Bridgeton pioneer., 1889-06-06
NO. 2I62
JERSEYS LIQUOR LAW.
THE STRANGE EPROVISIONS OF
THE WERTS BILL.
Many Liquor Men Throughout
the State DaZed with Import
ant Discoveries.


1t is now understood that all liquor
licenses in New Jersey were made void
by the Werts Liquor Law of 1Ss9 and
that from May 90, every dealer whose
license is dated before that time has
been doing an illegal business if he has
sold drop. The discovery is said to
have been made by the City Council
of Newark, and an examination of the
law by able counsellors confirms the
dread certainty of the conclusion.
The complaint of the saloon keepers
that the license of $3.50 was two high
was ignored in the first place. Local
Option was repealed, it is true, but the
country dealers have found that the
Legislature has inserted a species of
township option which was not much
better, in their opinion. These things
were disappointing enough, but they
were not blunders, and the blunders
are the source Of complaint A couple
of weeks ago it was discovered that
by a bit of amazing clulnsiness the
new law forbade sales by the quart by
retail dealers.
The GROWER trade is a principal
part of the business of many dealers
and this provision crushed them. They
said, when they had recovered their
breath: Then We'll take out two
licenses but the courts promptly de-
clared that this could not be done, for
here again the act was deficient, and
by blunders in expression had forbid
den men from doing retail and
wholesale business
Next it was discovered that all the
bottlers must take out licenses; that
the groceries could not sell pint
bottle, but must sell full quart or
over, or none at all, thus making the
pint bottle of claret or of liquor illegal.
And SO it has gone on, until the final
crash has come, and all existing
licenses not granted since May 20 are
declared to be void.
1t appears that under the construc-
tion of the law, which has the support
OF repeated precedents in this and
other States, the repeal of the law of
1888 put an end to all licenses granted
under it. The repeal was absolute,
and the provision of the act of 1888
that all existing licenses should con-
tinue for the term for which they were
nfa
repeal went into effect on May 90.
In the cities licenses are granted at
any time, but in the majority of cases
they begin to take effect in the spring
How many are affected only separ-
ate investigation will show; but d man
who took out his license on May 10Th
last, is evidently in the same boat as
he who took out his license May 29th,
1888, and has not renewed it. Both
will have to pay $3.50 to continue in
business under the new act. This
means thousands of dollars ont of the
pockets of the brewers, for they pay
the licenses of the saloon keepers.
Their only escape would be the failure
of the Excise Boards to enforce the
law, and the Grand Juries would go
on indicting just the same.
A prominent lawyer of this city, said
in an interview with a reporter, re
Gently, that another thing that was
permitted, was the drinking of all
liquor bought in the five gallon lots,
on the places where it is purchased
thus making the different ''buoysn
about the county, nothing but bar
rooms. All it will be necessary in the
future for a party to do, is to purchase
five gallon lot and then sit there and
drink it in glasses. Another very
prominent lawyer of this city, holds
the same opinion. The drinking men
will not be slow in taking advantage
of this if it is entirely true.