Evening star., 1934-03-09
LIBRARIES OBJECT
TOSALE Of LIQUOR
|NNEARBY STORES
A, B. c. Board Asks Com
mission to Make Policy
for Soldiers Home.
BoWERMAN SEEKING
TO PROTECT CHILDREN
Grsxzhg of Licenses Near
schools to Be Decided at Public
Hearing Tomorrow.

Objections to the granting OF liquor
licenses to places in the vicinity OF
public libraries were filed with the
District Commissioners and the Al
coholic Beverage Control Board today
by George F. Bowerman, public Ii
brarian, in the name of the librarys
board of trustees.
The trustees also indorsed the ac-
ton of the Board of Education pro-
testing granting of licenses near
schools and colleges.
Another development today was
statement by George w. Offutt, hair
man of the A. B. C. Board, that he
would ask the District Commissioners
to adopt a policy regarding granting
Of licenses in the vicinity of Soldiers
Home and near St. Elizabeths Hos
pital. A few days ago the Commits
sioners told the board it was their
policy not to permit sale of any kind
of beverages, except wine and beer in
bottles, in the vicinity of Walter Reed
Hospital.
Would Protect Children.
The action of the Board of Trustees
OF the Public Library centered around
the fact that children of school age
frequent the Central Library and its
branches for supplementary reading
In connection with their school work.
The statement says that children,
attending such Libraries, would be
tempted to visit places where liquor
Is sold if such places are located in
the vicinity of such libraries"
The board was told that the library
trustees protest the granting of liquor
licenses Of any kind in the vicinity of
the Central Library or its branches
The point was made that the free
Public Library was declared by an
act of Congress to be supplement
to the public education system"
The question of what policy should
be adopted as to granting liquor
licenses to places near public schools
Is to be debated at a special public
hearing tomorrow morning before the
A. B. c. Board, at the District Build
ing.
DR.. BOwerman's Plea.
In his capacity as treasurer and
secretary to the board of trustees of
the Public Library, DR.. Bowerman
wrote to the Commissioners that II by
regulation schools are to be pro-
tected, that Libraries should be given
similar treatment because of the
number of school children attending
the libraries. Their parents do not
want them to go past places where
liquor is sold, especially when they
visit branch Libraries during the eve
ming" DR.. Bowerman wrote.
Dr. Bowerman said he had pre-
sented the matter to the A. B. c.
Board but was given to understand
that the board was not going to
protect either schools, churches or
libraries. This would seem to me
very great mistake"
DR.. Bowerman protested specifically
against the granting of liquor
license to a retail establishment in
the $500 block Of Connecticut avenue
close to the Chevy Chase Subbranch
Library He said he believed parents
who wished to protect their children
from the temptation of liquor likely
would forbid their children to visit
the library during evenings if this
license were granted.
Protests License.
DR.. Bowerman also protested against
the license which has been granted to
a shoe store at the corner of Seventh
street and Mount Vernon place, near
the Central Library Building. He
said he had visited the place and
found 40 people In the store "clamor-
ing for bottles of liquor"
He said he found these patrons
were c. w. A. workers who had just
been paid off. He added: Instead
of taking the relief money which they
had received as wages home to their
families or buying groceries with it,
they were making great haste to get
rid Of it for liquor"
IlC n. D. ~. Dual u lCCCltCu q plCd
for a protected area near st. Eliza
beth's Hospital, which has been sent
to the Interior Department by NJ
Sanger. assistant to the institutions
superintendent. Interior officials in
forwarding it to District officers re-
quested that appropriate considera-
ton" be given the matter
The communication stated that Cor
poration Counsel Bride had informed
the hospital authorities that the new
District liquor law had repealed an
act Of 1907 prohibiting sale of intox-
eating liquors near the st. Elizabeth's
institution and near the Home for
Aged and Infirm.
"Need Protection"
The statement added: "The in
mates of the hospital are in need of
the same protection at the present