Bridgeton pioneer., 1890-06-12
SPECIAL COURT.
Elections Ordered Under the
Werts Law for Lawrence ana
D0Wne Townships.

Werts Law for Lawrence ana
D0wne Townships.
Judge Hoagland held term of
Court Tuesday, to hear the petition of
applicants from the townships of
Lawrence and Downe, for an election
to be held in those townships to estab-
lish by vote CT the people, the H.
eense fee, which shall be charged and
paid for inn or tavern licenses.
The petition and application were
filed under the provisions of the new
law of the State, known as the Werts
bill, and is the first election called for
this section of the State, if not in the
whole State, under its provisions.
The petition must be signed by one
fifth of the legal voters voting for Gov
ernor at the last election.
Section 4, of the Werts bill provides
that upon application ''by a petition
signed by at least one-fifth of the legal
voters voting at the last previous
gubernatorial election for governor"
being made to the law judge or circuit
Judge, setting forth the desire of such
petitions that not less than a certain
sum of money, named in such petition
shall be charged and paid for licenses
to be granted thereafter for the sale of
liquors, the Judge shall order an cleo
tion to be held to determine whether
or not licenses shall be granted, and
section provides that no license shall
be granted except upon the payment of
the fee fixed at such elections, and Sec
ton provides that no other election
for this purpose shall be held within
three years thereafter.
When Judge Hoagland took his seat
at the bench there were but very
. few persons in the Court room.
Lawyer Chas. E. Sheppard was pres
ent, and had the petitions for the ap-
plicatiOns in charge.
The law fixes the license fee at 800,
in townships of 5000 population, and
in townships of more population, the
fee may be as high as $4,000. No fee
can be fixed below these figures.
When court was ready, Clerk Trench
ard was sworn to testify to the num-
ber of votes cast at the last election
for Governor, as returned to the
Clerks office. In Downe township,
the vote was 1856.
James Campbell, of Newport. in
Downe township, was called to testify
as to the genuineness of the signatures
to the petition from that township;
Those who Mr.. Campbell did not see
sign the petition, Mr.. N. Howard Burt
identified.
Fifty-seven votes would be the one
fifth of the voters of the township, but
the petitions were signed greatly in ex-
cess of this number.
The court ordered, after hearing the
application, that an election be held in
Downe Township on Tuesday, August
Goth.
The petition for Lawrence Township
was then taken up; the legal voters
who voted for Governor at the last
Ol0C UlOu, dS CtTtlu6u " Uuc SlcTh OluCo
numbered 41H.
Constable Simpkins, of Cedarvill,
Identified number of the signatures
to the pe e.l,iuA. Truman l. Sheppard
saw NUN u-r of the sueie > place their
names 10 Juo petition, anu testified to
the ones he saw sign 1t. Henry +. Long
identified the signatures of most of the
remainder, excepting seven names
which were identified by David Shep-
pard. There were 81 signatures to this,
which was fourteen more than the law
required.
The election in Lawrence Township
was ordered by The Junge to O7 neiu
on the same date as tor Down, August
Goth next. This concluded tne busi-
ness of the court.