The Washington times., 1917-01-02
FREELUNCH BAN Is
CAUSE OF TRAGEDY
EIHeIp Yourself" Sign Replaced
by Section of Bill OF
Fare.
CITIZEN VOICES SENTIMENT
CITIZEN VOICES SENTIMENT
Toothsome BIutWurst and
Sauerkraut Gone-crackers
and Cheese Alternative.
Bite, elm glas bier"

''Bitte,. elm glas bier"
The old man fumbled in his pocket,
produced a nickel, placed it on the
bar, then mechanically faced about
and moved toward the back of the
room.
Suddenly he halted.
"HimmeI," he interjected, "wass
ist?" .-..
'Smatter?" queried the gentleman
all, in white, with the Kaiserlich mus
tache.
'aDer lontsch. Der Iontsch! wo
ist?"
It was almost a moan. There was
tragedy in his manner as the old man
looked from the bartender to the
newly painted sign on the wall.
As II Used to BE.
Formerly there had been a little
Viting, ufficient-"Hilfen Sic"
And, under the sign in toothsome
array, a variety Of items with which
~ satisfy the inner man.
There should have been there blut-
wurst, succulent, soft and full Of rare
bits of fat: there should have been
the sour dill pickle with which to on
set it; the sauerkraut, the wiener, in
thin slices, just fine to fold over it
one slice of that rye bread; the little
picked minnows that Tickle the ton
que with their tails.
And now what?
Gene Are The Happy Days.
Covering the old German script a
newly painted sign: Hot Dog Sand
witches, 5 Cents" And a hand which
pointed somewhere to the right.
The old mans eyes followed the d.
rSction of the accusing index finger
to q neat pile Of bread, rye and white,
and behind it a near-Nubian who smil-
ed and bowed and said, "Yassah," with
upward infection.
For a moment the old man stood,
seeming dazed. Then he fumbled a
moment in his pocket, slowly shook
his head, and started, shoulders droop-
ing, toward the door.
aye didn't git yer beer" the bar
tender reminded him.
Change In Heartbreaking.
slowly the old man wheeled. The
face he turned upon the man in
white was q study in anger, sorrow,
disgust, even despair. And these SEN
timents and more-finality-hee x-
pressed as he threw back his should
ers. o.. 8
"No:" he fairly shouted, and disap-
peared through the swinging doors.
The Excise Board has proclaimed
war on the free lunch. Not an actual
ban, but a Recommendation to all the
saloon keepers in the city TO discon-
tinue the practice of giving away
foods with drinks:
Cause For Mourning.
And there is mourning in Washing
ton. The established institution OF
free lunch has been the joy to the
clerk and the business nina who want
a.tust a little snack and a hot sand
witch at the noon hour. And still
greater mourning is there among the
hundreds, who, according to the sa-
loonists. have depended in a measure
on the kindly offices of the handout
for their daily meals.
Comply With Regulations.
Saloon owners everywhere have
shown a disposition to comply i'm
medIately with the recommendations
of the board. Many of the bars have
substituted for the steam table a row
of dishes containing all the meager
lunch that the board considers legiti-
mate: crackers. ginger cookies.
cheese, and olives. Others have made
the lunch counter into a miniature
restaurant.
Among the other rules Of the board
effective today are the ban on credit
and the sale of beer in the old-time
GROWER" Beer in wholesale estab-
lishments may be sold only in sealed
(crowned) bottles.
IL Against Drinks On House.
The Excise Board urges the discon-
tinuance of the practice of treating
by employees. and the cashing of
checks or vouchers for laborers, pen
sioners, soldiers, sailors, and marines.
The ruling laid down as to the sale
OF scent liquor has hit several places
in the poorer neighborhoods, accord
ing to the saloonists. but the full ef-
feet of the order will not be known
for several days.