The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-11-05
The Mayor S Veto.

Mayor Haynes has vetoed the Clark
ordinance.
The Clark ordinance, which, it will
aforementioned, was passed at the last
session of the council by vote of II
to 4, provided that hereafter, in cases
of violation Of the laws regulating the
liquor traffic. calling for a cancellation
of the license, the holder Of the license
should forfeit all the money paid in
for the license in case of revocation
by the court, and in case of cancella
ton by the mayor, half of the amount
corresponding to the unexpired term
for which the license was issued.
Under the law as it has been here
tofore, it has been possible for the
holder Of license to recover, and 1T
has been the custom to pay to him that
portion of the money corresponding to
the unexpired term in case Of can
collation. Of the license. 1t is readily
seen that the effect of this rule is to
make cancellation of the license no pen
atty for the violation of the law. All
the holder of the license has to do is
to take out another license in new
name and proceed with the business.
The cancellation of a license is in
tended to impose penalty on vio-
lator of the law 1t is only resorted
to when the violation is of such char
acter as to establish the fact that the
holder of the license is unfit to be en-
gagged in the liquor business and should
be deprived of the privilege which he
has abused. The return of the license
money, however, neutralizes absolutely
all the force of the cancellation of the
license and makes it farce. The con-
sequences of this policy have been such
as might naturally be expected. Can
\, collation. is not dreaded and involves
no consequences which the license hold
er is bound to take into consideration.
This has been particularly noticeable
in the case of prosecution of violatOrs
of the wineroom ordinance. Conviction
might mean cancellation of the license,
and conviction on the second offense
makes cancellation mandatory. But
this has no terrors when the license
| can be transferred by the stroke of a
pen to another name and the business
continued without interruption.
Public sentiment in this city has
I been deeply aroused on this question of
winerooms. The wineroom is the
/ worse feature of the saloon business
| It is the vestibule to the brothel
Strong efforts have been made to abol
ish it. Experience has proven that
without such changes in the law as the
| Clark ordinance provides the effort is
ineffective. This is the essential reason
| for the passage Of that ordinance. Pub
Mc sentiment in sympathy with all rea
sonable measures for the suppression oil
! vice and protection of young men anC
/ young women from snares that are SCI
for them, and the general elevation Of
the moral tone Of the community, hal
been strongly back of this ordinance.
Its veto by the mayor has come as
distinct shock to the moral sentimen
of The community.
The people of Minneapolis had
right to expect that instead of mani
Testing distinct sympathy with thos
Il forces which work for evil and onl,
evil, instead Of laboring to construc
excuses upon which to base veto, in
stead of taking into consideration t
IL the last degree the interests and pros
perity and the success of the saloo
I'll traffic, Mr.. Haynes should have place
himself on the side of the enforcement
5fs of those restrictions and penaltie
which the interests of the communit
require shall hedge about as closely a
possible the liquor traffic and all tn
evil influences that are usually asst
ciated with it. @
That this traffic is an evil to be hel
within bounds is not debatable. Til
object of the license itself is to restrie
the traffic. High license, such as "
have in Minneapolis, means restrictio
and the license is placed as high as
is in order that the restriction may I
as complete as practicable.
1t is, therefore, a remarkable spect,
F Gle when we find the mayor of the cit
arguing in his official papers for priv
III leges for the saloonkeeper at the hant
1 of the authorities which he cannot e.
pect and which do not obtain in 9TH
connections. For instance, a liuut
dealer, who leases building in whie
to keep a saloon, renders himself lab
for definite length of time. |
i for any reason, as the mayor suggest
| he desires to discontinue his bushes
at that place, he is not released by tt
landlord from the payment Of his rem