The Detroit times., 1915-01-05
20 SALOON men
BLACKLISTED
BY The POLICE
Gillespie To Submit Names of
Undesirables and Ask That
Licenses Be Revoked
WILL NOT PASS ON ALL
APPLICANTS, HOWEVER
Committee Must Shoulder More
Responsibility in Making
Liquor Grants

The council committee on liquor
regulation will have TO work indepen
IDENTITY OF the police department, ex
cept in individual cases. In passing on
applications for liquor licenses next
spring. Commissioner Gillespie will
send to the committee a list, which
ii is understood will comprise less
than 20 names. with the request that
these saloonkeepers be refused new
licenses. The police list OF undesir-
ables will include saloons in which
serious brawls have occurred, and
others that are known to harbor cheap
thieves, panhandleTs, etc.
THE department will not send Of
ficers before the committee TO pass
on the character OF each applicant as
it has done In the past two years, "
said the commissioner "We will sub.
NIT list Of undesirables and state To
the committee the reasons why we
want their licenses revoked The de-
partment will willingly assist the com
mittee by furnishing data in specific
cases where information is desired
We want the undesirables on our list
put out of business and kept out OF
business In Detroit for all time 10
come"
In previous years the liquor com.
mittee relied on the police depart
ment for a great deal OF information
that the committees investigator
working in limited time, was unable
TO turn up. Also, the committee used
the testimony OF the officers to check
off unofficial data, and reports brought
to the aldermen from outside sources
thus placing the police department in
the position OF passing on the desir-
ability or undesirability of applicants.
and at the same time lifting the bur
den Of responsibility from the shoul-
ders Of the aldermen.
II has been stated that the new
liquor committee. which will be ap-
pointed week from next Tuesday
night, will not employ a special In
vestigator.@The work OF Charles A.
Nichols. investigator for two years,
routed all the saloonkeepers who were
non-citizens and, therefore, holding
licenses contrary to the Warner-Cram
ton law. Since the council commit
tee under the direction OF Aid Harry
j. Dingeman got after aliens and un-
desirables, the aldermen have been
careful to investigate applicants be-
fore granting new licenses, 30 that
there is little probing to be done in
connection with the granting OF 1915
licenses, except In individual cases
where fresh complaints are received.
Then the committee is privileged to
call upon the police department for
what help is needed.
Ii is not likely that the new com
mittee will be able to make much OF
showing SO far as cutting down the
total number of saloons is concerned,
unless, OF course, the aldermen decide
to follow out the letter OF the War
ner-Cramton law and hold strictly TO
the rule that the death Of license
holder or the sale Of license con-
stitutes voluntary surrender.
Former committees have never at
tempted to prevent the sale OF liquor
licenses. AS salable asset q liquor
license Is now valued at from $4,000
to $4,000. To circumvent the law the
council committee goes through the
formality of refusing liquor license
to the seller and granting II to the
purchaser, both making applications
before the committee for the same
location. The committee requires
that the bill of sale be produced to
make sure that this particular part OF
the proceeding Is in good faith. The
bill OF sale usually mentions "bar, fix
lures, stock, etc." although in several
instances last year applicants came
before the committee with papers that
cense. The chairman, in those cases,
informed the parties that the law pro-
hibits the sale OF license. and he
proceeded to instruct them how 10
draw up the bill OF sale in proper
form to get by the committee.
In case of the death OF a license
holder, the committee last year evad-
ed the intent OF the law by declaring
the license voluntarily surrendered.
but saving the estate OF the deceased
loss by granting a license taken away
from an undesirable. Thus the total
number of licenses was cut down
only by the number of undesirables
denied licenses and those whose IL
censes were lost through other
causes.
Aid. Dingeman has been asked to
head the 1915 liquor committee, but
he is not sure that he wants the Job.
The members Of the present commit.
tee are not desirious Of serving again.
II is understood that several alder
men are anxious to serve on the com
mittee, one OF them being Moses War
tell, of the Fifth ward. Although not
member of the committee last
spring, Aid. Wartell was constantly
"buzzing around, at liquor meetings.
Herman link, alderman-elect from the
Eleventh ward, would also like a place
on the committee. link was chair
man of the committee three years ago
when its sessions were held behind
closed doors.