Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-03-15
DRINKS FOR MINORS
IN DEFIANCE OF LAW
Resorts Where Young Girls
Can Buy Booze and Make
Chance Acquaintance.
DOUBTFUL SONGS SUNG,
RAGTIME MUSIC PLAYED
Typical Happenings at Such Places
as Seen by Observer.
EVIDENCE IS HARD TO GET
Witnesses Unwilling to Be Involved.
Police Get No Look In on OBJ
jectionable Conditions.

jectionable Conditions.
Revolving is the picture left IN the
memory of any decent citizen who has
seen a young girl intoxicated
The law of this District of Columbia
has been framed to prevent sights OF
that kind, by stipuIating that no per-
son under twenty-one can buy a drink
or be served with drinks under the
ordinary conditions that prevail in
barrooms and beer gardens and the
like.
And yet. night after night, q few
conspicuous resorts violate this law.
and, to all appearances, seem to make
mo- pretense of covering it up. Nor,
to the careful observer, In attempt
made by those who conduct such re-
sorts to find out the ages of young
sters who come there, alone or with
friends, and are served with intoxlcat-
ing drinks until closing time.
Places Where Young Girls Go.
There are places where young girls
can go unaccompanied and sit down
and buy drinks. There are not a great
many of them, but they exist in viola
tion of a law which says q proprietor
must not "KNOWINGLY" sell these
minors intoxicating drinks
There are places in the business
district Of the city where 1t is not at
all difficult for a young woman to
run in during the afternoon and get
cocktail and become acquainted with
some man who is lurking around look
ing for some girl who has nothing to
do that evening.
Because there are such places run
ming In violation OF the excise laws
many and many a young girl goes
downtown nights, meets q man early
in the evening and sits down to
carouse until midnight. Many OF these
girls have good homes and keep their
parents guessing most Of the time AS
to where their daughter is and what
she is doing.
There are records in the courts OF
girls who, under the very wide va
grant law, have served time or paid
some place where, had the manage
ment refused her q drink. II would
have been complying with the law.
No Questions Asked.
There is no pretense OF finding out the
ages of those who want to buy drinks,
according to the observations Of q Star
reporter.
In some of the places almost any
boy can get q drink. There are very
few instances where q young girl In
In places where some care Is taken
walters are instructed to ask about ages
and this is followed. Even then 1t is
to be expected that girls who are ION to
the game will give their age as twenty
one whether it is true or not.
But here is a picture of just one even
ing which will show the shame of the
thing.
There is a famous resort in the first
precinct which allows girls to come In
and drink unaccompanied by men. What
happens? For an answer, take this one
experience of a man who has looked
into this matter Of open violation OF the
law:
He stood by the ladies entrance to
this particular place one evening about
o'clock. Along came two girls OF the
type that crowds Pennsylvania avenue
night after night. Rather pretty, not
over eighteen years old apiece. dressed in
good taste, with evidences OF refined
and respectable home.
The girls started into the place and up
the stairs to the room above, where
crowd gathers every night one OF them
threw a glance over her shoulder. The
man who was watching followed several
yards behind.
Hello Kid"
When he entered the room upstairs the
girls had found vacant table. A chap
with a bull voice was roaring out q rag
time song, piano player was ac-
companying him with great vehemence.
the crowd was drinking, smoking and
shouting.
The man went over to the table where
sat these two girls.
Hello" he said.
Hello, KID returned one Of the girls.
Want a drink" he asked.
'.Surest thing you know"
These girls were surely not twenty.
one. There was scarcely any u0e In
asking, for their faces were far too
scarcely saw who he was serving when
he placed the drink In front Of them.
Other Places Of Same Sort.
Another place, not far away from the
other one, furnished an almost similar ex-
perience. A third place, run with just
slight bit Of censorship, will not allow
a woman to enter unaccompanied-in the
evening.
At this place you can see any night
great crowd Of men and women. Here
twenty-one, with perhaps girl just as
young and perhaps younger.
The attractions at these places are the
music and the drink. The music Is OF
the ragtime variety to great extent.
Several proprietors have found that
nothing seems to produce as much excite
ment as a strong-voiced man who can
sing ragtime, accompanied by a piano
artist who can play for hours at a time.
In nearly every place where women are
allowed there is some care taken to re-
strict ,leir conduct
For instance, q girl of eighteen eau
have all she wants to drink, hut they
are mighty careful not to let her Join
I'm with the singing.
Some Proprieties Observed.
Some resorts have a manager who will
call down the young man who forgets
himself so far as TO place his arm across
the shoulders of the girl he is entertain
ing. And there are other places where
they are not quite SO careful.
But despite any aualms of managerial
conscience in matters Of this kind. the