj orlty OF men In a. Ia rge city
ldemA nd--some place {whe ere they ca y come
l2tonether to satisfy the social q cravings VI
Men who ca nj aft FORD It Join their clubs lot
1.-the same purp y .a
Inn Next Is the newspaper rs, the aloons are
Etha rreat est rnoldera Of public opinion.
heca1sa they are the meeting places o I. = q
/ mn iorityg Of citizens Night a fters night
1; mena Il come together In the ga looms ana M
discuss 81 : news OF the day, Out OF these
Il disc,,ssio ans & grows public sen timen1 anu
that "a why saloons WELD 50 much no 8ter
Tin local poll les. 4, .,
I Churches, reform or MIA ions ing l'o1tr
l1itical parties, sing ~ and toge e er. nave ave
i haan 53fighting saloon power and L So loons.
,n france for years. and yet o-day the
4 "a Inn is stronger than ever. . ne reason
~ ma is ri ain-t he opposlt Ion ito the ga
i innn sdoes not work q long practice Y lines.
4 Il proposes to abolish al Inst tuti OF, Dut
\ on era no thing in its place. ~ 50 no. y;
thing for churches closed sig days "
j the week and sonnet times ell sed for Weeks wee
i during the summer are not soeial csH,
/ tiers. Reading rooms CO. nee houses anu ~
the like have not the atmo spher e NJ the e
freedom from restraint which e ar, re neees 's
4 sary5 "a meet the requ lrem ITS In posed
4 ~ men who seek cong nialit and COM
Ian! Tam not the "a advocate OF saloons Tor!
i hard off1cial experience has shown me
i that peril lies latent in every saloon
peril to the home, the ind nd Inc
community. But the sal Don is g; condial
ton. an established fact and 4 g g. u Mayor
i must meet conditions az they are LOOKING
= head to what they may be In the future
and adopting plans and pol cies! desiG
i ~ handle the condition SO that ~ VIII
mot teopardize the munic iphl ty this ~ "
4 ture time. Hysterical eformsS and In judi
Il cious opposition will do much TO- add
growth and power to the sal loon. 4 ha
4 past has sh own this. w II must pe oane
Ito hold this element IN check and GUIDE
6|ItF along the path OF safety is % fignt
4 the lawless element In the saloon with
1.-The element made up OF ga oon7k eepers'
Who own respectful BILE 4 lava hiding places
4 The. majority Of the sa elo 9
A came in A contact with, and 4 met hun-S
$Idreds during my term OF Off ce,S ex ress-
cd themselves as lling to go to almost ,st
4 any extreme to wipe out the low grog.
a 5geries which gave bad reputat ions to all
sa loons and their owners he most
4 powerful Influence at m command In
A those DAYS when ! tried to eliminate the.
4 evil saloons were the brewers .ot my
4 city. THESE men stood ready Y all times
to aid me. and 4 never called on them ~
in vain. A. 6. ~ 81
B i OFFER this suggestion to the sincere re
I ,