Bisbee daily review., 1906-02-10
TUCSON SALOON MEN ASK RECONSIDERATION Accuse Council of Unjust Treatment in the Li-
 CenSe Matter

Tucson city council recently passed and ordinance raising the saloon u-
 censes in that city from $35 per quar- ter to S15S per quarter. This was sufficient to start something in the ranks of the saloon men on the banks ! of the Santa Cruz.
 Monday night the city council held their regular monthly meeting, and the Tucson saloon men were present in large numbers, and they brought petition and an attorney with them What occurred between the saloon men and the city council is given by the Citizen, from which we take the following:
 Boldly informing the common council that their action in raising the liquor license in Tucson was ex- orbitant and unjust" the saloon men last evening in a rather arrogant pe- tition asked the council to set time and place for hearing the saloon men on the proposition.
 'To back up the petition practical ly every saloon keeper in the city was present at the council meeting Every available chair was taken and space outside the railing in the coun- cil chamber was at a premium.
 But neither the petition nor the presence of the saloon men frightened the council into reconsidering its ac- tion by which the raises were made.
 "The petition presented involved much more than was apparent on hurried reading of it. Its very bold ness was astounding and it must be admitted that the councilmen were for few minutes disconcerted. How ever, when the petition was read a second time, and the councilmen were familiar not only with the text but with what could be read between the lines, they were not slow in acting. "One of two things is true-eitheI the petition was cleverly drawn to get the council in a hole or else the petition was a very bungling af fair It asked not alone for a hearing of the saloon men It practically de manded that the council reconsider it's previous action and then after re consideration had been ordered give ear to the saloon men.
 And this request was made after a preliminary in the petition in which the councilmen learned that their action in raising the licenses was 'exorbitant and unjust
 "The petition was denied. To have granted it would have been comics sion on the part of the Council that it's previous action was taken hasti- ly, foolishly and unwisely. That was what the petition meant in effect, al though it was couched in the diplo- matic petition language.
 There is no disposition on the part of the council to deny the saloon men a hearing. In fact Mayor Manning and the council were willing to listen | to the salon men last evening. Withdraw your petition, and we will give you hearing this evening or any other time was the ultimatum of the mayor to the saloon men. He voiced the sentiment of the council. "'We cannot withdraw that peti- iton for good and sufficient reasons replied Attorney S. L. Kingan, legal representative of the saloon men and their spokesman at the council meeting.
 This meant that it vas up to the council to act on the petition. The council accepted the def. The mem
 bers voted to deny the petition. The vote stood: To deny-Adams, Grif- filth. Hohusen IIowrie, T'rippel. Against denying-Drachman.
 When the council called the sa- loon mems hand the latter were not willing for a show down, and asked for more time.
 "'This is very important matter. It is far-reaching in it's effect ex- plained Attorney Kingan. We de- sire to have more time. We also would like to take the matter up at a special meeting tomorrow evening or some other time
 His remarks created considerable surprise, as it was supposed that in asmuch as most of the saloon men in the city were present, that they had their ammunition ready.
 "The council then, to show that 1t was willing to be fair in the matter, voted to meet on Friday evening to hear anything the saloon men have to say about high licenses. The saloon men and their attorney then left the council chamber, without any com ments."