Los Angeles herald., 1909-09-14
AGAINST HARBOR
SALOON PERMITS
MINISTERS APPEAR BEFORE
POLICE BOARD
oNsoLIDATIoNlsT BROUGHT
INTO DISCUSSION
Commissioners Postpone Action on
Applications for Licenses Until
Council Shall Have Passed
on Petition

The fight that has waged for time
immemorial between the Ministerial as
sociation of San Pedro and the saloon
keepers of that citv found its way into
the police commission last night ana
occupied the entire evening. SO much
was said on both sides that the COM
mission was unable to attend to its
usual routine and had to set special
meeting for Thursday evening, when
the remainder of the business will be
transacted.
The trouble was over the permits to
! be granted the twelve saloonkeepers in
| San Pedro who were in business when
consolidation became effective. The
| question involved was: what did the
council mean when it passed the or
dinance granting twelve saloons to san
Pedro and two to Wilmington 1t has
been accepted generally thar the coun-
Gil meant that the liquor question was
not to enter into the question of con-
| soldation and that the liquor interests
were not to be disturbed, but that the
saloons in business were to be per-
mitted to run, subject to Los Angeles
laws and regulations, until such time
as their permits should be revoked for
cause, if that occasion ever crises
Accuses Consoidationists
But Rev. ]. c.. Livingstone and Rev.
r. II. Hickman, representing the Min
isterial association of San Pedro, said
otherwise. They declared the consol-
| idation commission and City Attorney
Hewitt had told them the ordinance
passed by the council was oply tenn
porary measure to tide over such
time as the citizens OF San Pedro
should decide how many saloons they
wanted in that part of Los Angeles.
The Rev. Mr.. Livingstone even at
| tempted to reflect discredit on the con-
solidation commission. He openly de-
| cared the commission had told the
saloon element one thing and the ele-
ment he represented another, and that
it had played politics and played it
very poorly in his estimation.
| To test what the council did mean
the ministers told the police commission
| they would present petition to the
council today signed by 1900 citizens of
| San Pedro asking that the number OF
saloons in San Pedro be reduced to the
same proportion as in the city of Los
| Angeles, which would be about three
or four or one to about every 1900 in
| habtants.
| The ministers expect the council will
delay action on this petition until Sep
| tember 23, which Is the time set for a
general discussion of the liquor prob
| lem, and as an accommodation to these
people the police commission voted to
| postpone action on the San Pedro per-
mits until September 29, when a special
| meeting will be held, and II the COM
| mission Is of the same mind as it was
last night and the council takes no
action all twelve Of the permits will be
/ granted.
| Meantime the twelve saloons at San
Pedro will run without permits or
| licenses. The mayor publicly in
structed Chief of Police Dishman to see
| that these saloons were not molested
as long as they comply strictly with the
laws and regulations of Los Angeles.
| But he also warned the saloon keepers,
who were present in body, that any
| infraction of the law would lose them
| their permits.
1t would have taken but pebble last
night to throw the balance in favor of
the saloon keepers and to have secured
| them their permits. Every member of
| the police commission was certain that
in passing the ordinance the council
| had meant that the twelve saloon keep
| ers in business when consolidation be-
came effective should have permits
from the police commission, The or
dinance says so in specific terms.
Majority Favors Permits
Attorney Steigltz, representing the
| saloon keepers, told the commission OF
| the circumstances surrounding the
passage of the ordinance, and how
/ every saloon keeper had not only With
drawn his opposition to consolidation
| but had worked in it's favor when the
| ordinance was passed. He pointed to
the large majority in san Pedro in IA
! vor of consolidation as evidence that
| the ordinance had had the effect for
| which 1t was designed, TO keep the liq-
| uor question separate from the merger
| question.
Commissioner Graham was emphat-
| ically of the opinion that the commits
! sion would not be doing it's duty unless
! it granted the permits to the twelve sa-
! loon keepers, and the mayor expressed
| himself in the same manner. Even
| Commissioner Andrews, who is noted
| for his strong leanings toward prohi-
| bition, made a lengthy speech in which
| he pointed out that under the terms or
| the ordinance the commission had no
| option. Commissioners Topham, who Is
| also opposed to the liquor traffic, moved
that ten of the twelve saloon keepers
be given permits. Two were charged
with being unfit characters to have
| such privileges and he wanted them
| excluded until they had been investi-
| gated.
Charges against two of these saloon
keepers were preferred in protests
signed by Rev. P. H. Hickman and
forty-two other residents of San Pedro
One was against Angelo Besselo, who
was charged with conducting a disor-
| derlv house in connection with his sa-
| loon, and the other against Carlson &
Kelley, who were accused of having a
| gambling house over their saloon. 1t is
probable the charges against these two
| iiuuor dealers will be Investigated by
the chief before action is taken to
grant them permits.