Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-03-21
PROMISE DRASTIC ACTION
TO PROTECT THEMSELVES
Star Commended by Vice President
Mcclure for Exposing Conditions.
WOULD CLOSE MUSIC HALLS
Drinks Only at Bars, Remedy Pro-
posed by Anti-Saloon League
President to Stop Debauch-
cry Of Youth.

"The Star, In Its efforts TO stamp ont
the pernici0us practice Of selling liquor
to minors, particularly girls, with music
ment of practically all the saloon men
In the District who are endeavOrins TO
conduct their places of business ac-
cordfnE to the strict letter Of the law
and with regard to morals and public
opinion"
This statement was made today by j.
Charles Mcclure, one of the vice presi-
dents Of the Retail Liquor Dealers AS
sociation. Mr.. Mcguire added that ne
hoped public sentiment would not con-
41enn the innocent with the few men
who are alleged to be violating the law
by selling to girls and boys. He said BAD
men will be found in every line Oh traue'
and that there are strict provisions IN
the laws of the liquor dealers organiza-
tion against the very violations COM
planned Of Before man can Deco1ne
member of that association he must SUD-
scribe to a provision contained in the ap-
plication for membership that he Will
under no conditions knowingly violate the
law. particularly the sections governing
the sales of liquor to minors
Will Take Matter Up.
Mr. Mcclure indicated that the associa-
ton will take drastic action against the
alleged offenders should evidence OF
their guilt be forthcoming. The matter
will be taken up with energy at the next
meeting of the organization, to be held
this week.
1--WE men in the liquor trade have the
reputations of ourselves and our fami-
lies to maintain" he asserted. "and
we do not want such places as de-
scribed so vividly in The Star to exist
IL we can assist in stamping them out
We have enough to contend with as II
is without having added to our vexa-
tions the misconduct alleged by The
Star.
.Eyery respectable man In the trade
feels that The Star is doing a public
duty In exposing the debauchery OF our
youth. We have children of our own,
and that brings the matter pretty close
to u.s."
The same sentiment as that voiced by
Vice President Mcclure was expressed
by other saloon keepers today. They
predict that the next meeting of the
Retail LIQUOR Dealers Association will
he a record breaker as to attendance,
so anxious are the members to take UP
the alleged violations OF the excise
laws by a few saloonists.
President Shoemaker's Plan.
THE music hall feature of Washing
ton saloons is the most damaging feature
of the whole business is the sentiment
Of A. E. Shoemaker president of the
Anti-Saloon League.
"I have fought against it and protested
against it. In one or two instances |
have succeeded in suppressing It. But II
is increasing. | believe.
s.During the last two or three years
these music halls. where girls can go and
drink with or without escorts, have in
creased in popularity. The proprietors
look upon it as legitimate business and
have made the places more and more at
tractire, simply on account OF competl-
ton.
Would Raise City's Morality.
What / have tried to do is to elimi-
nate these halls. L believe that to do
away with the music, the back rooms,
the upstairs rooms. the singing and the
whole general atmosphere of the sporting
life will ze great step toward raising the
morality the the cityfi which is certainly
going down hill as long as these places
are allowed to exist.
The Stars exposure of these conditions
is certainly a good thing. l don't see
why those who have il in their power to
pass on the applications do not refuse
licenses. The conditions exist, the police
know it. and haFe made their reports.
my experience with the excise board
has been that it does not care to act as
a police court judge. | think, though,
that the excise board has the power to
reject these licenses wherever the evil
dence has shown that the law is being
violated.
..In several applications for licenses the
police lieutenant who has made the re-
port says he has no reason to believe that
the proprietor has sold liquor to minors
or to intoxicated persons. 1t will not
take long for any one to see In any Of
there is not much care taken to find out
the ages of those who come in to spend
an evening.
Discrimination Is Charged.
.One of the odd features about this is
the fact that while one or two Of the
places that have been notorious i'm this
respect have been closed up, others just
as bad are allowed to remain open. We
succeeded in our fight on one place in
the business section of the city, and it
was comparatively only a small offender
Another upstairs drinking room place
was loud offender and every one about
town knew it. We had the fight of our
life in getting the excise. board the evil
dence it considered necessary before the
license was taken away.
0rfl n O ha q I, IL
scribed going on there. l saw drinks
served to men and girls long after they
had had far too much liquor.
What we want is a liquor law which
will confine the license to the place where
the liquor is kept-to the barroom, in
Continued on Tenth PaSel