The Detroit times., 1910-01-14
|slL00NkEEPERs IN
BUSINESS NOW TO
HAVE PREFERENCE
will Have Better Chance To Secure
Licenses Than New Applicants,
Announces Aid. link, Chair
man of Committee in Charge.
Warner-Cramton Law May Cut
Down Number of Liquor Places TO
Thousand the First Year.

There will oe some anxious NOM
ents for the saloonkeepers OF Detroit
before the council committee on liquor
regulation makes Its report 10 the
council next May as TO the list or ap-
plicants who shall be granted saloon
licenses. So absolute is the power OF
the council under the new law tnat
the aldermen might put out oil ousi-
ness every saloon now runnins IN De
troit and give the corresponding IL
censes 10 other persons
Such will not be the policy OF the
however, In even a remote
degree. Aid. Herman +. link. chair
man OF the committee, states mat the
established saloonkeepers. unless mere
is something I'm the conduct OF tneir
places to justify ruling them out. VIII
be given preference over new appii-
cants who desire TO break In.
The rush of men now In the saloon
business 10 get their bonds In is,
therefore. unnecessary. since link
saws that the bonds will not be taken
mn by number, but altogether. There
Is still rush. however. about 500 ap-
plications having already been nied.
or these. half were in the last TWO
days. the brewers having notihed their
saloon customers TO get busy.
City Clerk Nichols has offered every
accommodation TO the applicants. HIS
clerks All out the application blanks
and swear the applicants free OF
charge. By this latter concession
Nichols is giving up about $500. as
the fees would amount 10 that on l,o"o
applications, the number which is eA'
pected.
No one knows how many licensSe
can be issued No more can De Issued
than the number OF saloons In 9per-
alton last April. which Is l5ss. The
real maximum number OF licenses Will
be far under this figure, however. In
ALI cases where saloonkeeper dies.
goes out OF business or Is
twice convicted OF violating the liquor
Law. or where a saloonkeeper Is a wo-
man or not q citizen. the number or IL
censes Is reduced that number. No
one knows Just how many saloopkeep-
ers have died or gone out OF business
since Sept. /. the date that the War
law went into effect IL
Is also uncertain as to how many who
were then saloonkeepers and not citi-
gems have since failed to gain citizen
ship.
Another matter of considerable dis
pute Is as to saloons which have
changed hands since Sept. i, II be-
ing contended by some that these sa-
looms must be closed after MAY ] next.
Estimates as To the number OF sa-
loon licenses which will be allowable
next spring run all the way from 1000
TO 1850. II Is certain that the brew
ers will discontinue number or
places located in districts where there
is not a great deal OF trade.
The exact number will be deter
mined only when the applications are
all In The committee OF the council
will first compare the new applica-
tions with the list of saloons in busi-
ness Sept. 1, as furnished by the
county treasurer and shown by the
bonds filed with the city clerk The
names Of the old saloonkeepers who
have applied for new licenses will be
gone through and, II any are ineligible.
these will be thrown out. Then the
cases where saloon has been trans
ferred will be taken up. The same
test will be applied. Combining the
totals of these two classes. the coun-
Gil committee will have the number OF
licenses which may legally be granted.
Wherever an application Is net fled
10 continue any business which was
last September, II will be con-
sidered that the former owner of the
place is dead. Ineligible 10 a license
or has voluntarily gone out OF busi-
ness. This does not mean that only
the old saloonists will be considered
they will have the preference. but the
new men who file applications will
have a right TO be considered also, and
every time one OF them gets a license
IL means the forcing out OF the man
who previously had a saloon business.
There can be no way OF telling the
legal number of licenses until the last
application IL in next April. Any sa-
loonkeeper who thinks he has a poor
chance of getting license and so
omits 10 put in an application. de-
creases the number OF saloons b. one.
One cause which may force out
some saloons Is the necessity which
various social clubs that have pre-.
viously not paid license. will De un.
der Of taking out such license now
Under the old law these could take a
chance OF prosecution. as the penalty
was only fine and they were rarely
prosecuted But now the chance OF
having all future right to operate a
bar taken away will drive most OF
them 10 apply for licenses.
Chairman Zink differs with some OF
the legal sharps in the city hall re
gardng the provisions OF the law.
Il do not think that when a man
dies. II should be taken that he voun
tariIy goes out OF business" says link
VERY few people die voluntarily"
II do not propose TO turn things up
side down or put any saloonkeeper out
of business unless II has To be done
and the law compels II. Transfers are
not surrenders OF the business. ths
council has allowed and passed or
transfers and they should be upheld
I'VE should give preference To the
men who have run orderly places. n
we put ont OF business any saloons. II
should be the ones which have beer
disorderly. Where dance hall and Z
saloon are together the license COY
ers one bar. IL the sa'oonkeeper wants
TO sell beer in the dance hall he viii
have 10 give up the other bar and
move HIS bar into the hall. He canno
run two bars on one license"
The cutting down OF saloons which
lis aimed at In the Warner-C Cramt,,,
law is not a continuous process. wher
the number OF saloons is scaled dowr
to one to every 500 inhabitants IN,