The Alaska daily empire., 1916-06-30

judges have not He could each year hand the
 saloon men of Fairbanks the deal the saloon
 Of the Coast getting, but he doesn't
 In fact that Is about the last thing he would
 think of doing unless the saloon by their
 conduct forced him to fight them with the
 machinery Of the Court
 ~The saloon man has learned or Is begin
 ming to learn that his only political power
 lies in conducting his saloon as a respectable
 place of business and by such conduct has won
 strength in the community in which he is do-
 ing business. What seemed last March
 cinche losing for the saloon men is today an
 uncertainty with chances slightly in favor of
 the saloon man. They have carried the fight
 to the saloon man. with all the ruffstuff ac-
 compartments of bte-andgouge game, but he
 Is still in business.
 The foregoing was obviously published in the in terest of the saloon traffic in Alaska If the author of the screed knows anything of the law he knows that it is the law and Judge Jennings who puts the saloon the defensive and makes 1t pay all the costs of the contest" He knows that the taking of the census is step in the process Of as pertaining how many people there who come within the meaning of the law that it might be dis closed how many there are whose consent to the sale of liquor must be obtained in order to secure majority, a rQurement of the law. He knows that the expenses of the whole proceeding made a charge on the saloon by law. He knows that Judge Jennings has placed no unlawful burden on the saloon men. and he knows that the ascertaining or the bona ude expression or z0OV or so people IS no easy matter.
 The law requires that a majority of the citizens over the age of 21 actually and in good faith give their the sale of liquor before license may issue
 Judge Jennings has been trying to ascertain in certain manner exactly what is the bona Tide de- sire of the people and he has been requiring saloon men to secure the consent of majority of tho people within the twomile limit in such manner that there could be doubt about the proof The system he has adopted has been called expensive but 1t amounted this year to not over SlOO each for the saloons of Juneau However. concedng that it is awkward and expensive. 1t is because of the law and because Juneau has grown to be SO much larger than it once was It would be expensive for any one to prove that a majority of the citizens 21 years Of age favored any particular proposition It would cost far more than S1OO The saloon have been able get by with small expense because the court permits them to cooperate and have election and one census. Suppose Judge Jennings would require prove that actual majority Of the citizens over the of 2l years had actually given their consent in good faith Go the issuance of his particular lcense He would be well within his prerogatve if he should follow such course The cost would be many times what it this year.
 Therefore why this talk Of "fish,udges" bite. andgouge game" and the rest of itl Is it not fair To assume that the attack Judge Jennings is in. spred by the circumstance that he compels saloon 10 comply with the law? is not fair to assume that some people want the aid to avoid the law? Is it not fair to assume that the methods that put the saloons out of business in Washington and Oregon being followed by of the Alaskans? !?
 If the system is wrong the law is wrong and should be changed and the only to change it is 10 get the organic act changed. either by an amend ment relieving the saloon of the burden of prov ing that majority of the people have given their consent to the issuance of lceness by permitting he Territorial Legislature to handle the question.
 To the credit of the majority of the saloon men in Juneau let t be said that the most of them ully understand this question, and realize the i'm ,ortance of the warning which is here given express sion