The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-08-02
SALOON MEN WORRY
 OVER BOOTH LAW No Loophole to Prevent Their Removal at
 Once. WHAT THE PENALTY IS Owners of Buildings May by Punished h.
 directly.
WHAT THE PENALTY IS

rooms or retiring rooms in places where intoxicating liquors are sold, which became law yesterday is caus- ing the saloon men in this city little anxiety. Those who have read the law do not know whether 1t is to become operative immediately upon the ad- jounment of the legislature or Wheth- CT 1t is now in effect. They have tried to find out whether there are not loopholes in the law that will permit them to continue to serve liquors in the rooms they have at present, until the end of the license year at least. They have been unable to find any consolation however, in the wording of the law, for while in the first sec tion 1t seems to some of them that the act applies only to those saloons which may be opened between now and No vember 1, yet they appreciate the fact that even under this interpretation it will be necessary when the new li- censes are issued, for them to tear out their little rooms.
 But while they get a little satisfac- tion from the first part of this section when they read further they find that even the maintaining of such rooms brings them under the penalty of this law. And then again in the second section of the law they find that the sreving of liquor in any room except in hotels or restaurants, other than the bar-room subjects them to the pen alty.
 < The penalty provided for the par .# .titioning off, or maintaining any such room is a fine of from $10 to $200 for the first offense and a like fine or im- prisonment for the second offense, and in addition the forfeiture of the H. cense, while no license may be granted for the sale of liquor upon the prem ises within one year from the date Of conviction. So that not only the man who carries the license may be punish ed but the man who owns the building may also be punished. The law as 1t stands to-day is as follows:
 Section 1. No license shall hereafter be granted for the sale of sp1rituous and intoxicating liquors in any room or apartment of which any or parts shall be cut off or partitioned in such manner as to form booths, siderooms, or retiring rooms, and the partitioning off, building, or maintaining of any such booths, side rooms or retiring rooms, except an office, for legitimate business purposes and not to be fre- quented by the public, and necessary toilet rooms, in any place In which in toxicating liquors are licensed to be sold shall operate to forfeit such H. cense as hereinafter provided, upon a conviction of violation of any of the provisions hereof.
 Section g. No person licensed to sell spirituous or intoxicating liquors, or his servant, or agent shall hereafter, except in hotels or restaurants, deliver or serve intoxicating liquors to be drunk on the premises in any room or apartment, other than a bar-room.
 Section 3. Any person convicted of partitiooing off, building or maintain ing any booth or side room or retir- ing room in any licensed place in vio- i, .lation of section 1 hereof shall be subject to the penalties of section 271G of the general statutes, and in addition thereto shall incur a forfeiture of his license as provided in section 2677 of the general statutes, and no license shal be granted for the sale of liquors upon said premises within one year after the date of such conviction.
 Section 4. Any person who shal serve or deliver intoxicating liquors ir violation of Section of this act shal be subject to the penalties of Sectior 2712 of the general statutes.
 Section 2712 of the general statutes reads as follows:
 "Every person convicted of a frs violation of any of the provisions ot the laws relating to the sale of spirit uods and intoxicating liquors shall bt fined not less than ten, or more thar two hundred dollars; on every subse quent conviction such person be fined as aforesaid, or imprisoned not les than ten days nor more than sil months, or both"
 A perusal of the act will show tha the saloon keepers have no loophol through which they may crawl, anC that it is up to them to remove thei rooms which are the scene of so man. unpleasant incidents, incidents whicl warrant the closing of the places fo all time and the refusal ever to gran the license holder a renewal. The lay can easily be enforced just as easil. as can the side-door law. All that i necessary is for the authorities to de termine to enforce it.
 
 Tx7TzTzFSIy PRIZE AWARDS.