The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1890-06-20

well. what are you going to do about
it?" is probably what the Atlantic
County Courts are asking the people o.
that judicial district in answer 10 the
query why license was granted Edward
Fischer, an ex-brewer of the city of Phila-
delphia, to sell rum within 100 feet of the
county line separating the prohibitory pre-
cincts of Hammonton from his (Fischer's)
rum mill"
Common sense and common law, to say
nothing of statutory law in the case, would
suggest that as the people ofa whole town.
ship have declared against the traffic OF
intoxicsnts within their limits, that there
must be something out Of shape, some
.'cat in the meal bag" operation on the
part of a fellow who asks court to allow
him to sell on the front stoop of a resi-
dence, figuratiyely speaking, an article
which the family, as a matter OF self pro-
lection, have declared contraband. We
say that this thought, in the absence of all
law pro or con bearing on the question,
would have been the first TO have suggested
itself to any ordinary mind
Reasoning from inference upon any
other subject, the court would have de-
bated the matter about after this fashion,;
''The people of Hammonton township,
Atlantic county, have asked TO be quaran-
tined against the plague, the SMALL ox,
yellow fever, Cor any scourge you may in
dicate) and have secured immunity, so far
as petition goes, from its ravages. Now
here comes a fellow who, for the sake of
gain, and in open defiance to public senti-
ment, asks to set up a plague shop directly
on the borders OF the prescribed territory,
and we propose to look into this thing in
defence of the rights of the people and put
this sauatter upon the defence, or in other
words, shift the burden of proof from our
shoulders to his
This, we say, would have been nothing
but the commonest kind Of common sense,
such as is piactieed every day in every
line Of thought and action, and would have
been practiced in this case and by this
court had the petitioner asked to sell sam
Piles Of the cattle virus, small-p ox pus, oleo-
margarine stock, brothel house privileges,
adulterated milk, or in shoIt almost any
other evil under the heavens but rum.
To switch from of the subject a mo-
ment, don't the query suggest itself to
everybody, the rum advocate as well as
the other side, that there must be some
very potential reason back Of all this, and
concealed as far as possible from the pub
lie gaze for this discrimination? We think
30, and that Tot very many people are at
fault in the conclusion. Common law Is
founded on common sense, and we have
thus far taken only this Interpretation Of
it, but what says the statutory law of our
State when having audience 18th such fell
ows as Fischer on the matter of license?
We quote that portion Of the law, 18th
section, relating to the sale Of liquor at
inns or %taverns, (Fischer's is not an inn or
tayern, but a drink ~ssloOn,):
ut shall be the duty OF, and is express
ly enjoined upon the said courts, to license
no more Inns and taverns in their respective
counties, than shall be necessary to accom-
modate and entertain travellers and strang-
ers, to serve the public occasions of said
counties, and for the convenience Of men
meeting together to transact business, and
to prevent as much as possible, inns and
tayerns to be kept for the encouragement
Of gaming, tipping, drunkenness and
other vices"
The Atlantic Mirror, a sterling newspa-
per, published almost with the shadow
of Fischer'smi says Of the law as applied
to Fischer:
"None of the things for whieh ms and
taverns are said to be necessary in the
above quoted section, apply to Fischer's
place. A place TO entertain travellers and
strangers" does not mean a place where
Hammontonians, a mile and a half away,
can go and get dinner on Sundays, and have
their drinks thrown In, There is no Other
reason for tie existence Of Fischer's hotel
ave as a tipping place, and the plain let
ter Of the law is against granting licenses
to men, simply to sell rum for their owl