Los Angeles herald., 1907-03-20
SALOON LICENSES
ARE IN JEOPARDY
RULING ON RHODES CASE MAY
AFFECT OTHERS
City Attorney Defines Intent Of ordi-
nance to BE Two-Thrds on
ttt Each Side of
Street

sCity Attorney Hewitt's opinion rem
dered in the Rhodes license case to the
police board yesterday affects the
legality of scores of saloons in Los
Angeles.
Though Attorney Dockweiler. coun-
sci for Rhodes, announced that he
would carry the question into the
courts today, all saloon men who hear
of the decision will probably rest un-
easily until the moot question of how
many signatures are really necessary
to a petition for a liquor dealers Ii
cense are needed.
sTwo-thirds of both sides is the rul-
ing, but 1t is said many cases exist
where only two thirds of one side and
a majority of another have signed APP
plications which passed the board.
ION this point the litigation will
hinge.
Church Federation Interested
The civic righteousness committee
OF the church federation yesterday,
through representative, Attorney
Nathan Newby being out of the city,
announced satisfaction over the action
of the board in delaying final action
q week so that the case might be taken
into court.
e. M. Rhodes is the ostensible owner
of the saloon in question at POOP San
Pedro street. 1t is a frame building
with a lodging house overhead.
.At the last meeting of the board
Attorney Newby charged that Rhodes
was not the real owner of the place
that it belonged to a police commits
Sioner who sat on the McAleer board
which granted the license.
Clerk Charles McKeag read the
opinion of City Attorney Hewitt as fol-
lows:
I'm the matter of the petition for the
revocation of the permit issued to
George M. Rhodes to conduct a whole
sale liquor dealers establishment at
2002 San Pedro street L beg to report
as follows:
Defines Consent Required
"At the time said permit was granted
by your board, to wit, on the 26th day
of December, 1906 Ordinance No. 1926
(new series) requiring among other
things the consent in writing of the
owners of two-thirds of the frontage
upon both sides of the street whereon
the premises proposed to be occupied
by such liquor establishment are sit
uated between the two nearest inter
secting streets bounding the block in
which said premises are located was in
full force and effect.
E"You are respectfully referred to the
opinion of the city attorney submitted
to you under date of September IS,
1906 in which you were advised that
the expression 'two-thirds of the 'front.'
age upon both sides of the street as
contained in said ordinance means
two-thirds of the frontage upon each
side of the street between the two
nearest intersecting streets. You are
advised that such is the opinion of the
present city attorney.
"It appears from the report of the
chief of police in the matter of Mr..
Rhodes application for a permit that
the latter had the written consent of
owners representing two-thirds of the
total frontage on the street but did
not have the consent in writing of
owners representing two-thirds of the
frontage on each side of the street
you are therefore advised that your
board has no authority to issue such
permit to Mr.. Rhodes, that the issuance
thereof was illegal and that because of
this illegality Mr.. Rhodes has con-
Quoted and is conducting his business
at 2002 South San Pedro street in an
Illegal manner, as contemplated by
section 95a of the city charter.
v"You are further advised that under
the section of the city charter last re-
ferred to you have power to revoke
said permit"