meant tor the protection ot society to
some extent at least, then the
com
ma
'loners would have a right to ex
ercise their own iud'ment as to the
merits of the ease and refuse to grant
! license to suoh iierson. And in ,lo
taiued by the law, aud as between the
two we prefer lieeiued saloons, in the
broad i'bire of municipal authority, to
baek-a'y clandestine groynes.
Hut it is the arbitrary, undemocratic
nature of the action of the Hoard that
we mo-t object to. The-s men had
not been given any notice whatever of
the course to be pur.-ued in this matter.
It looks like taking a mean and unfair
advantage of them. If -the Commis
sioners have a right to construe the
law as they have, it wou'd have been
but simp!e justice to the saloon men
to have given them time to close up
their business and leave town or go at
something else.- They might have
granted license for six months with
a 1 flimr tint
me mmeisi.umu uu.u
be renewed.
If not that one month
would have been some showing. Liquor
sellers as they are, they are entitled to
some consideration and should not be
compelled to close their business with
out a moment's warning, with their
capital locked up in stock and fixtures,
owing money it may be which they are
unable to pay under the circumstances,
with clerks hired for another year and
contracts made for house rent, Sec.
Justice and not license particularly is
what we plead for. and if this had been
done less would have been written and
said on this subject.
As to tlic character of the men en
gaged in the liquor business in Hen.
