The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1908-11-28
Conflicting interpretations of the New
LIQUOR License Law.

opinion relative to the various DIR
visions of Act No. I76 of 1908, col
monty known as the Gay Shattu,
y oil, regulating the issuance of
censes for the sale of liquor in Lo
: lslana after January l, 1909; and IL
ruling OF the attorney general as
= two points has created much Intere
If and excitement among liquor dealer
whose business is seriously thre atene
by the prospect that,the interpretation
OF the states chief law officer may /
a upheld as authoritative and correct.
The first of these points involves til
manner Of computing the distance {
500 feet which the act says must sepa
rate saloons from churches an
schools. The attorney general declare
that the measurement must be take
IN a straight line, but it is beinI
I strongly conteDded that the prope
J method of determining the distance i
by measuring the line of ordinar,
and practicable travel between tn
two given points. 1t is apparent tha
upon the definitive settlement of thE
difference Of construction will depend
the question as to whether a COCO
many saloons throughout the state
and possibly number in this town
and parish-wilI be permitted to con.
tlnue business in their present To-
cations.
| The second Of the most important
points covered by the attorney gen.
erals official pronouncement is the
declaration that all the restrictiy E
provisions of the new law will apply
to saloons now in existence as well as
/ those to be established after January
|, 1909.
AT the instance and req quest of Mayor
Behrman OF New Orleans, City Attor-
ney Samuel L. Gilmore has given out
an exhaustive review and opinion of
the new liquor law. and in both the
material points cited above the city
attorney takes a position contrary to
that assumed by Attorney General
Guion, Representative shattuck OF
Calcasieu, author of the original draft
of tie Gay Shattuck bill, sides with
the attorney general in his interpreta-
ton Of the meaning and intent of the
law, but other members of the genera
assembly affirm the contrary views of
the New Orleans city attorney, and
emphatieally assert that it was the |
purpose of the aw-making BODY to |
apply the restrictiors in question only |
TO liquor establishments and dealers |
going into the business after the end
Of the current year. As the New Or.
leans municipal authorities will doubt
less accept the opinions of their own
attorney as a guide in issuing CITY
liquor licenses for 1909, a legal con
dict IS imminent which the courts will
De called upon to settle. Owing to the
Importance and state wide application
Of the questions in controversy it is to
70 presumed that all parties IN interest
viii endeavor to facilitate the presen-
alton OF the case to the courts and the
eaching OF a defnitive decision as
peed5ly as possible. ,
No Reduction of the Sugar Tariff.
The sugar schedule of the Dinglev
aritf bill cannot be reduced in any
1ater1al measure without infietine
reat aid irreparable Injury upon the
omestle caIe-sugar industry, and
lis fact ought TO be made clear to the
embership Of the present and the
oming congress by every effort and
cans at the comm and of our people.
onlsiana is more vitality interested ID
is question than any other state, ?
seause the great bulk Of the domestic
'ne-sugar crop is annually raised I
thin her borders. Texas has a con. Il
derable and increasing area of sugar 4
nds, and there is some sugar. cane Q
own in Florida, Georgia, Alabama a
ID other southern states, but Louis =
IA plants more cane and manufae- 6
res more sugar from it several times al
er than all the other states com u
ned. OF
9reat as, is our present interest in the y
Hare of the sugar Industry, how seI
or, the near future promises to aug az
mt the scope and volume of this in. y
est very largely. The ravages cf nj
boil weeVil in the cotton fields OF a.
state are driving many farmers Ia
force into the cultivation of sugar. 20
he, to which the climate and soil of os
lthern and central Louisiana are az
ter adapted than for any ether crop IRE
ept cotton. Neither corn, hay nor -
$ can be probably raised here in SUI
1petttion with the more northerly aaa
,es. cotton s,,o.s - ella
20 staples upon which our aoricul
d welfare must necessarily depend, :. =
anything that tends TO eripnle
e or any one Of them is bound to slo'
the people. retard thu progress 4ls
aitnlnlsh Inc prosperity of Louis. TO s
,;fo1a n Saanos iall pack upon Tie cleo
climate OF SO many other regions oe
states are naturally adaptable. spe
we are not suIjsct to the impnta. carr
fnrnia - nc el hop growers OF Axe
4ofnla ~ member of the con
sluuai ways ana means committee =
they are continually begging for scri
ssfl.sls from the government when phet