The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1873-03-13
THE LOCAL OPTION LAW
.ddress to the Citizens Of Monroe County.

Hotels and Restaurants shall be licensed in our
county, or whether those Hotels and Rcs.alr
ants must be closed up, and no license granted
for their continuance, whether spirituous,
vinous and brewed liquors shall be kept for
sale within the limits of Monroe county, or
not. In order that orr good citizens may vote
Understandings, a glimpse at the provisions
of the Local Option law, as published, will
show what it contains, and the propriety Of
voting for or against its provisions. The Com
mittee appointed at a meeting held February
2Sth, 1873, at Stroudsburg, do respectfully
solicit a full attendance of the votes of every
township and borough in our county, and that
every man may examine and from his own
opinion, and vote Understandings on the
question, we submit the following:
This law, if carried into effect, would de-
prive every Hotel keeper of the privilege Of
selling liquors of any kind whatever, as wei
malt as spurious liquors, and would give the
exclusive privilege of such sales to druggists,
nor would it put them under any restrictions,
they could sell 10 any person calling for the
same, all the person need to say would be that
IL II 4 lOi II II Pun W.
and he would he furnis he'd with any quantity
he might desire to purchase, this would put it
in the power Of hard drinker, who cannot now
procure it at a well kept Hotel 10 buy of the
Druggists by the dimijohn, or ing full, and thi-
would create more drunkards than now exist
under our present well guarded license law. 1t
would take the sales out of the Hotels, and
| H. -, 9, IL, Ia,l-. or ,.J ., IL i'll r.
the Druggists, without compelling them to
give any security to the Court, as Landlords
must now do. 1t would not make temperance
any stronger, nor half so strong as it now is,
but it would cause every Hotel in the county
to close up. as they could not afford to keep
Hotels open, if denied the right TO sell liquor.
Now suppose all houses out of the Borough of
StrGudsburg TO close ur, and discontinue the
business, which they would be compelled to
do, how would the travelling public get along,
no stabling for their horses, no meals, no beds
for themselves, should they call on private
houses, farms, mechanics, &c, and seek ac-
commodations, they would find few places
where they could receive accommodations.
Some might say we could give YOU meals, but
we have no stabling for your team, some would
say we cannot furnith beds, others wo@ld say
we cannot accommodate you in any manner
others again would say we will not be bothered
with furnishing accommodations, our business
will not afford it. In the Borough of Strouds-
burg there might possibly be two or three
houses kept for the accommodation Of men
attending Court, but these being denied license
to sell liquor would necessarily have to double
their charges. They are now keeping jurors
and witnesses at Sl.25 per day-they would, as
temperance houses, have to charge $500 per
day under the Local Option law. This would
compel Jurors who now get 81 so per day to
pay $3.50 out of their pocket. every day, and
yet by law they are compelled to attend as
jurors and witnesses bu.-much worse would
be the condition of the traveller out of Strouds-
burg, who could not be accommodated at any
price, as he could then find no hotels to stop
at. Now take into consideration our bark and
lumber teams who are constantly out, especial
ly during the winter season, and must nearly
all stay from home at least one night, and
then generally go in companies ofsix to twelve
or more, they would find no fires to warm at
on the way, no stabling Cor teams, no meals
and beds for themselves, we can see no otherI
way for such travellers than for them to carry
their own ~victuals with them, also their feed
buckets, &C., and to lay out in the cold with
their teams all night, houseless, and stableless.
Our hotels are now generally well kept, with
plenty of every accommodation for man and
beast.
2-Now lest us examine this matterin a financial
point of view. The licenses paid into the State
and national Treasures amount, for Monroe
county alone, to say 100000 for Hotels and
Restaurant licenses. The tax of 70 cents to
$3.50 per gallon for all liquors brought into our
county and sold here, with the porter, ale and
lager, at $l.50 per barrel runs up 10 at least
S60.O00,00 making together, the sum of
. 100000. This amount on the adoption of
the local law, would cease to flow into orr
national and State Treasures, and would have
to be supplied by direct taxation on our tax
payers, who now groal under heavy taxation.
which would be more than double in this case.
IL would cause our good citizens to paw double
the amount OF taxes they now pay, double for
travelling bills, when they could get any accom-
modations at all, and deprive them of Hotel
accommodations entirely.
This law would reduce the value of Hotel
property at least to half its present yaIne
which now is at least $3.50, 00O, 90, say the value
OF this property under local option $22j ,0O0, 90.
This law would operate very unjustly upon
a worthy class of men, who now keep orderly
and we'll repuletad bousas o,I-.