The Washington times., 1912-05-25
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WHAT WAS SAID
ABOUT SALE OF
4 LIQUOR TO MINORS
Testimony From Both Sides
on Important Feature of
Excise Law.
Continued from First Page)

TO protect the saloon keeper. 1t Is to
protect our boys and our girls, and
everything should be done, 1t seems
put law into force that will protect
our children against themselves, and
so nave the law that 1t can be en-
eps eoseea not to protect the saloon keep
ers-they do not need the protection
Put to protect our boys and girls
,Just such cases as ] have SPOKEN of
from knowledge 1 could give scores OF
sdse to pTstect @ &c Sos IL Se Se wants wants
,iquor will lie about it and say, that
the IL age. The saloon keeper ought to
must know. i usually held that where
saloon Keeper was uncertain. and
went to parent or TO an older brother
was OF age, he had dono all that he
could. do. but the saloon kee.er In my
}adsmcnt; should be held to do ali that
r. r. possibly can not TO sell to a minor.
hinition if there is knowledge"
MAasor r. sylvester, ,ina chief OF police, said:
need law on that subject. A person
OF age. today NAV purchase for one
SmdIf 5or Il Years: SS There Is no punishment
The chairman--How is that? did not
Major sylvester-I say that person
ever years may purchase and give
as messenger for a grown person
and the courts will not hold him.
mink the law needs correction, and
think the word knowingly" ought 10
De taken out of the existing law.
Senator Works-Is there no law maxi
ing 1t an offense to give liquor to a
Major sylvester-we have had that
sues during the past several years, as
i remember, from the opinions 1 have
on ME. There Is a law in which there
Is penalty attached for giving liquor
may be sent out to purchase for
grown person and there is no penalty
The Chairman-That is, the minor can
take an order into a saloon and pur-
chase liquors on that order?
Major Sylvester-Yes, that has been
the decision of our courts. We are act
Ing under that decision now. But, of
course, we are very much discouraged
In attempting to get cases to go to
court when We are turned down by
the law.
Drunken Boys and Girls.
AS sensational bit of testimony as
was introduced during the hearings was
that offered by Rev. Samuel Grafflin, as
I questioned a street car conductor
morning he carried through the streets
of Washington, to the very section that
has been mentioned SO often, forty girls
ane Ssss none of them over
under the influence of liquor, taking
them home after having been out all
Saturday night somewhere, This was
not be permitted in any place under. any
Mr.. Harvey-would you have any OBJ
lection to telling, II you know. what
Dr.. Graf1lin-I would have objections.
I asked the conductor IL he would not
come up here and just state the whole
think the railroad company would care
to have the circumstances mentioned.
that II mentioned the circumstances
should not mention the line.
: Mr.. Harvey-He said the car was full
of these boys and girls?
DR.. Grafflin-Yes, boys and girls un-
der twenty-one were under the infiu-
ence of liquor on Sunday morning in
the city OF Washington.
Mr.. Harvey-Did he say what time It
was on Sunday morning?
DR.. Graffin-Yes. o'clock, when he
Mr. Harvey~Dr Graffiin, I should
like to know that ] believe 1t would
interest us all II we could find out that
car and who that man is in order that
Or. Graffin-I will say this much
that he transferred them at the corner
of Four-and-a-half street and Maryland
Mr.. Harvey-They all got off therer
DR.. Graffiin-Yes, they-al got of
there going southwest.
Mr. HarVey-They evidently lived in
the southwest from that?
DR.. Graffiin-Yes.
Mr.. Harvey-He did not say where
he took them on?
,.pr. spooner-Were they white or col
bred people?
DR.. Graffiin-All white. He said the
condition of the girls was was .somethins
tleman, that are facing our city That
happened this Sunday morning in
Washington city.
plorabIe thing. II true, ever heard OF
IN connection with boys and girls get
Dr. Graffin-That is the reason I am
here before the committee this morn
Mr.. Harvey-We should know more
Dr.. Grathin-I am going to inquire
Mr.. Harvey-I trust that you will. !
trust that you will find out where they
came from. / have been in business
here all my life, and have never heard
certainly If 1t be true then the most
drastic measures should be instituted
at once to correct IT..
An Attorneys View.
George Francis Williams. an attorney
Of Washington, said:
1.-THE question of effective legislation
to prevent the sale of drink to minors
or to prevent its being sold to minors
MS agents of grown persons, in my
opinion, should also be made so clear
and the evidence required to convict
SO simple that while no injustice would
be done to the saloon keeper no one
who had a case in which there had
been q violation OF the law should be
unable to prove his point. That is.
there must be some attention to the
evidence required. 1t seems to me that
the saloon keeper should. as 1t were,
be put upon the defensive to prove at
least that he was imposed upon, rather
than that the prosecution should be
confronted with the impossible task OF
proving knowledge on his part. when
It is only a question of fine and not a
question of the forfeiture of the license
Perhaps the simplest and best method
of treating the subject would be sim.
ply in that regard TO make II clear that
knowledge was not essential as in sc
many other criminal prosecutions and
convictions in very serious crimes, Of
,fenses, and crimes against girls and
women, for instance, where the ques-
ton Of age Is involved-under sixteen
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