Bisbee daily review., 1909-06-05

IMPORTANT CASES
 IN WHICH DOUGLAS
 HAS MUCH INTEREST

To represent the city of Douglas in its case against J. J. Benton, who was arrested for selling whisky at the old Pullman bar without a city license and probably to appear in the case of the city against the Douglas Gas cor. poration. City Attorney Lockwood will go to Tombstone this afternoon, the Benton case having ben set for pending in the district court of inter est to the city is the one brought by William Kline to enjoin the city from collecting taxes on his property for last year.
 The Benton case Is one which has attracted considerable attention Tn this city and grew out of the failure of Benton to procure the number of signers required 10 a petition asking ! for the transfer of saloon license | from the Queen hotel 10 what is known as the Pullman bar. This To, cation was formerly held by Clay Sparks, but he was compelled to move his place of business to an ad, | joining room because of his inability to secure a renewal of his lease. About the time Sparks moved an ordinance was passed limiting the number of saloon licenses in the city and providing that before a license could be transferred it would be nee essary to secure a petition from those fin business in the block where | it was proposed to bring a saloon | t, 1f k. residents or business occupants. This petition Benton failed to secure and | the present suit Is an agreed case for testing the validity of the ordi nance.
 Sunday Closing Agitation. It has been rumored on the street | this week that Benton and his friends are planning a Sunday saloon closing campaign in the event that he is de | nied the privilege of operating sis saloon in the old Pullman bar quar- | ters. It is claimed that I. N. Sparks, member of the council. is respon- sible for the troubles of Benton and that he procured the passage of the ordinance with view of preventing any more saloon business at the stand which he vacated. Mir. Sparks alleges that in procuring the passage Of the ordinances requiring the con sent of business men and residents of a block before 8 saloon can be | established in it. he was followinl; the custom of nearly every city in the county.
 l A Sunday closing ordinance for the saloons will no doubt be fought bS the saloon men of the city. and the proposal of such an ordinance is ex. pected to bring on a controversy which will enlist all the forces of the anti-saloon sentiment in the city. At ! the fast city election the candidate, | for ti,e council agreed that in the matter Of Sunday closing and other saloon regulations they would be guid. cd by the wish of their constituents. Tf a strong petition is presented for Sunday closing il might be that the council would refer the matter 10 a vote of the people, as was done in the matter of the ordinance closing public gambling two yeaI= ago last fall.
 The ordinance comniainea of Hv Benton and his friends is generally regarded as a good one for any city and 1t is not expected that the court will interfere with if. as 1t comes
 
 to regulate the sale of whiskey and to regulate that business in all of its bearing on the public.
 The Gas Case.
 The city's case against the Douglas Gas corporation is to prevent tha: company from collecting any meter rent from the city and also 10 pre-. vent the company from charging it's natrons in Douglas more than si.5n per thousand feet for gas. including the meter rent. If the city wins this suit the gas company will be en. joined from shutting on the gas ser. vice from anyone who may refuse to pay the meter rent now being de. manded by the company. r is not known just when the gas case will come up in court, but il is hoped that it may be heard tomorrow and Judge Cass. who represents the gas com pany. will go to Tombstone this at ternoon to be present in case # is possible to have the case submitted