The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-08-14
FAMILY RUM
Legitimate" Liquor Deal
ing by the Alderman Who
Insults Citizens.
SCENES IN HIS SALOONS.
Women and Children Buy the a.
cohOlic Poison and Take 1t
Home in Baskets.

Aldermen Patrick Norton Is the pos
SCISSOR of pair of groggeries. Though
some distance apart each one is located
in district scorched and withered by
the bligthing effects of too many grog
geries and saloons.
One is on First street, between Mon
mouth and Brunswick, the other at No.
346 Henderson street.
Naturally Mr.. Norton's views on the
subject of licensing the sale of liquor are
extremely radical Honest taxpayers
who appear before the Board OF Alder
men to demonstrate against the issuing
OF this or that license are actually in
suited by the Alderman's coarse and in
solent speeches. Not long ago, when Mr..
Norton had just made his appearance in
tne excise arena. prominent minister of
the gospel, heading a delegation of promi-
nent deacons and members of his church
who protested against the licensing of
saloon diagonally across the street from
the church was mortified at the language
OF the rough rum seller, whose reply to
the minister's remOnstrance was mix
ture. of inelegant phrases and cuss
words.
At Tuesday nights meeting Lawyer
Taylor, who represented some fifty heavy
taxpaying citizens who demonstrated
against the issuing of a license to one
Wersebe, to open saloon at Sip and
Summit avenues, was virtually, If not
told outright by Norton that he had no
right to appear to demonstrate against
the license so long as Wersebe proposed
70 90 Legitimate" business and paid
the city $3.50 for the privilege.
l took Il peep last night at Mr.. Norton's
groggeries. in order to ascertain what he
considered legitimate business.
A FAMILY TRADE
Mr.. Norton does not call his two places.
in which he carries on "legitimate5' busi-
ness. groggeries nor saloons. Signs over
the front Of each read 'Norton's Family
Liquor store" In Mr.. Norton's First
street groggery one is first impressed
with an array of empty bottles and small
demijohns, which completely hide the
dingy walls. Mounted barrels labelled
"gtn, rum, apple Jack, (" etc., take up
three sides of the room behind the screen.
Almost the entire front is open, and
sign announces in large gilt letters that
Mr.. Norton deals in imported liquors.
called for glass of lager.
The young man behind the bar in loud
checked trousers and a mammoth black
waist band looked at me half in astonish-
menu.
Beer, did you sayG wedon't keep it.'
"Don't keep beers'
Nav; Wouldn't be bothered with the
stuff," and the young man in the loud
checked trousers rammed flash of Jer-
sey lightning under the lid of small
basket held by little girl. Another
little girl held up a basket over the
counter. The young man pulled Jhere-
from dirty napkin, examined it closely,
remarked II thought at first that was
mine, and proceeded to fill up half pint
flask with wine.
ss"No," said he, as the second little girl
departed. Our trade is exclusively a
family trade. That's sample.n
remembered the shabby apparel of the
child and wondered.
NOT A HAUNT OF MEN.
/ drank glass of ale, and noticing
big pile of nickels and dimes on q carpet
covered cushion behind the bar took my
departure. | was in the neighborhood
perhaps for half an hour afterward.
Was it an off night for '.Norton's
Family Liquor Store?" Few men were
seen therein. But occasionally q child or
woman passed in and out with a basket
or package and glided phantom like up or
down the street to disappear in some
darKened hallway, bearing perhaps q
flask OF cheap whisky, into miserable
home, which through Family liquor
stores' had besn converted into family
hell.
Norton's Henderson street ssFamily
Liquor Store" is counterpart of that on
First street. No lager is sold there. And.
as the customers in that neighborhood
are OF the poor tenement-houSe class Mr..
Norton's thriving business must neces-
sarily be in cheap brands of fiery fluid.
An Italian stood at the bar drinking
when entered. I called for a glass of
ale, and while drinking it heard a rap at
which serves as a Ladies' Entrance"
The bartender answered the rap, and pre-
| pared flask of whiskey for some young
women in the hallway.