Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-03-01


without the limit of 400 feet
Cites a Relocating Case.
Senator Jones called attention to the
saloon at LIST and c streets southwest.
which. he said. fronted as much on c
street as on LIST street. Yet the board
had refused license on C street. but
granted it when the saloonkeeper put
up a sign numbering the place as be-
Ing on LIST street
do you call that relocating tho sa-
loom" asked Senator Jones.
Evidently the board did" replied
Gen. Smith.
Senator Thompson took up the aues-
tioning Of Gen. Smith. He called at
tention to place at I'd and II streets
northeast. in a non-business section.
Cen Smith said the proximity OF the
railroad tracks constituted a business
section Tor the purposes of the law.
The first witness today before the COM
mfttee was jeremiah O'Connor. who con-
ducts a saloon at lis ~ street He de-
MED IN toto the charges made by Police
man Newkirk at hearing before the
committee last week against the man
ner in which his place is conducted.
He testified he had been In the place
more than ten years. and that he had
never been in the Police Court. He told
the committee he had served in the
Spanish war. and put into the record
letters of commentator from his COM
manding officer as a soldier. and from
Mai Sylvester. superintendent of po-
lice He produced a number of wit
nesses to corroborate his testimony,
among them Peter Latterner of III Az
street. Sergt Michael Lynch of the
Boswell. the policeman on the beat
ward Clarke. a lawSer
They all testified that O'Conner had
run his place In a reputable manner.
Mrs. Cotton Answers Charges.
Mrs. Mary L. Cotton. who runs the
fremont Hotel. replied to charges which
have been made against the place be-
fore the committee, declaring that the
police had never made complaint
against her except in the case Of Sergt
Cats, who came and took away from the
hotel a man and a woman who were said
to be not married.
She said .she had applied to Clarence
Wilson. then district attorney, and that
he went before the excise board in her
behalf when she was seeking to have
her license renewed. She told the
committee also that she conducts tho
lunchroom for the judges and lawyers
in the City Hall.
Wilton J. Lambert, who has been at
torney for the Old Dominion railroad
moved from the vicinity of its termi-
nus at 36th and NJ streets. told the
committee Of the steps which have
been taken in the matter and the pro-
the committee that the corporation
counsel and attorneys for Heurich'S
brewery and the National Brewing
Company backed up the applications Of
the saloon keepers who desire to have
their licenses renewed.
Boards Statement in Rebuttal.
statement in rebuttal Of charges
made before the Senate investigating
committee was submitted by the ex-
else board to the committee today. The
statement. in part. was as follows:
THE testimony Of Andrew Wilson.
president of the Anti-Saloon League,
proves but one fact, namely. that on
some occasions the excise board, the
| official body appointed to administer
the law. placed upon that law an in
depreciation differing from that of the
AntiSaloon League, an unofficial body
not charged with the administration OF
the law. The board, in every such in
stance where the opinion OF the
leagues representatives was made
known to it, gave 1t full consideration
before determining that it was not
correct.
Because the board, in adopting its
rules and regulations. in some degree
did not follow the excise law according
to the views of the attorney for the
Anti-Saloon League in which views
Mr.. Wilson concurs. it certainly can
not be held that on that account the
board was wrong.
Answer to Complaints.
Mr. Wilson states in his testimony
that on a few occasions he sent letters
to the excise board which were not re-
piled to- The board wishes to make 1t
plain that on every occasion on which
Nr. Wilson wrote a letter over his
name as president of the Anti-saloon
League he received a courteous and
prompt reply. On one occasion ne ad-
dressed to the board a communication
| which was so insulting that the excise
| board could not SO undignify itself as
| to reply to it. 1t was, in fact. as Sena-
| tor Jones has said, one of the most in
sulting letters which could be sent to
an administrative body AS such. the
board felt justified in ignoring it.
with reference to the two or three
| other letters to which Mr.. Wilson
claims to have received no reply. they
| were simply letters Of protest written
| in his capacity as an individual prop
erty owner. The board has not made a
practice of replying in extended fash
ion to letters of this sort, but notices
of hearings were sent to all who regis
tered such protests, Mr.. Wilson among
them, announcing the date of hearing
upon the cases in dispute. At these
hearings all protestants were heard
and their testimony duly considered.
''Mr. Wilson appears to believe that
whenever an applicant was refused by
the board 1t was due to the efforts of
the Anti-Saloon League. The board
believes there is no foundation for any
such conclusion.
However, nothing of any moment
| has been testified to by Mr.. Wilson. He
offers many statements. many opin-
ions, and much hearsay evidence, but
does nothing to Substantiate any
charge or inference.
Attorney sheehy's Fee.
'In the testimony is a discussion of a
large fee paid to Joseph C. Sheehy by
an applicant for transfer of his barroom
license differences have been drawn that
the board shared in this and other large
fees. Your committee, in its questioning,
has certainly endeavored to establish the
truth of such inferences, but without
avail No amount of investigation will
prove that there has ever been collision
of any sort between the members of tho
board. individually or collectively, and
any person, in any manner. in any case
coming under its jurisdiction. The board
cannot be too emphatic in this state
ment. What arrangements were made
between Mr.. Sheehy and Mr.. Mccarthy,
in the Evans building transfer case, or
between attorney and client in any other
case, were of purely private nature and
of no concern to the excise board
Mr.. Shoemaker produces certain in.