The daily sentinel., 1913-11-01
PROVISIONS ARE
VOID, OPINION
Of LAWYERS
One Property Holder Can Permit
Saloon, in Spite Of Other
Objections.

g AS might be expected from an 3
8, ordinance framed by potential 8
u saloon keepers, the document 3
y which was initiated by the Tax =
u payers league, SO called, is as 3
{, full of jokers as the proverbal =
) flea-ridden pup. 1t not only is =
: harmless to the proprietor of a 3
$, lawless drinking place but it's IS
. provisions. for the most part, 2
q are self-abrogating. =
G g q g q = SSgSI
1t is not known who drew the or
dinance up. No one is willing to ad-
nit the authorship and the wet lead
ers themselves all deny any knowl-
edge of the document. II seems to
be a literary founding left parentless
on the doorstep of wet headquarters
and saved from its proper fate by the
careful nursing of the directors of
the present campaign.
In its first incarnation, which was
some weeks before it was formally
placed before the public, this ordi-
nance was even a trifle worse than
now. A number of the bare places
exposed by The Sentinel at the time
have been patched up more or less
loosely and it is now declared to be
model regulatory ordinance.
The ordinance gives the saloon
from five to seven hours longer bus
-iness hours than any dry goods or
grocery house in the city. The sa-
loon man Is permitted to open at six
O'Clock. gather in all the sheckles he
can from the workingman on his way
to his job, and after an all-day busi-
ness, he can stay until ten o'clock at
night. This is not all. Any day
equalling in Importance as celebra-
tion day to Saturday automatically
lengthens the hours to midnight. Any
such occasion as Odd Fellows Grand
Lodge, a Midland Trail celebration or
any other occasion in which any con-
siderable number of people are on the
streets permits the revelry of the sa-
loon to continue until midnight.
Since men who expect to apply for
and be granted licenses dictated the
ordinance, it is presumed that they
anticipate doing as they used to do
in the good old days and secure po-
lice permission to run after midnight
If the patronage is good. 1t will not
be forgotten soon that fair week
used to be the occasion for every sa-
loon in town to violate the law.
Whenever business is going to be
good it can be depended upon that
the saloon man will find way to get
the money.
The ordinance keeps all saloons off
of and south of Main street. That
means that Colorado avenue and Sec
ond street will become the locating
place for all the liquor houses. All
the kindred classes of trade that go
with such institutions will go in that
direction and whatever business that
a saloon may bring to town, II it
h. l. M of q
business center of town where legtti-
mate merchants are located.
Cute Little Joker.
There is one smooth little joker in
the ordinance that has not been ex-
posed yet. 1t looks splendid but it
is death to all prosecution. 1t pro-
yides that not only shall the saloon
man be prosecuted if he gives or sells
drinks to a minor habitual drunkard
or woman, but that the minor, habit
ual drunkard or woman is herself IL
able and can be prosecuted Isn't It
a fact that the best and only eVl-
dence against a lawbreaking saloon
man is the confession of the person
who buys the goods? And could not
and would not all such witnesses re-
fuse to testify on the grounds that
thev would be incriminated2 Could
a safer or more stable obstruction OF
Justice be erected than this section OF
the ordinance which effectually pre-
vents any testimony being given
against the saloon man You bet 1t
takes liquor dealer to draw up an
ordinance to safeguard his interests
The ordinance specifically prevents
chairs from being located in the sa-
loon proper but doesn't mention the
adjoining rooms. Moreover there Is
no provision against the use of stools
wall seats, couches, benches or the
like. The usual wall seat would be
a safe and satisfactory way to evadt
this ordinance and doubtless, If the
town goes dry and the ordinance car
ries. the "built-in" seating place:
will be the rule in our most popular
boozeries.
The Worst Yet.
And now for the last and mos
striking of the provisions.
The ordinance reads that the sa
loon man shall not be granted a IL
cense unless he secures the consen
of the adjoining property holder
Note the singular singularity OF TN
word holder" II the property own
er of say the brick building south
the Fair store wanted to go into the
saloon business and the proprietors