The Washington times., 1912-05-27

But immediately that 1 met one OF these
gentlemen. members of the legal fls-
ternity. who were attorneys for tho
liquor dealers, they proceeded to harass
me with questions, misleading, impert-
inent, and yet had no redress. i was
not protected in any way before tho
Mr.. Haryey-May ask you ques-
Mrs. Mussey--Certainly.
Mr. Harvey-You do not attribute the
treatment you claim you received from
the Excise Board 10 the law itself, do
you? The law was not to blame, was
It? ...g
Mrs. Mussey--I do. consider that
we should have q law where such treat
ment Of 2 woman and taxpayer
Mr. Harvey-I agree with you. but
think the present law is sufficient
Protested Without Result.
Miss Helen B. Matthews related to the
Senate committee an experience she had
in connection with a saloon on # street
northwest. She said:
This fall the neishbors who did not
want the saloon signed paper, and II
was carried to the excise board by three
OF the owners and residents on that
ried It to the excise board and requested
a hearing at the time the case was to
come up for new license in November.
At that time the District Commissions
ers were investigating the Excise Board,
and the board could not give much at.
tention at that time to the licensing of
saloons. They decided to take II up In
the order In which the licenses were
Faithfully we should know about It and
have a hearing when that license was
to be acted upon. / waited and waited.
end the saloon operated without
The latter part of December I heard
that the license had been granted, and
visited a member of the Excise Board
and asked him why we were not notified
things that we knew. and he said that
he had forgotten to tell the clerk about
1t and he himself had forgotten all
about ai,o it.. d! think this license was taken
of the number OF fifty that were held
up and acted upon. Our attorney was
not there, and none of us had been Eoti-
fed.
The Chairman-Had you filed any
written protest?
Miss Matthew'S had filed a paper,
such as the paper to sign the names of
the signers on. I had a majority on
The Chairman-That is. protesting
against the granting Of a license?
Miss Matthews-Yes, sir: against the
granting of the license.
The Chairman-ihat was on file when
they granted It?
Miss Matthews-Yes.
The Chairman-So that they either
Miss MatthewsNThey did not pay any
attention to their promise that they
would let us know when they would
act upon It. They could not tell then
Just when 1t would be-. They had for
gotten about 1t. and the license had
been granted. / appealed to Commits
sioner Rudolph, and he spoke to the
president Of the Excise Board, asking
HrN @Il. 49,. "a a.
me. have not the letter with me, but
I have letter as to why we were not
given any hearing. But they. must
have changed the ruling in regard to
a saloon in single square, for the
majority protested against the saloon
being licensed.
The Chairman-Did you have a ma
Miss Matthew'S had a majority on
both sides of the street, but they di-
yided on the north and south side. On
the north side of the street I had a
it was divided evenly. had a majority
of the residents. In that particular
square are two estates that have heirs.
For instance; for three lots there are
record as to whether or not they want
the saloon. I had a majority Of the
residents, and the owners were equally
Siytded; But M do not ,GasS knew how how they they
gave the saloon keeper the advantage
of those who had not signed our paper
protesting against 1t. The saloon
for fsepsl any ssners. e We W. ME- led 'aep protest %
against It, and by taking both sides of
the street we had q majority, but the
saloon is there and goes on just the
we have. The Excise Board did not grant
hearing. and has taken no action that
! know of. since they are still operating
| the saloon.
| Morals Versus Finance.
DR.. Childs. a negro minister and
worker among his people. made the
charge that the Excise Board had been
appealed to upon several occasions,
which no enumerated. to refuse tho
licensing Of saloons among the pooror
settlements. because of the character
Of the saloons, but that their reply ives
they were not studying the moral side
but the financial side" and that they
issued the licenses regardless of facts
placed before them.
He recited one instance where this
borhood, but that even after the license
was granted there were so many saloons
in that neighborhood that the saloon
could not make any money and went
into the hands Of a receiver. but even
Excise Board granted another mar
license to open q saloon in the same
place.
Liquor Interests Satisfied.
On behalf Of the liquor interests Hugh
r. Harvey said cf the Excise Board:
Section O. on page 2. relative to the
personnel of the Excise Board. 80 far
as the legalised liquor interests of the
District of Columbia are concerned.
makes very little difference. We have
this to say, however, in connection with
the present Excise Board: We believe
that after their years Of experience they
know pretty we'll who Is who in the
LIQUOR business here. They know the
character and the standing Of the vari;
GUS people engaged in the business; and
| suppose. even further than that, they
know the environments which surround
the places, the employees, ETC., and II
seems to me that men with an expert
ence OF that kind, after years of dealing
with this question. ought to be, II they
are honest men. and we have every
reason to believe that the gentlemon
now composing the board are not only
are very capable of handling the liquor
question with the discretionary power