Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-10-29
WAITING ON LIST
Of EXCISE BOARD
Liquor Men Anxious as to
What Licenses Will Be
Granted.
N0 ADVANCE INFORMATION

It's decisions. The board has been in ex.
scutive session several times since the
hearings were concluded and has made
measurements in a number Of places
where the distances between schools an6
churches and the saloons were questioned
by the Anti-Saloon League. It IL stated
that the work Of the board is about fin
ished and that very little remains to be
done before its decisions are announced
There were numerous callers at the Of
fee Of the board yesterday. Among them
we're representatives Of tho local brew
cries and counsel for the several firms
The members Of the board were assured
lat the brewers were giving a hearty
cooperation in an effort to require ODE
dience to the law.
Advance Information Denied.
1t is said that the matter of near-bear
sales was discussed, and the brewers
gave the assurance that they were living
up to their promises that the beverage
would be sold only to persons holding
liquor licenses and families. Representa-
tives of a number of saloonkeepers were
81 the OiuCS OI INC DOdrQ ycStSIQdy III an
effort to learn something Of their pros
poets. but the board, it Is stated, gave
no advance information.
One of the interested callers was Al
bert e. Shoemaker. counsel for the Anti
Saloon League, who wanted to make
matter Of the boards reaching deter
mination In the many cases in which
licenses were asked In order that there
should be no mistake Of the leagues at
tttude in the matter. Mr.. Shoemaker fur
nished each member Of the board a type
written copy of its contentious, which
reads:
ION behalf Of the Anti-saloon League
permit me to submit to you for your
consideration in connection with your
Tor licenses now before you the fol-
lowing memoranda of legal contentious
which were urged in specific cases dur
ing the recent hearings held by the
board on the application for the re-
newal of licenses for the year begin
ming November 1. 1916.
That the law intends that no bar
room license shall be granted within
places commonly called slums The
board has evidence that a number of
barrooms for which renewal of licenses
are asked are located within 300 feet
Of alleys inhabited by a large number
OF poor and weak people. and some are
within the distance of places that are
sIums. 1 urged the board to deny Ii
censes to all such barrooms for that
reason. except in some instances where
there are but one Of two families in an
alley.
Argument as to Measuring.
II commended that a number of IL
censed places. both barroom and whole
sale. are located within 400 feet of a
public school house or of an estab-
iished house of religious worship or
of college or university. the distance
being measured by the shortest. course
of travel from the nearest enhance to
each. l urged that the nearest en-
trance to church or school need not
mostly used. I urged further in this
connection that the phrase by the
shortest course of travel means the
shortest route a person may walk over
. public right of way from the entrance
o the saloon or other liquor establish
rent. to the nearest entrance to a
ouse of religious worship. public
cchool house. college or university.
| further urged that a house of re-
yious worship. under the law, is any
Hiding or part of a building used reg
= ariy for public worship by some duly
sanized religious society; that to be
house OF religious worship under
law it is not necessary that the
Hiding shall be owned by the society
t ing it. or that the society shall be
eorporated.
.'Furthermore. ! sought to impress
1;pon the board that the smaller and
~eaker religious societies are more In
Iced of the protection Of the law
@gainst the encroachment of liquor es.
Adjustments than the more wealthy
and pretentfous ones. and that after al
I is not the whole purpose of this
provision Of the law to protect the
church building or the CONGREGATION
that worships in 1t. but in part, the
community surrounding It,
As to Business Frontage.
II contended that the prohibition
against the location or maintenance OF
barroom on any side of a stree,
where less than so per centum of the
foot frontage between intersectine
streets, not including saloons or hotel.
and clubs having barroom licenses, il
used for business purposes. applies te
hotels and clubs as well as to the ordi.
parry saloon; that the board having
stricken out the exception in favor Of
clubs and hotels in section Of tn,
rules. the question of granting or re-.
fusing licenses to a number Of club.
and hotels applying for renewals ther
became one Of fact as to the business
or non business frontage; that II a club
mes section and on a business from,
It's application for a renewal of n.
Incense should be denied regardless az
the character of the hotel or club
commended that under the Law
there Is but one class of wholeseI,
licenses. and that they are prohibited
~ any section of the District that i,
1ot u business section, and in a bust
nes section only on the front of .
block or square where so per centun
., the root frontage IS used for bust
ness purposes
The law makes no distinction be
tween wholesaler who sells in ouan
Titles under five gallons and those VIII,
sell in quantities of five gallons or more
that section of the rules, which wouit
permit the granting of wholesaI,
licenses in cases where the Iicensee
sell In quantities less than five gal
Ions. without restriction as to loca
tion Except within 400 feet of churches
schools. etc.). is arbitrary and withou
warrant of law.
Il further commended in this connec
ton that the numerous wholesal
licenses that the board has heretofor
granted in strictly residential section
OF the city where the saloon has beel
II not more obnoxious. to the peopl
of the netghborhood than the saloon
that these wholesale places being Oh
Grated generally in connection wit
grocery stores have become primaril
liquor stores, which sell beer in lars
and other liquors, to men and womel
alike, up to midnight: that, not beinI
permitted to drink upon the premises
much of the liquors purchased at thes
wholesale establishments is consume
upon the streets. In alleys, in park
and on vacant lots, thereby becomin