The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1911-03-06
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there are no objections or remon-
strances filed and the saloon man
shows that he is still of good moral
character the commissioners are re-
quired to renew hfs license.
PROVISIONS CONFLICT.
The local option law contains some
provisions which are said TO be in con-
fict with this provision of the regula-
ton law One is that the local option
law says that all applications for re-
newals shall be considered as applica-
tons for new licenses.
The regulation bill limits the num-
Der OF saloons to one for each FIVE hun
dred population Now II is pointed out,
If the regulation bill went into effect
first fixing the limitation and then the
local option law came along afterward
and saws that applications for renewals
shall be considered as applica tions for
new licenses not more than one license
for each five hundred population can
be granted, including renewals and all
AN IMPORTANT QUESTION.
This is a very important question for
on it's decision rests the fate of nun
dreds of saloons in the state. Nearly
every wet city or town in the state mas
more than one saloon for each i've nun
dred population. and the regulation law
was so drawn as to allow all of them
to renew their licenses. The law says
that nothing contained in ii snail Affect
the existing licenses, but that where
the number of saloons exceeds the legal
limit no new licenses shall be granted
until the number has been reduced to
the legal limit by revocation, surrender
or otherwise This provision was be-
Of oil n the existing
saloons in the state. But IL 1t shall be
fo,,nd that the renewals shall be con-
sidered as applications for new licenses
the whole situation will be changed
The saloon keepers whose licenses
exnire soon will be able to have them
renewed and the rest will not. IL the
law is held to be that way. If there
are fifty saloons In a city which is en-
| titled to only twenty FIVE under the
legal limitation, the first twenty-five
that apply for renewals or new licenses
| can get them and the last twenty-five
will be shut out.
I indianapolis. for instance, there are
$50 saloons Under the legal Limitation
the city is entitled to only 4e7 saloons
Under this Interpretation Of the law
the remaining 2ss saloons would be
shut out and the city would then have
| only 467 saloons instead or 100
EASY TO SEE IMPORTANCE
| The Importance of this proposition
is easy TO see There are some who
believe that it will render the local
option law unconstitutional and that it
will be knocked out by the supreme
court on the ground that it means a
confscation of the property of the un-
lucky sa loon men. Under the regula-
| ton law license is a valuable asset,
! and IL the local option law proposes ~
ltake this away from them without
compensation. lawyears say. it will be
| held unconstitutional This would
lcause the state to revert back to the
old law in force before the county OPP
| ton law was passed. The new local
| option law expressly repeats the county
loption law and courts hold that the re-
ipeaiing clause of a law can be consti-
jtutional even when some other parts of
the law are unconstitutional.
\ If THIS should turn out to be the case