St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1911-01-21

Il SNA4SA ~ OAAS
act preventing a saloon having a
back door entrance, but where
saloons are operated in the same
building with a grocery the en-
trance to the saloon must be from
the street and not from the gro
Gerry.
Chairs and tables are permits
sible, but they must not be used
for gambling purposes. 1t is
probable that a strict construc-
ton of the law Weuld permit
domino and card playing provided
there was no stake of any kind,
but as there would be no induce
ment for a saloon to encourage
domino or card playing except
for the drinks" the prohibi-
ton is effective.
The point that has aroused dis
cussion in Crowley is whether a
white bar can sell drinks to ne
groes provided they do not con-
sumo the drinks on the premises.
The attorney general leaves no
room for doubt as to his under
standing Of the law, and there
are judicial decisions in line with
his opinion. A bar licensed to
sell to whites only may sell liquor
to negroes, but the negroes may
not consume the liquor on the
premises. The attorney general
understands ON the premises"
to mean in the same building
and under the same roof. Under
this Interpretation Of the law a
white bar can sell liquor in any
quantity and in any kind of a
receptacle to a negro, and the
saloon keeper has to concern him
self only that the liquor is not
drunk under the same roof or in
the same building. It has been
held that a negro can buy liquor
in a white bar and step outside
the door and drink it and it is
none of the saloon-keeper's bust
ness.
OF course, this makes the al
legged segregation of the races in
the barroom a farce. It is of
practically no effect in separating
them any more than they were
separated before. The Gay-Shat-
tuck law merely makes the sa-
loon-keeper whip the devil around
the stump in selling to negroes.
Except for the fact that the
negro is put to some i%nconven-
fence by being obliged to step
outdoors to drink his bottle of
beer or glass of gin, or to receive
it through a window or door in
stead of over a bar, the law per-
mits the white bar to sell to the
negro the same as to the white.
The only practical effect of the
law is to encourage the saloon
keeper to resort to expedients to
evade the laW-or rather to keep
within the strict letter of the law
and at the same time to evade
its spirit, or at least what the
people understand was its spirit.
But there are several features
of the Gay-Shattuck law about
which there is no chance for
doubt. There is no chance for a
misunderstanding Of the section
that forbids the serving of drinks
to women. There is an unmis-
taxable segregation of the prosti-
tute and the bar.
There can be no possible mis-
understanding as to the prohibit
ton against selling to minors.
If a bar-keeper sells a can of
beer to a boy who has a writ
ten order from his father for the
beer, the bar-keeper can and will
be prosecuted for selling to q
minor, and the boy can and will
be prosecuted for entering a
saloon. It will be hard to find
excuses for selling liquor to tele-
graph messenger boys under the
Gay-Shattuck law and the city
ordinances.
There is no doubt as to the pro-
hibition of gambling in the same
premises with a saloon. The sa-
loon keeper who takes a chance
on this feature Of the law will
lose his license.
There are good features Of the
Cav Shattuck law. but there are