The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-09-23
DRUGGISTS MUST OBSERVE LAW OF
 SELFPRESERVATlON
Can No Longer Serve the "Cramp'
 Victim on Sunday.
NEW LAW MOST DRASTIC

N>>~-- with your drug store man in the fu- tlre that old gag of having cramps on a Sunday morning will not have any effect in getting the druggist to put out a few drops of spirits fermehti. The only way that any liquor can be se- cured in a drug store in the future is by going to a physician and securing a prescription for it. If you don't be- lieve it take a drop into the store where it has been your wont to drop in and get little drink at the soda fountain. The clerk will lean across the counter and say, Sorry, but 1t is too great chance to take. If we get caught we not only lose our liquor license but we lose our drug license and then we go out of business all together. If you get your doctor to write you al prescription we can put you up a bottle to take away on your hip. But you can't drink it on the premises"
 The reason for the change in the attitude of the druggists who would new law that was slipped through the legislature at the last session without everyone understanding it's full text.
 Of course there are many druggists who would not sell any liquor to their best friend and Bridgeport's drug stores observed the liqpor law better than the drug stores of any other city in the state. -l-.s
 In some places outside of Bridgeport it was not an uncommon thing for a of bottled beer on Sunday while his neighbor. the saloon keeper was obliged to keep his doors closed.
 What caused the bottle travelling "mintergreen'' or "Iunyadi" to dis appear from the soda water fountains during the past two or three days was the heralded news that the new phar- macy inspector was coming in accord ance with the recently enacted law. The inspector for this section is Thomas Shanley of this city. Under the law the county commissioners will not give liquor license to a drug store unless the state board of phar- states that the applicant conducts a bona fde drug store. The state board depends upon it's inspectors to give them the information necessary for them to decide whether the store is a. bona f1de pharmacy, an ice cream par Tor or booze emporium.
 The inspector after sizing up the place and looking over the framed pharmacists licenses and asking about the clerks presents a blank application for HQuor license to the proprietor if he thinks that the place is all right
 While the proprietor is signing the application for the license the inspec- tor calls his attention to the fact that the document contains a state rnent to the effect that the druggist is cogniZant of the law which revokes both his drug and liquor license if he d1spenses liquor to be drunk on the premises. A bona fide drug store is one that has a. licensed clerk in the store at all times. In case the propri- etor is licensed and only has one clerk he must be in the store when the clerk Is out. The inspector found two drug stores in this city with no licensed junior clerks were in charge and re- ceived prescriptions which were com pounded at another store
 One of the leading druggists said to- day that he was glad if there was go- ing to be no more whiskey sold but if one made it a business of providing special customers with a drink the Dthers were obliged to do it or else lose trade. He thought, however, that it was going to result in more liquor being kept in the homes and that more of the stuff would be drunk.
 The passing of the black bottle from the drug store soda fountains reminds many old Bridgeporters of the most famous drug store back room the city ever had. It was nearly 20 years ago when a centrally located druggist had scores of professional men among his customers and some of them were the most influential men in town. They would all come down town on a Sun day for their ''moring's morin." People going by to church used to look in at the big crowd in the store and get suspicious Finally the druggist, not wishing to disturb his distinguished clientele decided to move them into the back room.- He stocked the room with liquor and cigars and had the entrance from another street. The door between the back room and the store was locked and there was no one in the back room to wait upon the distin- guished trade. The druggist rigged up a money drawer and all of the GUS toners were supposed to wait upon themselves and make their own change. The druggist used to say that the lawyers in the crowd could make change better than the doctors but it was surprising how well this barkeep- erless saloon ran itself.
 But it was not the policy of the druggist to increase his patronage and after ten years the most of his pat rops either died. took the pledge or got too old to come down town on a Sunday morning and he closed the place up. But since that time it has been considered that a druggist who would not give a dignif1ed old gentle man a toner on a Sunday morning was a very mean man. But now that his standing as a druggist as we'll as & dispenser of liquor is in question it hof oicf ic, 4o