Omaha daily bee., 1911-04-23
BLUFFS MAY LOSE 40 SALOONS
New Interpretation Of Iowa Law Will
Make Big shakeup.
noon LAW DOES THE WORK
Peculiar situation Arises Through
Number of seIf-sOuEht Iniunc-
tiOns 20 Block Campaign
of "RefOrmer."

The decision Of the Iowa supreme court
holding that the Moon liquor license law
vent into effect on the date Of its passa Re
IAprtl 10. 1909 knocks out forty OF the fifty
lthree saloons In Council Bluffs and all but
one In Pottawattamie county. This decision
was practically reached yesterday after
noon by County Attorney Frank j. Capell
and he announced that he would notify all
OF the saloons affected that they were be-
ing conducted illegally Just as soon as hA
received copy of the decision. He wired
for It yesterday and II will probably be
received today
Another effect Of the Moon law is here
after to limit the total number of saloons
In the Bluffs to twenty-nine. The supreme
court decision affects every saloon in the
county outside OF Council Bluffs with the
exception Of one that is in operation at
Treynor.
The saloon situation in Council Bluffs
is peculiar The saloonmen have been the
victims of all grades OF adventurets seek
Pg iniunctlons for the fees attached. The
4 last series of raids was planned and exc
cuted by a man named Odle, who came
here from little town in Polk county and
claimed to be representing the Anti Saloon
league Of the state. He procured a num-
m,
1909, and went away with i25 fees in each
case. odie was planning for a general
cleanup. He was seeking only temporary
injunctions BY advice Of their counsel
and for their own protection, forty Of the
Saloonmen who had not yet been hailed into
court on the last raid, voluntarily made
applications for permanent injunctiona
against themselves under the Clark feature
OF the mulct law, permitting saloonmen
against whom permanent restraining orders
had been issued TO quit business for brief
interval and begin anew with a new license
oy ming bond that they would thereafter
comply with the strict letter Of the law.
One Day Causes Trouble.
\ In the meantime the Moon law. limiting
Hihe number of saloons in cities and towns
to one for every 1000 population as show n
by the federal or state census was enacted
The first batch of self-sougnt injunctions
was issued on April l6. 1909 and the Moon
statute was passed the day previous. II
declares that ION and after the passage OF
this act It shall be unlawful to license
more than one saloon for each LOCO popula-
ton, and that any saloonkeeper against
whom "a permanent Injunction should be
issued after the passage of this law shall
be prohibited from engaging in the saloon
business again in Iowa for a period of five
years"
Thus every one of the forty saloons in
the city and the total of fifty In the county
that had sought protection through a
friendly Injunction came within the scope
OF the law, and their owners are out of the
business for five years
The thirteen drinking resorts not affected
are those whose owners took out loenses
for the first time since the passage of the
Moon law. They have not been enjojned
and consequently they come within the
scope of the twenty-ninO limit
Bis Places Affected.
Among the forty saloons affected are all
OF the flrst-class places in the city. in
Guiding the Grand hotel, Ed Rodgers. the
Manhattan and others. 1t is possible that
they may evade the law by transferring
; their licenses, which the Moon law provides
for. but the present owners will have To
retire and number OF them will have To
close permanently.
In this connection another interesting
question arises. With the number nj
saloons reduced to twenty-nine each will
be correspondingly more profitable as a
business proposition and could afford IN
pay much larger license. Some OF the
saloonmen consulted yesterday afternoon
said they would be willing to pay from
$3.50 to $3.50 year The city could thus
with reduction of nearly one-half the
saloons, derive more than twice the reve-
niue now received.
THE new law gives the city council a
large discretion in granting licenses and
1t can put out OF business every undesirable
saloon in the city. selecting only those OF
the best class and limiting the territory
occupied.
County Attorney Capell OF Council Bluffs
said last evening that he would notify ali
OF the saloonmen under ban of the new
law TO close up and would begin promp,
prosecutions in case Of refusal or neglect
/ He old not have at hand yesterday the
records disclosing the names of all az.
fscted.