Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-01-20
CLOSING HOUR EXTENDED.
THE BOARD OF SELEcTMEN FIX IT AT
 TWELVE O'CLOCK.

TWELVE O'CLOCK.
 A General Howl Goes up From Those who Want the Hour LA Petition That was Gotten up on the Quiet and had the De- sired Effect.
 Since the decision of the Supreme Court of Errors in the case of State against Mar GUS Hellmann for violating the ii o'clock law, when the selectmen had fixed the closing hour of saloons at ii and thesCourt of Common Council at 12 o'clock, the outcome has been awaited with inter- est by the temperance people, the advo- cates of the il o'clock closing law, and the imbiber of the ardent, who wants night cap before he goes to bed. The first men toned people have been caught mapping, while portion of the latter have been on the alert and have, to use good modern Anglo-Saxon, got ahead of their sleepier opponents For several weeks a number of saloon keepers and citizens have been circulating petition which was presented to the Selectmen, who at meeting last evening voted to fix the closing of saloons at 12 o'clock. Among the petitioners were many of the leading and more so- called respectable saloon keepers and 8 goodly number of reputable citizens, and the selectmen, having had no petition to let the hour remain as fixed by law, granted the prayer and the saloons will hereafter be open until 12 o'clock, if the proprietors so elect. -
 The action of the Board of Selectmen created consternation in the ranks of those who favor the Matthews closing law, who had never dreamed that there were people who disagreed with them. Many who favor 12 o'clock were equally surprised, but their surprise was mingled with pleas ure, and they consoled themselves with a harmless decoction at the nearest mahog- any outfit The early closing people were indignant, some of them mad, and one of them took occasion this morning to call at the Selectmen's office and tell two members of that board what he thought of them. Others dropped in to express their grati- tude and tender their sympathy in this, the Selectmen's season of trouble.
 The il o'clock closing hour the saloon keepers say has been on trial for one year and did not prove satisfactory There was general fault finding by their custom CTS. Many times the closing of the sa- looms at il o'clock broke up pleasant party. It closed, they claim, only the saloons whose proprietors respected and complied with the law, while many in the outlying sections of the city, and some in the center, run full blast on the quiet as usual and often after midnight For this reason they presented the petition to the selectmen, and the supreme court having decided that the Board of Selectmen have jurisdiction, they will now resume the old hours.
 The advocates of early closing claim that the saloons should be closed at il o'clock in the interest of good orde, and sobriety, and in this they are backed by the police. Chief Egan said to-day that during the past year the patrolmen had reported the streets quieter at midnight than they were at o'clock under the old system, and said that fewer arrests were made at night
 The action of the selectmen takes effect immediately, and continues in force during their term of office. Prosecuting Agent Colley, when asked abont the effect of the action of the selectmen, was nOn-committal
 Only one arrest has been made for the violation of the il o'clock law since the Supreme Court of Errors rendered it's de- cision in the case of Martin Hellmann William M. Miller, who keeps saloon al No D Harrison avenue, was the offender and he settled with the prosecuting agent The parties who came out of his saloon al about 11:20 o'clock on the night in ques- tion were no small fry, either. They were no less than prom inent town official and two members of the city government, one of them close ly allied with the police department. They are excellent fellows and of course it is nobody's business who they are. It was said to-day by one who knows that three members of the court of common council who had cast their votes against extending the hour stultifed themselves not long afterwards by remaining in saloon ir this city after II o'clock