Los Angeles herald., 1909-07-31
LIQUOR INVOLVED IN
CONSOLIDATION FIGHT
TEMPERANCE FORCES STRONG
IN BOTH PARTIES
Alleged That Breweries Are Exerting
Influence in Contest to Join
Three Crescent Bay
Cities
Ispscial to The Herald.1

SANTA MONICA, July 30.-With
the consolidation election six days
away, the partisans of both consolida-
ton and anti-consolidation are strain
ing every nerve to win voters to
their way of thinking on the question.
The local papers are almost wholly
devoted to scare heads, asking why
did so and so do this?" and Who is
backing that nefarious scheme|' Ru-
mors, rumors, rumors, allegations and
rumors of allegations fly back and
forth thick and fast. ut is alleged
and 1--WE are reliably informed" seem
to be the principal type that is kept on
the galleys.
The Venice Vanguard, semi-weekly.
has come out with daily labeled
decentralization Extra" which Is
to be continued until the election. The
Santa Monica outlook is handling the
anti side for the northsiders, and the
Ocean Park Journal is boosting" the
merger in all sections of the beach
cities. Both sides accuse the other of
playing for the whisky vote, and In
some instances the direct control of
central breweries is alleged.
The latest development along this
line is the report that a petition is
being circulated for the benefit of the
Savoy hotel at Pier avenue, which
lost it's bar license at the last meet
ing of the council. The petition is
worded as follows:
ITO the Honorable the City Council
of Santa Monica, Cal.-Gentlemen: We,
the undersigned citizens and taxpayers
of Santa Monica, would petition your
honorable body to grant Mr.. Wyman,
proprietor of the Hotel Savoy, retail
LIQUOR license. We believe the recalling
of Mr.. Wyman's license is an unjust
act, and in so doing you are creating
a monopoly of the liquor business,
controlled by one brewing company.
We believe in an open competition or
closed town"
May Reconsider Application
1t is true that the other liquor re-
sorts in this city are supplied by the
Maier Brewing company, and that the
Savoy is the only place that is fur
nished by the Anheuser- Busch people,
and a decorated window put in by the
latter was made the basis of the reVo-
cation of the license, but the mem
bers of the council declare that the
allegations are absurd and point to the
fact that they allowed the cafe license
of the Savoy and refused the saloon
license because the law stipulates that
the windows and doors of saloons must
give an unobstructed view of the in
terror, and that the decorated window
of the Anheuser- Busch people did not
comply with the ordinance.
1t is also reported that if there is
sufficient backing on the petition the
council Will reconsider the application
for a license, provided there is no
protest against the issuance of 1t.
The temperance forces, which are
strong in both pro and anti-consolida-
ton camps, state they will be present
with a largely signed protest against
the reconsideration of the application
and believe that they viii carry their
point.
While the anti organs are busy al
leging liquor interference and point
ing out the extravaganza of the Santa
Monica council, the consolidation or
gan Is sorting out what are alleged to
be Inconsistencies of the Ocean Park
board of trustees. and calling atten-
ton to the difference that consolidation
will make in the tax rolls of the united
city.
Both parties are soliciting the use of
automobiles to get out their respective
votes on election day, and what prom
ises to be the hottest contested cleo
ton ever held in the Crescent Bay
cities will in all probability be an
established fact August 5.