The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-08-17
SALOON TRADE
| IS TOO CROWDED
.TOOzEo ROGERS SAYS THIS
PROMPTS LAW VIOLATION.
With Such Fierce Competition, Prof
its Drop and Many Retailers Over
step Legal Bounds in Order to Pay
Expenses He Believes Winerooms
Bad Feature.

There are too many saloons in this
city in proportion to the number of
people, and to this fact is due all the
stew about the regulation Of the
liquor traffic., says j. p. (Tooze)
Rogers, who manages six liquor re-
factories. IF I am correctly informed,
there are nearly four hundred sa-
looms in this city, which hasa popu-
lation of not to exceed 250,000. In
high license city like Minneapolis,
that number is too large. There
should not be more than one saloon
for every 1920 would be much better
for the city. About two hundred
would be the right number for Min
neapolis.
1.-THE inevitable result Of too many
saloons is that those retailers who are
having a hard time to pay the license
fee of $1,000 and make a profit, must
resort to various unlawful devices for
attracting trade. In order to catch
every possible dollar, they keep their
places open as long as there is any
one around, sell liquor to minors and
drunken men, and permit women, no
| matter what their character, to enter
their places. It is not only temp
| tation for some to overstep the bounds
of the law, but almost a necessity, as
| the legitimate saloon trade here will
not support all who are engaged in it.
Winerooms Not DesirabIe.
"Wineroons are not desirable ad-
junct to saloons. They serve in time
| to give the place an unfavorable no.
| toriety and no gentleman cares to be
seen in a notorious place. It may be
| true that there are not enough restau-
rants in this city that serve liquors
| to their customers, but that is no ex-
cuse for permitting women in a sa-
| loon, and the majority of the liquor
/ dealers in this city don't want to rur
that kind of business.
TN my opinion, the remedy lies il
1 the reduction of the number OF
!. saloons. AS understand 1t, Pitts.
| burg, Duluth and other cities have
some sort of arrangement for limit
1 ing the number of licenses. In Pitts.
/ burg, SO I am informed the license
i fee is $4,000, and the saloons close a
4 II o'clock. When a man has tina
4 amount of money invested he is no
4 likely to take any chances Of gettins
4 in trouble with the police and thu
/ courts.
LAS a matter of fact, many {
/ saloonkeeper in Minneapolis has yer.
little at stake. Even if his license il
/ revoked, he is entitled to a. rebate TO
1 the unexpired period, and under sucl
!. conditions he is apt to take chance
go
4 "It would probably be as easy t,
pass law limiting the number o
, saloons as to pass a law RESTRICTING
saloons to a certain territory, as wit
our patrol limits, and when such d. lay
is passed there will be no trouble i
controlling the evils Of. the saloo1
business
A Former Mayors View.
tWinerooms, I found to be one G
the worst features of the saloon bust
ness says Robert Pratt, who serve
the city as mayor for two term:
They caused us more trouble than a
, the other violations of. the law to
gether, and the police were require
to exercise the greatest vigilance
keeping down the evil. 4 believe ths
l we We're fairly successful, but certai
e men had to be watched all the time.
y cit appears to me that the mayo
\ and the police force should be abb
J, to control this matter, so that ther
/, would be no necessity for interference
! by private citizens Or law and orde
e organizations like the Home Protet
tive league in matters that are who'll
in the hands of the police. AS to tt
present conditions and the necessit
and purposes of the Home ProtecNS
league, I know nothing beyond Whs
Z Tread in the papers.