The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-06-05

tho sale of Intoxicating liquors at any
place unless the court be satisfied that
proper and satisfactory police protec-
ton is afforded" The applicant ia
also required To give bond with good
security, both by statute ara ords-
nance, conditioned for the observ-
ance Of the law, and his license may
Re forfeited ~ any time for d vio-
lation Of the law
Tends to Debase
The - =
ness which tends Ia debass and de-
grade the young, immature and fee
hleminded, and TO lower the standard
Of womanly virtues
As evidence Of this. mo person,
club, firm, corporation err assoc atlon
ssfs++ sell or dispense ardent spirits
10 a person under twenty-one years
n age. or TO any student at any pt b.
lie school. college er university. or to
an idiot, or knowingly sell To a luna
tic, eplieptic, habjtual drunkard or
intoxicated person." And no female
or minor shall he emplhyed i'm any
capacity In any saloon. nor shall any
ardent spirits be delivered to any MI
nor or female in any saloon either to
he drunk in such saloon or to be de-
i!vered To any other person. and no
ardent spirits shall he sold or served
TO any female in any harroom or sa-
loon"
In most of these. cases the appli-
cant has proven that he is "a fit per-
son 10 be entrusted with this prjvi-
ieee. that he Is 'of good moral char
acter and of good reputation in the
community and viii keep an orderly
house and personally supefintend the
sa me"
The important question for the con-
sideration of the court has therefore
been, whether the place IS a suit
able, convenient and appropriate
place for the conduct of such bust
ness"
A license to sell Intoxicating IL
qhnrs is a privilege. and cannot be
demanded as a right under the law
In the argument Of these cases much
stress has been laid upon the fact
that in many of them. harrooms have
been located at the same places for
a number of years and have been we'll
conducted. 1t is true that these facts
are entitled To just consideration when
the conditions remain the same, but
length of time confers no vested
rights in this particular. Licenses are
granted for 81 limited period and
changed conditions. or conditions pre-
viouSly unknown to the court, bring
up the question OF the appropriateness
of the location whenever an applica-
ton is made for the granting or re-
newal of a license. In some of these
cases conditions have changed since
the barroom was first established and
IN others the appropriateness of the
location is for the first time brought
TO the attention of the court A bar
room cannot be allowed to retard the
progress of the city along other more
useful lines. and where residences,
churches, schools and other similar
institutions have been erected near
1t and the location of such barroom
becomes unsuitable and inappropriate,
such barroom must be discontinued or
removed.
Section Not Suitable.
The law as applied to cities does
not in terms prohibit the location of
harrooms in residential sections, or
within any prescribed distance from
churches and schools, but such loca-
ton is a most important fact for the
consideration of the court. In most
OF these cases these barrooms are To-
Gated in sections which are partly
business and partly residential Sec
lions. Some OF them are located on
streets which have a few business
houses, but are largely residential and
in short time will become entirely
SO, while others are on streets which
have a few residences but are re-
garded as business streets. No fixed
rule can. therefore. be laid down on
the subject. but each case must be
determined by all the conditions.
In this investigation there has been
but little evidence OF the direct vio-
lAtion OF the law by the owners Of
these barrooms. Many OF the po-
Hcemcn Of the city have been called
NJ witnesses, and they have uniform
Nv taAtlAed thAt m ot these harropms
nf ~ 0endnc4ed. ana khnS thex