Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1907-09-10
FOR LAW AND ORDER
Effort in County 10 Have Liquor
Law Amended-Want Favor
able Legislation

The law and order element Of the
/ Fifth district of this county. as we'll
A. in other sections. i'll make strong
effort 10 amend the liquor law appli-
cable - the part Of the county contig-
uous 10 baltimore, as well as secure
other legislation of the same general
character during the coming session OF
the Legislature.
| * - possible that the effort 10 secure
| prohibition Of the sale OF Liquor in
Annapolis and the First and Third
precincts of the Fifth district. the onl y
sections Of Anne Arundel where
| liquor IS now sold by law, will also
bee made, but the latter has only been
| discussed in a general way and the
movement has not been definitely be-
gum However. much sentiment in
favor of such move has become APP
parent.
II Is certain that bills will be in
troduced at the next session of the
legislature amending the Fifth district
law in at least two particulars. These
are to give the local judge or some
other official discretion as 20 whether
or not to grant license and To secure
prov isfons preventing the obstruction
of the doors and windows Of saloons
and furbidding the use Of any but a
front entrance. The latter measure
Is said by sheriff Joshua LinthicDrs
To be absolutely essential II Sunday
and ali night selling Is to be- avoid 81.
The present law applying 10 ~.
First and Third precincts Of the Flnh
district was passed in 1906. 1t pro-
idcs a license fee Of $3.50, $50 Of
which goes 90 the state and the re-
malnder % the county. Under the
law the licenses are issued by the
clerk Of the Circuit Court and the Off
cial is allowed no discretion whatever
- to whom the licenses shall be Is
sued. The only restriction occurs in
the law which provides that the court
may impose the penalty Of forfeiture
IN case rhe licenses Is convicted Of a
crime against the liquor laws.
This. however, is rendered nugatory
by the fact that another person may
apply for license for the same place
and the business continued i'm his
name. though. as matter Of fact,
the business really belongs TO the per-
son whose license has been taken
away after conviction Of crime.
some changes have also been sug-
gested Ia the license law which ap-
plies 10 Annapolis. The law provides
that there must be ten signers to each
application, who must be taxpayers
living or doing business In the vi
entity Of the place for which the IL
ceuso j. applied. There has always
been muclf uncertainty IN connection
With the word vicinity and some at
TEMPT may be- made To Dx definite
meaning 10 H., or substitute some
other prov isiou for this feature Of
the law. II Is also held that the
present law has not had the effect Of
decreasing the number of saloons and
preventing their congregation in one
or two places, as had been intended,
and an effort will probably be- made
to add certain restrictions.
Throughout the county there - much
sentiment in favor Of vote on the
question of whether the sale Of liquor
in Annapolis, Brooklyn and Curtis
Bay shall BE continued. Those In ia
yor of its abolition claim that almost
all Of the crimes in the county origi-
nate Ia those sections, and that the
whole county has 10 bear the expense
of dealing with IL. II Is not certain
whether the anti-liqu0r element will
seek 10 make the county completely
dry. or content itself with securin Z
certain additional features to the law
relating 90 the sale OF liquor where
II is now allowed.