The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1893-02-04
OUR POTPSVLLLB LBlIL R
INTERESTING AND AMUSING
CORREsPONDBNCH.
AN ESSAY ON THE LICENSE LAWS
The Writer Criticizes the Brooks
Act and Suggests a Sub titute
in the Form Of an Excise
Commission.
N ESSAY ON THE LICENSE LAWS
Special HhEAnD Correspondence.
4

POTTsVILLE, Feb 4, 1898.
- S7N JUDGES Bechtel an d
~ Green have been busy
@eSs ns=eH all week wrestling with
StT N|Ei1&Z$ the applications for new
I'll H%I@3 licenses 1t is surpris.
ASasse8 Effh aA ing what good charac-
M BCMGYE1 ters the men who ap-
w Y.M2NN|Nf ply, suddenly set up for
AE%I,F -AI themselves, when it
comes to the point of
wanting to become dealers in liquor. 1t is
liquor that fills our jails, our almshouses and
keeps the Criminal Courts busy and the men
who sell it can as easily fit good character
on themselves as they can put on porous
plaster or chest protector. If some Of these
fellows were to set up for angels / suppose
they could readily find friends to give them q
clean bill Of publication In the law of
license there is requirement which makes a
place applied for necessary for the accommO-
dation Of the public" This it is, suppose,
that opened the eyes Of the court to the
great necessity Of licensing three adjoining
places on East Norwegian street. in this Dor.
ough, and six OF eight within two sqnares OH
North Centre street in no more than two of
which can the public find accommodations,
1t is this requirement which makes liars of
so many otherwise good citizens when they
,ome here aud take sn oath to tell the truth
and Immediately proceed to blind the court
as to the real facts Of the case.
LOADED WITH LIARS.
Necessity is the mother of invention" it
has long been said, and would rise to amend
by adding-and also the boss hen that pre-
sides over the liar hatchery. We have on our
railroads such trains as the Congressional
Express the Market train, the Limited Mail,
the Cannon Ball, and the Huckleberry; now
is good time to put on all roads leading to
he county seat trains called the Unlimited
Liars train, with through cars to the county
seat, stops at every fence corner for Ananigs
md Sapphira-plenty time for cracker and
horse. .radish lBnch at so hecessittes along the
route. Coming down TO bedrock facts our
system of licensing liquor marts is all wrong
1t is an imposition on the Judges to degrade
them by requiring them by law to gram
them and the sooner the Legislature abolishes
Mr.. Brooks act aud its amendments and sub
stitutes something like an excise commission
the better for the morals of the few remaining
truth tellers in the commonwealth. It is a
burning shame that the saying "all men art
lars" (prcsent company excepted, of course
is becoming to ba recognized as the uuint
essence of truth.
LBGIsLATIOH PRO BONO PUBLICO.
At q very early day, and at a time most
opportune, bill has been prepared and will
be introduced into the Legislature now in
session (which bill will doubtless become a
law, because it is sadly and badly needed, in
fact it is more of a necessity than half the
places licensed annually to sell liquor) en-
titled AN Act to provide for the health and
safety of the people Of this Commonwealth -
The most importsnt provisions OF thisso1n
to become.a law will be the sections which
will be engrafted therein to make it com
pulsory on all boards Of managers of places
Of public amusement and resort, maintained
by companies chartered by the law of tn,
state, TO keep their buildings in repair and
burgess of any city or borough upon com
plant made by any three tax'paying citizen
thereof, that the place so maintained O.
managed is going into decay or is unsafe from
any reason or cause, to notify the manager,
or directors thereof to make the necessary
repairs or improvements within thirty days
and in default, or for neglect, thereof, it will
be the duty Of such mayor or chief burgess
to prosecute the said managers or directors
eriminally in the Quarter Sessions and upon
conviction it will be the duty of the court to
sentence the oulprits so criminally negligent
10 fine and imprisonment. This law will
have a salutary effect the moment it has been
signed which it surely will be when it has
been properly messagcd to the Governor.
In Pottsville law Of this kind will be Of in
ealoulable benefit to the people who patronize
and frequent the halls and rented apartments
of the Union Hall Association, which in
Olude the academy, the main hall post Office
and other leased rooms.
About tive years ago local paper called at
tention to the unsafe condition of this build
ing, and frequently since the managers have
been inpOrtuned to perform the simple duty
they owe to a too lenient public by expend-
ing little Of their vast and easily gotten
gains in placing their monopoly in decent
comfortable and safe condition, but all these
appeals have been so far UNDECIDED and now
the people propose to rise in their might and
compel action as soon as the bill mentioned
has been enacted into a law. A petition as
long As the road between here aud Shenan-
doah could be gotten to urge the passage of
the bill but such q course is not necessary as
all the Sohuylkill members and nearly all
other Legislators in the state, favor measure
Of this kind, knowing as they do that some
men must be made 10 perform duties which
they will not do Of their own free will, and
that life is too sweet to be entrusted TO the
trifiDg whims Of dilatory and negligent peo-