The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1885-03-13
The License Question,

Our attention has been called to the
following editorial from the Shendn-
doah Herald of recent date, by a gen
tleman of Centralia who is deeply in
terested in the suppression of the un-
lawful sale of liqnor at that place. The
article is applicable to no other portion
of our county, but from common re-
port il fits Centralia so well that we
reprint it. The Herald says:
"The announcement by the Court, on
Monday last, that number of applica-
tions for liquor licenses, in Mahauoy
City, had been refused, fell like thur-
derbot among the applicants and their
attorneys. They were not prepared
for it, and the curses and execrations
which they heaped on the heads of
those who were instrumental in secur-
ing such result were long and loud.
The Court, also was freely criticised,
but its action is endorsed by fully nine
tenths of the community.
That there is the most urgent neces-
sity for restricting the already great
and ever increasing evil Of the liquor
traffic no intelligent person will essay
to dispute. In this county the evil
has assumed gigantic proportions. This
is especially true of the towns north of
the Broad Mountain, where the ga
looms, taverns, and so-called restau.
rants outnumber all other places of bus.
mess. There are anywhere from 15O
to lS0 licensed and unlicensed places
in Shenandoah, with population of
perhaps $4,000. Within the bounds
Of single square on Main Street there
are thirteen saloons, ard it is nothing
unusual 20 find punches of four and five
grouped together.
This evil must be remedied, sooner
or later. This extraordinary number
of saloons and the loose manner in
which they are conducted have de
moralizing effect on both the old and
young of the community. The Court
has duty to perform in the matter,
and if we are to judge by its action
on Monday last, it means to perform
it.
We have some knowledge of the
difficulties that beset the Court in deal
ing with the matter We know that
there are men who, without the slight
est conjunction of conscience, will tes.
tify that license is public necessity
where there are entirely too many
drinking places. 1t is not necessary,
however, that the Court should be lon
ger imposed on in this manner. One.
half the saloons now in Shenandoah is
more than enough, and if the Court
shall refuse to reissue half the licenses,
it will perform an act for which it will
receive the praise of the community.
There appears to be very popular
error regarding the Interpretation OF
the law under which licenses are grant
ed. The Court, in the past, appears to
have acted on the Interpretation that i,
was is duty TO issue license to the
applicant if he could show that he was
a citizen of good moral character and
could procure witnesses to certify that
the place ought to be licensed. 1t ha:
been decided, however, by the highest
| judicial authority, that it is the duty ot
the Court to ascertain if ther,
is a necessity for licensed hous,
at the place for which it is ask
ed. 1t may be argued in opposition tc
this that the Court could not find tn,
time to go through the county and de
termine where licenses are unnecessar,
aud where they are not. This, howev
er, would hardly be an argument Tn,
Court knows, as does everybody else
that two.thirds of the saloons now Ii
censed here are unnecessary, aud it tn,
Court shall indiscriminately refuse t,
reissue two-thirds of the licenses mex
week it can hardly make mistake.
| There are, perhaps, a dozen place
in the borough conducted with shov
of respect for the law, but outside o
these the Court would be fully jutiie'
in refusing TO grant the licenses, on tn
ground that they have regularly ant
openly violated the law, but more par
Iicuarly on the ground that instead o
being convenience or accommoda
ton to the public, they are menace t.
the morals of the youth of the town
and positive curse to hundreds of fam
lilies, the fathers of which spend thei
scanty earnings for rum