The labor world., 1914-02-14
; SHOTS AT HICKEN'S
TAX ON BARTENDERS

+ TAX ON BARTENDERs !:
We challenge every anti-saloon1se
or prohibitionist in the city to point
out wherein the proposed Hicken Or
dinance for the licensing of bartend-
ers shapes itself in any respect WIN
their program against the liquor
Traffic.
The proposed license tax on bar
tenders is not tax against the
liquor traffic; it is a tax on wages.
Mayor Prince suggested to the
committee from the Bartenders'
Union chat the tax might be reduced
from IS to 25 cents. as if this woul'l
:.,ake any difference with the prln-
oiple of the thing. The dollars and
cents side Of the question always
seems to loom big before the mayor.
1t is the bankers view.
Commissioner Hicken declares that
!'s rtenders will be climbing over
themselves TO get tags when the or
dinance becomes law. He says a few
# them have been to see him al
ready, and he has promised to take
care Of some of them by giving them
carly numbers. This is the first Ell
dence Of fa-oritism, and while it is
rot serious it indicates what may
happen in the future, possibly not
with TIicken, but with his successor,
vino may not be as honest or as firm
IS Hicken.
Hicken in his zeal to completely
boss the liquor traffic in Duluth, has
not always been an advocate of IL
ccnsing workmen. AS an alderman
in the old regime he bitterly opposed
the licensing of notormen. OF course
We were on the other side then, bat
a motorman's license was a safety to
life measure; a bartender's license is
not That is just the difference.
Hichcn may go ahead and pass his
fool ordinance, but in doing so he
will divorce himself from a large
number of decent workingmen who
have consistently supported him In
his efforts to compel law enforcement,
There is an under current running
through the city that he is going too
far. There are some things we prize
even more than law enforcement,
ard one of them is the right to work
without. license. He better put on
the soft pedal.
In the play recently given at the
Lyceum, within the Law"-the
story is running in The Labor World
One of the characters, Joe Garsner,
professional crook, confessed to the
inspector of police of having conl-
mitted murder. When Joe saw he
was up 1gainst it he said to the in
spector: "I'll have my picture in
the paper tomorrow, won't I, In
spector? See that I am given the
top of the page" 1t is just this kind
Ct a sentiment that prompts a few
silly bartenders to run to Hicken for
the privilege of wearing Tag No. l."
The same fellows would "shine'' in a
diamond dog collar with a tag at
tached. to it.
TO show now Commissioner 'Hick-
ems mind is working, when the COM
t'A'sSoo AAV1AA lHe DdItcilueIS ulliOH
protested against the passage Of the
license ordinance, Mr. Htcken came
tack at their argument with this
queer retort: you did not make
any protest against licensing hack
men and expressmen when that ordi-
nance was passed. Fred Bernard,
secretary of the union. lost no time
in reminding Mr.. Hicken that BAR
tenders did not use the streets. How
ever, the city is not very much in
terested IN licensing hack or express
drivers. It looks to the owner of the
vehicles, who in many Instances are
tie drivers, but as has been the rule
N the saloon business when a. viola
ton Of law is charged the city holds
the owner, not the bartender cr the
driver, RESPONSIBLE.