The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-05-10
Law and Order Leaguers
Find it Hard Work
to Officer the Or
ganization.
A STORY ABOUT JOHN HART.
How Evidence Was Collected Against
the Secretary of the Liquor Deal
ers' Association,

erS' ASS0clatl0n.
From the manner and rapidity with
which the members of the Law and Or
der League declined last night to be OH
GERS of that body of reformers it looks as
if all interest in reform, so far as the
League is concerned, is dead.
The meeting held was an annual one
A president, secretary, treasurer and Ad-
visory Committee of five were to be
elected. This became before the mem
bers adjourned to go home difficult feat
to accomplish. Beside transacting this
business, report was submitted by Vice
President Cowles, who is counsel to the
Board. The report, when made, was de-
cidedly interesting In addition to this
business the League had to pay bill. 1t
was that they had incurred by employing
Mr.. Cowles to prosecute the men who sell
beer and whiskey on Sunday.
WHO WE'RE PRESENT.
When President Charles d. Ridgeway
called the meeting to order in the parlor
of the Second Presbyterian Church, there
Dr. McKelvey, the Rev. Dr. Halleron, the
Rev W. G. Martin, Walter Brinkerhoff,
the secretary, Frank E. Blake, and two
other gentlemen; later DR. Quimby came
in. He caused the greatest sensation OF
the evening He did not make speech.
After being informed that the first duty
of members was to elect officers for the
ensuing year, motion was read to sus-
pend the rules to hear the report of Mr..
Cowles.
THE REPORT.
''The Advisory Committee met at my
office several times" said he, "and was
requested to take the legal part of the
work. l declined and suggested two other
lawyers When the committee came
back the members insisted that l should
do the work, and took the position. In
regard to the work that has been done
expected we would be defeated in the
first three or four cases, because we were
working under q new law that required q
decision from the Supreme Court to make
it absolutely valid.
"We employed young men, most Of
whom belong to this League, to visit
saloons to obtain evidence. They went to
Henn's place and secured list of the
names Of those present and other evil
dence, and HEM was brought to trial. We
proved the case and the fact of selling on
Sunday. Judge Knapp was on his vaca-
tion and the case was brought before
Judge Garrison, of Camden. He was in q
hurry to go on his vacation and so we
sent to him at Saratoga certified copies of
the papers. When. he rendered his de-
cision the other Supreme Court Judges
expressed surprise at it.
HAD EIGHT DETECTIVES.
''We had in our employ eight men col
lecting evidence in the city. They Wis
tied places from time to time and l have
their memoranda of twenty-five of the
principal saloons in the city where the law
was violated
.'Soon after we made final attempt to
close up Hem met John Hart, secretary
of the Liquor Dealers Association, who
asked why selected HEM to persecute.
replied that he was not being prosecuted
and said:--
'"Of course you don't sell on Sunday
"'Of course not, he replied.
'"The next Sunday we had men in his
place on Railroad avenue and l have the
evidence"
Counsellor Cowles then recited the his
tory of the Hem case, and added
''As the law is changed now, the evi-
dence we have obtained against the
saloons is probably of no use will say,
however, that we had a better observance
of the Sabbath during the past year than
ever before"
HIS BILL WAS PAID.
The Rev. Dr. Halleron said when Mr..
Cowles had concluded, that he would like
to know what his bill for services was, so
formed him that he had paid S25 expenses,
but that he did not desire to present a
bill for professional services. He left that
entirely with the League When it was
ascertained that there was $130 in the
treasury, S25 was paid Mr.. Cowles for dis
bursements, and 500 for professional
work.
DID NOT WANT OFFICE.
Some other routine work was done and
then the election of officers came up.
President Ridgeway was renominated by
DR.. McKelvey, but he positively declined.
He was argued with and entreated, but
he remained obdurate. Then the MEM
bers asked each other who would accept
the Office There was no one present that
would and the members made a mental
search over the city. There was not
single man proposed who would accept,
and in despair the League, after half
hours work, agreed to leave this offlce
untitled and to elect vice presidents.
The three gentlemen who have filed this
Office Messrs McKelvey, Cowles and
Losher-were with considerable difficulty
persuaded to be reelected, and then came
be on it. No one had time to do the work.
1t was done last year by Messrs. Hal
leron, Pangborn, Martin, Benedict and
Walker. They apparently had enough of
it. PangbOrn was not at the meeting at
all. Mr.. Halleron and Mr.. Martin pos
persuasion Mr.. Martin allowed the use of
his name. Augustus Kievling was sub
stituted for DR.. Halleron.
Secretary Walter Brinkerhoff next came
to the front and resigned the position of
secretary, to which he had been reelected
ten minutes before He was asked his
\ 'easons, and he said
"Without money we can do nothing. /
don't believe we can raise $40 apiece for
the work; there is not enthusiasm enough
in the members and they have not The col
lective ability to raise money"
The members refused to accept the
resignation, and Mr.. Brinkerhoff said to
them
whether you accept or not, shall con-
slider myself out"
The ten members present then paid
their dues and directed that notices be
sent to the absent thirty-one members to
do the same and adjourned, subject to the
call of the chair.