Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1913-10-17
MAY Petition FOR
SALOONS HERE
Liquor Men Put Prohibition
Question Up to c. of c.
and Business League.
MEETING is HELD
Want Business Men to Wage Cam
MEETING rs HELD
Want Business Men to Wage Cam
paign For Retention OF the
Saloons in ISL.

The liquor interests of this city
have put the prohibition question up
to the board of trustees of the Cham
Der Of Commerce for solution. They
are asking that body. and will make
a similar request of the Young Mems
Progressive Business League, to go on
record as favoring Or approving the
state wide prohibition measure, which
was recently upheld by the Supreme
Court. and, if they do not approve Of
saloons going out Of business in Pine
Bluff on January 1, 1914, to wage a
campaign to have them petitioned in
again for the coming year, which is
necessary under the new law before
the dramshops can reopen next year.
A meeting of the Chamber of Com
merce trustees was held yesterday aft
ernoon at the Chamber of Commerce
rooms at which the matter was dis
cussed. Representatives of the liquor
interests were present and made
known the object Of the meeting, de-
claring that it was not entirely a sa
loon mans fight, but business mans
affair and that the new law is as detri
mental to the business interests of the
city as it is to the saloon keepers or
liquor dealers. They asserted that it,
was up to the business men to save
Pine Bluff" the coming year and that
unless they see to it that saloons are
petitioned in they would suffer from
.the abolition of the saloons. The city
revenues were also discussed at the
meeting
Several of the trustees expressed
themselves as being opposed to the
abolition of the saloon, saying that
they could see no good for the city or
Its business interests by the introduce
ton of prohibition and they thought
that the Chamber of Commerce and
other business organizations should
take a hand to keep saloons in Pine
Bluff. One or two of them, however,
were opposed to taking action at this
meeting because the full membership
of the board of trustees was not pres
ent. They suggested that full meet
ing of the board be held Monday after
noon at o'clock, at which hour some
definite action will be taken to aid the
city and it's business interests, or pos
sibly decide to take no action at all.
1t is expected that the meeting will
be held by the Chamber of Commerce
trustees and the board of governors
of the Young Mems Progressive Bust
ness League jointly at that time and
that definite action looking to a cam
paign for saloons for 1914 will be
taken.
The liquor men of the city and the
business men realize that unless some
action is taken and that at once that
Pine Bluff will lose its saloons on
January /. The liquor men know that
business men in other lines of trade
can secure signers to saloon petitions
more readily than they can, for it
would look like a selfish move on the
part Of the liquor men to circulate
petitions in their own behalf. They
contend that it is as much if not more
to the interest of the city government
and the business man as it is to them
to have the saloons continue to oper-
ate.
The officials of Little Rock and 9TH
er cities of the state are beginning to