Evening star., 1915-02-24
Officials of the Anti-SaIoon
League Testify Before
Senate Committee.
CHARGE LAW VIOLATIONS
! IN GRANTING LICENSES
Cotter T. Bride, Member of Board,
Quoted as limiting at Myster-
r. GUS "Collections.'

Shoemaker, attorney for the league
appeared before the Senate committee
Investigating the District excise board
today in support of the charges that
the board has permitted violations OF
the excise law.
During his testimony Mr.. Shoemaker
told the committee that last october
Cotter T. Bride, a member of the
board, in private conversation with him
had said that Columbus and Bakers
son are acting as collectors for Baker
Mr.. Shoemaker said that he under
stood Mr. Bride had reference to w. f.
Columbus, an attorney, who has fre-
ouently appeared before the excise
board on behalf of applicants for liquor
licenses, and to the son of Henry 5.
Baker, a member of the excise board.
Fails to Explain 'Collections."
Pressed by members of the COM
mittee, Mr. Shoemaker declared that
was all Mr. Bride had said about the
matter Mr.. Shoemaker did not 1ndi-
cate in any way what the collections"
to which Mr. Bride had referred were
for.
Mr. Shoemaker also testified that
when an application for a renewal OF
the license for the Ebbitt House was
under consideration by the excise
granting of the renewal on the ground
that the excise law had been violated
in the manner in which the place was
run. He persuaded the board to grant
now a member of the Capitol police
force. but formerly a doorman at the
Ebbitt House.
Mr.. Wood" said Mr.. Shoemaker.
testified to the practice of furnishing
liquor TO young women in the Ebbitt
House restaurant. some of them under
age. He told how he had carried one
young girl out of the place so drunk
that she could not stand. and placed
her in an electric automobile in which
she had come to the hotel. The young
man with her could not operate the
machine, he said. He told the board
that it had been the practice to bundle
women who had become drunk in the
place into carriages brought to a side
door in an alley. He said that he had
found 1t useless to tell superiors of
these conditions"
Unmoved by Testimony.
what did the excise board say to this
testimony asked Senator Sheppard,
chairman Of the investigating commit
tee.
'.Mr. Bride the next day made a
comment to the effect that it was a good
thing that the board had permitted the
evidence to be given But the chairman
of the board said: The evidence has no
weight with me whatever And Mr..
Baker, the other member of the board.
said Amen, amen to the remark OF the
chairman"
MIR. Shoemaker said that this was a
little while before the renewal of the
license was granted to the Ebbitt House
for the present year
Mr.. Shoemaker told the committee that
he had been employed as attorney for
the Anti-Saloon League for the last
twenty years, and as such had been in
constant touch with the work Of the
excise boards.
He was asked il he could give the
frequently appeared before the excise
board to represent applicants for Ii
censes- He said that A H. Bell, NJ. j.
Kean. r. L. Montague and Joseph c.
Sheehy, former chairman of the excise
board, had frequently been before the
board in that capacity. Mr.. Sheehy. he
said. had been chairman OF the board
from September. 1913. to April. 1914.
Became a Practitioner.
maker, 'and Immediately became a
practitioner before the excise board
Mr.. Shoemaker discussed in detail the
case of John ]. Mccarthy. who applied
for transfer of his license to the
Evans building and whose case even
tually led to a suit by W. F. Columbus
against Mr.. Sheehy to compel a di-
vision of the fee of $2.5oo which Mr.
sheehy had collected for obtaining a
toense for Mccarthy.
Mr.. Shoemaker told the committee
that while Mr. Sheehy had been chair
fnan OF the excise board and had his
ONCE in the Evans building he had told
Mt. Shoemaker that he would vigor-
ously resist any attempt to have q
Mccarthy made two or three at
tempts to have his license transferred
TO other places while Mr.. Sheehy was
Ill refused" said Mr.. Shoemaker. Afte1
Mr.. Sheehy had resigned, said Mr.. Shoe
maker. Columbus. who had been at
torney for Mccarthy. sought Mr. Shee-
by to support him, and a contract was
drawn up between them. as shown IL
the court record of the suit afterward
brought by Columbus. that they shoulG
divide a retainer of $500 and a contin-
gent fee of $4,000
Thrown Out of Court.
Justice Stafford threw the case o,
Columbus out of court on the ground
that such a contract was contrary te
public policy" said Mr.. Shoemaker. H.
said that after this action by the cour,
Mr.. Sheehy continued to appear as at.
torney before the excise board and wa:
In good standing before the board
He also told the committee about tn,
case of Thomas Rafferty,. who had &
license in a residence district in tn,
northeast section of the city and sough
to have il transferred to 406 II stree
northeast, and was finally successful
He told how a Mr.. Fitzsimmons ;
tailor at 406 H street northeast, has
applied to the Anti-Saloon League foi
assistance to prevent the issue of tn,
license. had gotten a number of sigma
tures to a protest against the granting
of the license, and how Fitzsimmoni
later had destroyed the protests in tn,
presence of Rafferty, after Rafferty, hat
bald him 500 and promised him an
0tber 500.
a.He told the committee that Rafferty,
Sad testified before the excise board
that he had given the money to Fitz-
simmons for promising not to oppose
himself the granting of the license anC
TO move from the building when de-
Sired.
"RaYerty testified before the boa rc
bnce that he had never seen or heard
bf any protests signed by citizens,
laid Mr.. Shoemaker. Later Rafferty, ad.
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