Liquor Shops Near Government Departments
THE effort of Postmaster-General Maynard to close the liquor stores opposite his department in Washington has failed, much to the disappointment of the friends of temperance in the city. The commissioners have granted the licenses against which Mr. Maynard protested, and claim that President Hayes sanctioned their action, though that statement is doubted by those who know the President's decided views on temperance questions. The Washington correspondent of the New York Tribune says:— “There are eight of these liquor shops opposite the Post-Office Department, and five around the Interior Department, making thirteen for the accommodation of the clerks in these two adjacent buildings. On one square opposite government property, and within sight of the State, War, and Navy Departments, and only one block and a half from the White House itself, there are twelve of the worst resorts of the kind in the city, besides four gambling houses in which liquors are sold. These, as well as the scores of others about government property, could all be driven from such public places if the President accepted the interpretation put upon the law by the Postmaster-General, and the Attorney of the District, who is regarded as one of the best lawyers in the Washington Bar. The gambling dens are in full blast day and night and Sundays. In these respects there has not been as bad a condition of affairs in the capital since the times of the war.”