Yesterday afternoon the City License Committee held a meeting to pass judgment on a petition to increase the fee for liquor licenses. This petition, accompanied by a speech overflowing with self-righteous bigotry, was submitted to the City Council last Friday. It is a fact that within the whole City Council there is no job more ticklish than that of a member of the License Committee, and, consequently, no committee is less dependable and more unpredictable than this. This committee must suffer the insolent attacks of the temperance fanatics, as well as listen to the distress calls of the German tavernkeepers; therefore a session of the License Committee is a rare occurrence. When the Committee does make a report, it is usually drawn up by a single member who assumes this responsibility, and the report is later quietly "sold" to the rest of the Committee members as their own opinion.

Therefore it was not a surprise to the initiated observer, who knows all 2these things, that the License Committee did not meet yesterday. Of course Alderman Ballard was there--that efficient representative of the Second Ward, who approves of visiting saloons only on those occasions when he bribes good citizens into spineless, voting cattle by treating them with poor quality liquor; also present was Alderman Grannis, the eminently respectable representative of the Fourth Ward who made a hasty exit, however, when it was intimated to him that any interference with the present license law would only cause damage to the Republican party. Alderman Meyer of the Fifteenth Ward was there too. He was sure of the Mayor's consent and willing, in the interest of the Democratic party, to cast his Democratic vote against the adoption of the petition--but that still did not make the Committee competent to pass resolutions.

Alderman Ballard loitered around the committee room trying to create the impression, at least, that the meeting of the License Committee, of which he is chairman, had some kind of meaning, and doing his best to entertain 3some individuals who were not members of the City Council, but who had come merely to watch the proceedings.

There was the silver-haired Elmendorf, the fanatic representative of the Citizens' League, and the League's attorney, Smith, who, in spite of his apparent youth, had lost his hair--perhaps because of intensive study, for all we know. There was the stool pigeon Paxton, hiding in corners as though he were afraid of daylight, and there was still another, a lean-faced, bespectacled member of the Citizens' League.

But Attorney Rubens was there too, and John Feldkamp, the tireless champion of the German tavern-keepers, and a half dozen others, also, making the committee room a lively place.

When the attorney for the Citizens' League and the attorney for the Wirtsverein (Tavernkeepers' Association) happen to meet at the same place, there is always an argument. Whenever they meet they remind one of the 4meeting of storm clouds which are loaded with electricity and ready to be discharged. Yesterday was no exception. Rubens gave the temperance fans a little lecture, and, as usual the latter tried to hide behind doctrines for which nobody had ever produced conclusive evidence.

"Why don't your clients abide by the law?" Smith began.

"My clients, the German tavernkeepers, are the most law-abiding people in the world," his opponent retorted, "but when a law is construed to punish them for something they did unknowingly, I'll call them victims and not criminals."

"The law just wants to protect minors against the temptations of the liquor dispenser," replied Elmendorf.

"No German saloonkeeper would knowingly sell intoxicating liquor to minors," retorted Rubens. "Many young men of nineteen or twenty already sport 5mustaches which would be a credit to a twenty-five-year-old."

"So the law should turn over the mustached minors to the saloonkeepers, is that what you mean?" remarked Smith tauntingly.

"That is nonsense," said Rubens, "but the law should only punish the saloon-keeper who willfully ignores it."

"In that case we could never convict a single tavernkeeper of having sold to minors."

"But you are not doing that now, either," laughed Rubens.

"Well, aren't you satisfied?"

"No, I'm not, because any law that is abused for the sole purpose of chicanery, but otherwise is quite ineffective, constitutes a disgrace to the people."

6

"We don't annoy anyone by resorting to frivolous subterfuges," said Elmendorf unctuously.

"Do you really care to see the License Law followed to the letter?" asked Rubens.

"Certainly!"

Then why don't you go after the drugstores as you do after the German innkeepers? The former sell more liquor, and probably to children, too, than all the German saloons together."

"Furnish us with the evidence and we--"

"You get the evidence yourself, just as you have trumped up charges against the German tavernkeepers. The drugstores are selling liquor in flagrant 7trouble. Anybody can get 'booze' in a drugstore whether he presents a prescription for it or not."

"But only if he is known there," remarked Alderman Ballard.

"If that is the case, it would be the best proof that the druggists are well aware of violating the law, but it still is a fact that they sell liquor in any quantity to anybody who has the price for it. The druggists are responsible for more drunks than the saloonkeepers."

Alderman Ballard started to get nasty. "Well, are the gentlemen waiting for the License Committee?" he sneered.

"Of course."

"Then you are out of luck. The Committee is not going to meet today. Try again next week."

8

"Then our petition is to be shelved?" asked the unctuous Elmendorf.

"I would protest against that most vehemently," cried Rubens. "Any time you care to challenge us we are ready to have it out with you. You temperance apostles are, and will remain, a hopeless minority here in Chicago."

"A minority can sometimes be victorious."

"You'11 never be with your temperance preaching. Fight the 'booze shops' which go under the name of drugstores, and we'll say 'Amen!' but try to curb the liberties and civil rights of the innkeepers and you will learn how little influence you really have."

With that the party was ready to break up, and the participants left the committee room where the temperance advocates had hoped in vain to gain a victory.

9

Alcerman Meyer arrived just as the temperance delegation was leaving, and he breathed a sigh of relief that he did not have to listen to their oratory.