The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1909-10-21
OFFENDING SALOONS
Fortunate of Their License in This and
Other States

The saloons, encouraged by class o.
men and stimulated by some brewerie!
are becoming so offensive that they are
arousing the conservative citizenship tC
resentment Men who have been dis
inclined to meddle with the saloons are
now being numbered with the strongest
of the opponents for the reason that
these demoralizers and debauchers faunt
their defiance in the face of public de-
cency.
The forfeiture of the license of the
offending saloon is being enforced in
many States A saloon without a
license can not do business. In com
munities where, as in Shreveport
saloons obtain a license from the city for
the sale of near beer" there is given
the opportunity and the incentive to dis
regard the law which prohibits the sale
of liquors without a license. The policy
of the city authorities to issue a license
for the sale of near beer" is not only
harmful but is being condemned by law
abiding citizens The results in the trial
of the men operating in Shreveport, un-
der license to sell near beer" should
demonstrate that such licenses are sim
ply disguise and should not be issued
and the license of all offenders convicted
and who pleaded guilty should be re-
voked.
In New Orleans the forfeiture of
saloon licenses is being considered Sc
rious1y.
The Times-Democrat in its issue of
October 20, discussing editorially this
question, says:
The forfeiture of a saloon license
for violation of the Shattuck law will
be welcomed by the entire community,
and, above all, by the law abiding pro-
prietors of saloons The greatest dan
ger to the latter, not in Louisiana alone
but throughout the South, comes from
those dives and other establishments
which persistently violate the laws of
regulation.
THE Shattuck bill Furnishes these vio-
lators by taking away their liquor
license. In. this matter the statute is
not harsh, decreeing the forfeiture of
license only when an important provis-
ion of the statute has been repeatedly
and brazenly violated. This provision
lis taken from the laws of several other
States, where it has worked well, when
rigidly enforced has got rid of most of
the Objectionable saloons, and has ward
ed off the attacks of the prohibitionists.
In the neighboring State of Texas
the present saloon law, which has been
in operation only a few months, contains
an identical provision in regard to the
forfeiture of 1icense-this being urged
by the liquor dealers themselves after
very threatening prohibition cam
paign. The law, however, was not
obeyed and the present Governor of
Texas. Campbell, who is opposed to
prohibition, has found it necessary to
conduct on his own part campaign
against the offending saloons, using the
State rangers for that purpose, and has
evidence on which many hundreds of
licenses will be forfeited in the next
few months.
THE vigorous prosecution conducted
by District Attorney Adams has secured
the first conviction of a case of this
kind in New Orleans; and the Criminal
District Court has forfeited the license
of a saloon keeper for his third offense
in selling liquor to minors. We hope
that this notice that the law on this
point is to be rigidly enforced will have
good effect, and put an end to an
abuse, violation of the statute certain
to stir up popular discomfort and oppo-
sition