The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-11-20
WRESTLES WITH
LIQUOR PROBLEM
License Committee Gets Some
information at First Hand
From the BartenderS.
CONDITIONS, NOT THEORIES
MAY BE NEW ORDINANCE COM
PREHENSIVE IN SCOPE.

MAY BE NEW ORDlNANCE COM-
PREHENsIVE IN SCOPE.
The Hceuse committee held the place
where the spot light shines in last
nights doings in council committee
meetings. The saloon license question
was up.
a committee representing the Barten-
ders' union was present. This commit
tee consisted of John Foote. Tom Os-
borne Frank Stewart and Joe Lane.
Mr. Lane Is the president Of the union,
and the others are officials in the union.
In addition to the committee represent
ing the Bartenders' union, Frank Went
zell; saloon proprietor. was presenI
and addressed the committee.
The hearing lasted nearly two hours.
After IL was over the sentiment APP
peared TO be this:
That an ordinance be drafted for pre-
sentation, probably Monday night. en-
bodying these points:
The levying of a city license for the
sale of liquor at retail of 81 200 year.
That this be made payable in adj
vance.
That a violation of the law be equiv
alent to a revocation OF the license.
That no license for a saloon be grant
cd for saloon i'm place where Il revo-
cation is made. within six months.
That the Sunday closing law be en-
forced from midnight Saturday until
midnight Sunday. and that a violation
Of the law be ground for q revocation
of license.
That all places where liquor is sold at
rctail-drug stores, bawdy houses, TO m
ing houses and restaurants-come with
Ia the provisions of the ordinance and
the license.
ri. -, ~ 8 =,
cense ($25 year, be prima sacie evil
lence that liquor is sold in the place, or
by the holder.
That restaurants where liquor IS
served be required TO pay liquor Ii
cense THE amount of this license is
suggested at $4,000
That all booths in restaurants where
liquor is served be removed. This does
not affect restaurants or hotels where
liquor is not served.)
That wine rooms generally be EbOl-
ished.
Approach Question Cautiously.
The license committee, although It
times ii has seemed TO be in furious
haste, says that il is approaching The |
retail liquor problem with caution 1t |
wants 90 clean up the city and rid the |
town OF some of its dives and to put |
things in such a shape that the city |
can handle the vexing question without /
losing any of the revenue that now ac |
crues from the traffic, and yet hold the |
top hand If il comes to showdown.
The suggestions outlined in the pre-
ceding paragraphs are some u those
which may be incorporated in the new
ordinance; and there may be others.
There may be one. for instance. reuuir-
ing that everyone taking out saloon
license be an American citizen, and
that he be a fTeehOlder To the extent OF
owning the fixtures and the property |
within the building which he occupies.
What Bartenders Say.
All Of the representatives of the Bar |
tenders union who appeared before the |
committee last night are men who have |
long resided in Salt Lake Quite all Of |
them are property owners. They are men |
Of families. and when the spoke they |
spoke Tor others similarly situated.
we are not here to discuss the ques-
ton OF brewery-owned saloons or saloons 1
independent of breweries," said one we |
take IT that YOU want TO clean up this /
city so far as saloons go. Ii is a fact |
that there are places-lots of them in this |
town-where the sO-calIed proprietor is
q man who starts with a couple of hun
dred dollars. He sends in his wife or
even his children to attend 10 business
while he goes to dinner because he can |
not afford 10 hire bartender. IL is a |
fact that lot of these men do not make
ing comes around, they must be there |
with the money TO square the book.
Now, IL you raise the license, as has |
been proposed. according TO some of the
papers. you are only forcing these peo-
pie 20 get that money-sOmehow or other;
it doesn't come ont Of the pockets of The
people who are hacking them
Would Be Different.
Another mcmber OF the delegation said
that If license of Sls0 were required in
advance. there would speedily be a dimin-
ishing number Of saloons in Salt Lake. /
for the reason that the hackers of these
"proprietOrs would not take chance
on more thsn three months, and ii the |
matter OF a transfer of license De Gaze
fully safeguarded by the co mcil or alol-
ished altogether. vast number Of 81
looms would 80 out Of business quickly.
and. II the council would attend to this /
transfer business, it would no doubt keep
-he saloons aforesaid out of business. and |
consequently the ultimate result would
he that there wOtAd be fever saloons and
then the council wouldn't have to grant
new licenses.
Why the Law isn't Enforced.
Gentlemen" said one Of the deIega-
ton. YOU ask us II we know whether
liquor is being sold ia Salt Lake on
Sunday. IL is. There certainly can be
10 one better informed on this head than
We are We know that il is being sold
in some OF the saloons and that the So
called bottle houses do an immense bust
ness. We Know TOO tnal ln@re are drug
STORES IN this town that sell more whisky
on sunday than any saloon does on any
day-nearly. I DO not say that this Is
all retail; some of il is in bottles | tell
YOU. gentlemen. that il the soda fouu-
tains. athey are called. were taken
away from the drug stores. oue-third of
the drug stores at least would go out of
business.
'YoI say YOU know this suggested
Mr. Stewart. the chairman. IF that is
80. why do You not invoke the law
Are Not Informers.
Mr.. Stewart in the first place We are
not infOrmers In the second place
We might bring about the con-
Viction or one man OF two or
three Our positions the living
depend on for ourselves and families
might be secure for the time that our
employer owned the. place in which we
worked When he sold. we would be ,p
against the proposition OF looking for
job. We would go across the street. and
the man who runs that place would saw
No. not for YOU. you re a spotter'
at isn't because our boys don't know !
but Il is because they would have to walk
out of town. blacklisted in every house |
here and possibly in every other place |
"A IL Is condition Mr. /