Evening star., 1908-01-16
THOMAS GETS HIS LICENSE
LIQUOR SELLING PERMITTED IN
UNION STATION.
Favorable Action by the Excise
Board Today-Statement
by the Members.

Intoxicating liquors may be sold within
the new Union station. The excise board
OF the District. after six weeks delibera-
tion, today approved the application OF
James f. Thomas for barroom license
at the station. AS is customary in affixing
Its approval or dsapproval to liquor ap-
pilcat1ons. the beard gave no reason for
their favorable action
James f. Thomas, IN whose name the
application was made is employed as the
steward al the new station He filled the
same position at the old Pennsylvania sta
ton, and the saloon license at that sta
ton was also in his name. The members
Of the excise board who TODAY affixed
their signatures to the license for the
Union station were f, W. w. Griffin. as
SCISSOR of the District and chairman ex-of-
nclo OF the board: Matthew Trimble and
Samuel T. kalbfus. Alexander Mckenzie,
the other member of the board, is away
on leave
Although the board is not required TO
state It's reasons as a matter of record
ior us actions in excise matters, the mem
pers or the board did not hesitate to ex-
press thelr views to the representative of
The Star. and, according to these views.
the board based approval upon the fact
that the application for the license was
IN good legal form, and the law and all
the various requirements in connection
with such cases had been conformed to.
They stated also that the only objections
and protests offered were purely senti-
mental. The members of the board made
1t plain that legal or technical objections
to liquor licenses carry much more weight
than simply sentimental' objections.
Assessor Grifin's Position.
Assessor Griffin was not at his office
frSo y,,,f
that he considered the action of the board
in granting the license to be fully justi-
fable. He said: Il do not think the
Union station license should be classed OF
considered the same as are the ordinary
'barroom licenses. There is not the slight
est question about the manner in which
the barroom at the Union Station will
be conducted. and I am also sure the
board will never have cause to regret it
To have rejected this license because OF
the protests would have been absurd.
Samuel kalbfus in stating his rea-
sons for approving the license said
The application is in proper form and
the very letter of the law has been
lived up to, and l can say without fear
of contradiction that as long as liquor
is sold under the management of the
Washington Terminal Company the ex-
else laws will be carefully complied
District where liquor should be sold il
is a the station. There was never a
complaint lodged against the conduct
of the barroom conducted at the old
9th street station, and / feel sure that
the same condition will prevail at the
new station. There was nothing else
for us to do but grant the license. as
the only protests were of a sentimental
nature. and there is nothing in our ex-
else laws which would make 1t justi-
Ga he fn
simply on sentiment. although 1T re-
mains with the discretion of the board
Matthew Trimble said his views are
the same as those of his colleague
Mr.. Kalbfus.
Opposite View.
Albert Z. Shoemaker, attorney for the
Anti-Sa loon League of Washington. and
who conducted the case for the opposi-
tion at the recent hearing before the ex-
else board upon this application, when he
learned today that the license had beer
granted expressed much surprise and ap
peared to be greatly incensed at the ac-
ton of the board. He said the protests
against this application were more nu.
merous than have ever been filed against
the granting of barroom license in the
District of Columbia. He added:
These protests represented business
men, property owners. religious societies
church people and temperance organiza
tions, including the governing board o,
the Young Mems Christian Association
in all representing more than sixty thou
sand people. The protests have all beer
ignored by the board as being of no con-
sequence. The protests of the Y. NJ. C.
A. should have been sufficient to cause
the gentlemen OF the board to refuse the
license. inasmuch a the association has q
railroad branch in the station. Such mer
as S. w. Woodward, John B. Larner
George Otis Smith. President Needham oi
George Washington University. DR.. w. P
Thirkeld, Fl. B. Davidson. DR.. Merrill +
Gates. DR.. j.. Tabor Johnson, B. Fl. War
ner and others were among those who
protested in connection with the Y. NJ
c.. A
The decision of the excise board is
final.
The bill which was introduced in the
House several days ago by Representa-
tive Hetin of Alabama, prohibiting the
sale of intoxicants in the new Union sta
ton, was referred to the Commissioner
this morning for a report upon it's merits
Commissioner Macfarland has recon-
mended that this bill be considered at the
public hearing set for next Thursday
when Representative Sims prohibition bill
and Representative Lambs bill. puttine
prohibition in the District to a vote, will