Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1914-02-12
JUDGE PHIiPOT
Will RETURN TODAY
Decision in Liquor License
Case May Be Given Out
Earlier Than Expected.
NO DEVELOPMENTS.
Saloon Wen Not Anxious to Fight the
Case Further in the
Courts.


whose hands rasts the fate of the sa-
Icons OF this city, left ST. Louis last
night for Pine Bluff and will arrive
home this morning, if he does not
decide to spend the day in Little
Rock on business. If Judge Philpot
arrives this morning, as expedited,
the decision in the liquor license case
may be given out earlier than was
announced by Judge Philpot. He
said that he did not expect to re-
turn until Friday, but advces from
s.. Louis yesterday were that he
would leave that city last night for
Pine Bluff.
There are no new developments in
the liquor license situation. The
granting of nineteen licenses by the
city council Monday night, which
was given to the public through the
Graphic yesterday morning, did not
enable the saloonists to open their
places OF business yesterday morn
ing, as some people thought would
result. The council, in taking this
action, is only carrying out an odd
custom which has been recorded
here annually for years. The coun-
Gil always approves the applications
for saloon licenses before the coun
ty judge acts on them and - IT, $50, re.
mains now for Judge Philpot to either
approve or reject them. 1t was stat
ed some weeks ago that if the coun-
CT went on record as favoring sa
looms Judge Philpot would do like
wise, but the Going act is Said to be
in the way of his approval of the
dramshop licenses. Some argue that
this act must first be gotten out of
| the way with a decision one way OF
| the other in the liquor petition case.
| If Judge Philpot sess fit to waive act
| ion on the liquor license petition,
| abldes by the ruling of Attorney Gen
era! w. l.. Moose, in holding the
Going act unconstitutional, and gran.
| lenses, it is mOoted question as to
| whether or not the saloons will be
permitted to open. The circuit court
might be appealed to for relief by the
| remonstrants and this would create
cn1anglements which the saloon men
are not anxious to combat.
The saloon men, it is said, are not
inclined to favor paying out big
license fees to the city and county
and state and then be forced to close
their place again through legal pro-
| ceedings. If they did there would be
| no way to recover the money paid
for licenses, even though they should
be permitted to operate a few days
under them.
The remonstrants, some of them at
| least, fear that the move of the city
council would result in a complete
victory for the liquor men, but others
contend that the action of the alder
men will have no bearing on the final
outcome of the case.
| The saloon men are anything but
| optimistic. Some of them are said to
have already given up hopes OF re-
opening their places. Others are still
confident of success. The saloons
have been closed forty-two days. All
during this time the proprietors have
been forced to defray their usual ex-
penses, such as rent, insurance, taxes,
etc. Some of them have even paid
their employees their salaries weekly
in order to keep them from leaving
| the city for jobs elsewhere. They
figure that they have lost consider
able money through the "dry spell''
that has been occasioned by the long
drawn out liquor petition contest in
the county court, and some of them
ar. becoming thoroughly disguised
with the whole matter.