Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-03-16

seven documents in the Office of the
excise board at the District building tell
iiutely an eloquent story in corroboration
vi Inc stars assertion that there are
resorts IN washington running in open
violation OF the law which prohibits sale
or liquor to minors
These are the reports on seven ,rn,ica
tions for barroom licenses for places Will,
rastime music attachments, where drinks
are sold to women.
In each case the man who 2 sks for
license promises to abide by any and ALI
rules and regulations that are or NAV
be made by the excise board of the Dis.
trict of Columbia in accordance with ex-
listing law"
Also in each case the lieutenant Of tbe
precinct where the resort is located has
made report which shows plainly that
the police have accurate knowledge Of
what is going on.
Conversation with those interested 4.
seeing that the excise law In carried
out reveals that they know in = zen
eraI way that liquor In sold to yOunx
women under tWenty-One. Yet: in each
one Of the jackets containing the nett
lions for license, along with the .d-
verse report OF the police Iieute.an1..
there is = record that the Hcen.e h.-
been granted.
Excise Boards Duty Defined.
The excise board knows that these
places are being reported against But
what of it, When one analyses the two
short paragraphs of law at the head Of
this column it is found that the excise
board cannot act without something
stronger than reports.
What IL needed is prosecutions aud
convictions, according to the law.
The courts are instructed to fine or i'm
prison barkeepers who violate the ex-
else laws. The excise board must revoke
the license of the man whom the police
have thus succeeded I'm convicting
There is no other way to read the law.
1t does not say may revoke" the license.
1t says the license "shalI be revoked"
Lieut.. Sprinkle of the first precinct has
blanket form of general remarks which
he has applied to several resorts in his
jurisdiction. They all look alike to him
and he is bitterly opposed. as he says In
the record, and has asked that license
be refused if the music hall feature 10
net eliminated.
Criticism of Police.
Exactly what lie has said, as it appears
in the documents, is this:
"The applicant for this license has. In
connection with HIS barroom. a dining
room in which he has music and other
attractions Vith view to entertaining
ladies and gentlemen. thus OBTAINING
them in the place eating and drinking
longer than they would otherwise re-
main.
Such places are a source of destrue-
tom to many innocently disposed girls
and women, who. the first time enter
1Nnh ,a1o rrYffb Al,4
to get mea! or have refreshments Then
finding these attractions which do not
properly belong to a legitimate barroom
or restaurant. they remain and indulge
more freely than they would otherwise.
This, perhaps the first downward step,
often leads to life of evil connections
ITO this character of place / am bit
terly opposed and feel that j must pro
test. therefore recommend that this
license be rejected unless the music hall
attractions are eliminated"
With one of these license applications
there is record of a fight which upset
the place. Also there is the statement
which shows that women of Questionable
character visit them. The policemen's
record is perhaps formal and draws no
accurate picture of what the "attrac-
tons" are.
Cadets in Transgression.
Yet alongside these women Of ques-
character on any night you can
see some young girl whose face has not
yet lost it's freshness, who has not yet
learned what to do with paint. The
younger girl drinks while the crowd roars
Its approval of the music. The 'ques-
tionable' woman carries herself with that
air of abandon that becomes part OF the
Of the evening. And the
young girl, excited and Influenced by the
liquor. perhaps has been tempted be-
yond her strength.
In spite of 1t, the license had been
granted.
Take another case. The blank form
asks these questions:
rs the applicant worthy Of a license?
If not, state the reasons.
'Are the premises, or have they been
within the past year, the resort of dis.