The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1911-07-10
.qLCHR|ST 5 REASONa GOOD
The Governor Gives q Sufficient Ex-
PLANTATION of His Veto of the Nine
O'Clock saloon Closing Bill

/ Tallahassee, July 10.-Governor Gill
/ christ, rather nettled by the unjust at
/ tacks made on him for his veto of the
| nine o'clock closing law for saloons,
/ has sent the following circular to the
| state press:
4 My attention has been invited to the
| fact that some papers have been cri-
ticising my action in vetoing what is
known as the o'clock closing law for
| saloons. The following is a quotation
| from the bill:
| That from and after the passage of
this act. it shall be unlawful for any
| person, firm or corporation. to sell. bar
ter. exchange or give away any spiri-
tuous, vinous or malt liquors between
the house of o'clock p. m. of one day
| and o'clock a. m. of the succeeding
| day.
| provided, that it shall be unlawful
for any such person. firm or corporation
to sell. barter, exchange or give away
any such spirituous. vinous or malt
| liquors between the hours of 3 o'clock
D. m. on Saturdays and o'clock a. m.
of the succeeding Monday: and
| provided further. the provisions of
| this act shall not apply to hotels con-
| tanning seventy-fi five or more rooms
/
are served and where such spirituous,
vinous or malt liquors are served with
| each meal by such hotels to bona fide
| guests
Under the provisions of this bill no
one could have served wine or beer at
| any little party during the hours
/ stated without becoming a law-break-
er; no one could have given any such
i liquors in case of sickness. during
such hours, without being a lawbreak-
er, and no minister of the gospel
could have served wine a sacra-
ment during such hours, without be-
ing a law-breaker. This would have
been bonanza for a saloon located
in one of the seventy-five room hotels
in Jacksonville, st. Augustine or else
where. During such hours they would
have had absolute monopoly In
order for any one to buy a five or ten
cent glass of beer, he would have had
to register and at least have taken a
meal in order to become a bona fde
guest, thus costing his family rs
cents to 81 for a ) cent drink. With
out any such discrimination in favor
of the seventy-five room hotel, I pre-
sumo the advocates of the bill thought
that such a measure would have driv-
| Ell many TOURISTS out OF the state.
Some one might consider that they
were selling out the higher moral
principles for the filthy lucre' of
, the tourists. If you can find as many
as ten men who actually favor the
provisions of such a law, kindly let
| me know. | wish to send them a lit
tie souvenir. AS for myself. / would
have resigned the office of governor
before I would have apnrOved the
same. I have vetoed all kinds of bills
, No one has ever yet accused me OF
selling out for the miserable, intangi-
:, bic hope of vote for future office
. This is bad, if not worse, than sell
ing your vote for cash.
| The last two pages of my biennial
; message to the Legislature refer to
nine of the business methods employ
ed during this administration. Any
two of them are worthy of the life OF
any administration. Upon my recon-
2 mendation, the last legislature passed
an act establishing a hospital for the
!, INDECENT and crippled children of Flo
: rida. | hope that some day this viii
grow into a second John Hopkins in
I stitute. 1 would rather have been in
. strumental in accomplishing such leg.
j is latiOn than to have been the gov.
ernor Of Florida.
Yours very truly,
Albert w. Gilchrist, Governor.