Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-09-29

I ouented the place" Commissioner
Hart stated that he had heard the
same stories and that he had stood for
hours in front of the place. watching,
/ but could not verify the charges.
The mayor then asked the council to
either give him back his prerogative
OF licensing saloons or that the COM
missioners Immediately determine this
matter. intimating that he disliked the
! invariabls discussions which arose
whenever he reported unfavorably on
saloon licenses.
He followed by Offering the resolu-
ton to close up the place for 10 days
BY suspending the license for that
! length Of time. He called the atten-
! ton OF the council to the fact that the
matter was lost for lack of second.
when Commissioner Bear arose and
/ seconded !.
Hart Has Substitute.
Commissioner Hart then presented
a substitute motion, which read 70
take up the matter at a meeting of the
council as a committee of the whole,
this morning and Commissioner Rey-
nOlds seconded it. Before the motion
of Commissioner Hart was put TO a
vote he asked the mayor why the for
mer was opposed to taking such mat
tiers up at an informal session. Mayor
Schriver replied that he wanted it con-
sidered at a formal meeting because
no action could be taken at an infor-
NAL session. He said that il was all
right to discuss the matter informally.
but that all of the council should be
present so that the commissioners
could go into a formal meeting, and
ans action taken as a committee of
the whole be made official.
He withdrew his motion to suspend
the license for 10 days when all of the
commissioners agreed to be present at
the meeting this morning.
Van Acker In Denial.
When the question was preached at
the formal session this morning Mayor
Schriver again presented his resolu-
ton TO suspend the license on the Van
Acker bar for ten days. Commits.
sioner Reynolds asked that the propri-
etor. who was present. give mis- side
of the case.
Van Acker denied the charge. He
denied that there occurred a fight in
his saloon, in which n man lost his
watch. He declared il occurred out
side OF the bar. He stoutly asserted
that no man ever got any drinks in
his place on Sunday.
The mayor made a number OF accu-
satioas, and in each instance the
saloon owner explained them. He also
said he wanted to sell the saloon.
This caused the mayor to say: That's
it. gentlemen. It's just as have been
telling you. One OF these fellows runs
a saloon. He finds a prospective buy
CT. and as soon as he all but closes the
deal, he starts selling on Sunday. Then
when he is brought up here he says
that he is willing to sell and get out"
Ask for Witnesses.
Il can't see where we can do any
thing until these people who claim
they got drinks in the saloon come be-
fore us and prove to us that this man
was open on that Sunday" said Com
sioner Reynolds. Here is a man who
says he was not open. You say that
ne was. and that these men told you
that ne was. Not that l disbelieve
you, but think that these men should
come before US and tell what they
know If he has been selling on Sun
day / am willing TO vote to have his
license suspended or fine him"
The other commissioners favored
that. and when the mayors motion to
revoke ne license for ten days was
voted on. 1t was lost, he being the only
one 10 vote for IL
A substitute motion TO consider the
taken up and passed.
Rivals for License.
Following the Van Acker saloon dis
cussion the applications for the bar
at 1907 Second avenue. which were
considered first yesterday afternoon
and held over until this morning, were
taken up. At the meeting yesterday
afternoon the mayor announced that
he was opposed to granting license
10 Pannell because he had his license
revoked for selling on Sunday year
or so ago. 1t was on Nov. 20, 1872,
that the mayor suspended the license
of Pannell. who at that time operated
a saloon at 300 Fourth street.
Each OF the men had petitioned the
council separately and are rivals for
the place The saloon they seek had
been operated by w. l. Freeman I'M
der the name of Fred Bennett until
two weeks ago. when il was closed by
the mayor. who sent man TO inspect
the manner in which IL was conducted.
The man. according to charges. found
that a rooming house OF a disorderly
nature was being maintained in con
junction with the place.
Vote Both Down.
The mayor at the formal session
this morning. when the Van Acker
matter had been disposed OF temporar-
ily. offered a resolution that Ed. Col
lier be given a license TO operate the
Second avenue bar.
vote was taken. The mayor and
Commissioner Hart voted for IL and