The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-03-03
LIQUOR ON THE TABLE.
An Insane Effort to Wreck the werts
Lsw-Spirited Debate.


Special to the Jersey city Nel0s
7 RENToN. March 3. 1s9L-The first
skirinish over the liquor question took
place last evening, and may be said to
have resulted in draw. The trouble be-
gan when Mr.. Nash's bill came up re-
pealing those sections of the Werts law,
which permit certain townships to desig-
nate by popular vote the amount of
license fees. Mr.. Nash wanted To lay the
bill over for week. He said that the
section of the law sought TO be repealed
practically amounted to prohibition in
some parts of the State, and he instance d
one township where the license had bee n
fixed at 5000, and three III which it was
81, 00J.
Mr.. Potts moved that the bill be in
definitely postponed. He said that it was
not right to take away from certain sec
tions OF the State the rights they had an
der the sections sought to be repealed.
He also said that the law was endorsed
by temperance and liquor men alike and
ii seemed to give general satisfaction.
W. H. Cole claimed that the section
was in the nature of contract between
the Democratic party and Senator Baker
OF Cumberland county, without whose
vote the bill could not have passed. IL
was all that remained OF the old local
option law.
The next speaker, Mr.. Stokes, proved
that the House possessed another orator.
He pleaded eloquently for the indefinite
posLponement or the bill. He spoke of
the time when the Werts bill was passed
and said that the passage of that bill de-
pended upon Senator Baker. a temper
ance man, elected by Democratic votes in
a temperance stronghold. It was a re-
markable law. he said, which met the
views of all He said that under the flag
they raised in that fight the Democrats
had gone before the people and been sus-
tanned and he called upon them not to
declare that the banner they raised there
was false standard. He warned them
that the temperance sentiment mad been
lulled into security; but agitate the
liquor question, pass this bill md it will
arouse and contend step by step for su-
premacy., The law sought to be repealed
upheld the principle OF Democracy, the
rule by the majority, for which he had
often heard his friend Father Nash con-
tend so valiantly.
Schoolmaster Cole told of the thirty-six
hours session when the Werts bill was
passed, and protested against The passage
of Mr.. Nash's bill ; but he was protesting
yainly, he said, because he knew the bill
would pass.
Mr.. DAILY was the only man who would
come to Nash's aid in championlng the
measure, and he did not do il directly.
He opposed the motion to postpone in
definitely on the ground that there could
be no harm in letting it go over until
next Monday so that fair hearing and
free discussion of the measure could be
had. He replied to Mr.. Stokes eloquent
address by saying that the people repudi-
ated Mr.. Baker at the polls, from which
he argued that the local option section
was not wanted in that part of the State.
The discussion was still in progress
when Mr.. Hardin moved that the motto
be laid npon the table, which was car
ried
This disposed os the whole matter to
every ones satisfaction, and there il will
remain until Mr.. Nash can get enough
votes to take it up again.