The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-12-04
HEARING FOR 4 LIoENsE.
Commissioners Hear Testimony on Scott's Application-Wordy War Between State Agent Thrasher and Colonel Burpee.

Commissioners Hear Testimony on Scott's
 AppIication-Wordy War Between State
 Agent Thrasher and Colonel Burpee.
 A hearing was held in this city yes terday morning before the county com missioners on Walter scott's applica- ton for license to sell liquors at the Waverly Inn in Cheshire
 Secretary Samuel P. Thrasher of the State Law and Order league said the only evidence he had to offer in oppo- sition to the application was contained in a small package of documents which he handed over to the commissioners Among them were official papers show ing that the applicant was convicted November 9, 1895, of violating the liq- uor law, and twice in 1896, and that he was fined for the offence. The package also contained a remonstrance signed by fifteen taxpayers.
 Attorney Lucien +. Burpee of Water bury presented several important wit nesses. The first was Representative elect Herbert Morse of Cheshire, who testified that he knew Mr. Scott, knew of the Waverly Inn, and thought MT. Scott a suitable person to have a li- cense and the inn a suitable place in which to sell liquors.
 Horace Fields, former selectman and justice of the peace, also said he thought Scott and his place suitable. To MT ThrasherS question he said he had heard of Scott's conviction, but he declined to give any opinion as to the suitability of man to sell liquor who had been convicted of liquor law viola tion Asked if he was Scott's friend he said that he was not his enemy, and had never drank anything in Scott's $ place.
 Silas Geralds, Scott's next-door neighbor, testified in his favor.
 "If we could swap some of our Cheshire men off for some like Scott, 5 said the witness, wed be a good deal better off. think the town officials can conduct the town affairs without any interference"
 E. G. Doolittle and Levi Peck also testified in MT. Scott's favor
 Town Clerk Lanyon, who is also chairman of the republican town committee of Cheshire, testified that he thought Scott suitable man to sell liquor.
 Then MT. Thrasher argued, saying that license granted MT. Scott would not be worth the paper it was written on for it would be violating the law; that all the witnesses had admitted that the applicant had been convicted of liquor law violation, but evaded the most important question, and that MT. Scott was not eligible for license eith- CT in 1896 or '97, as he had been convict ed within year.
 Colonel Burpee said that his client had not been convicted within a year; that a conviction dated from the first decision in the lower court, and not from the decision of a higher court sustaining a lower one He character ized the non appearance of the remon- strants as cowardly, but Thrasher in- terrupted, saying: Do not accuse them of cowardice, but me of lack of judg- ment, for I told them it was not neces- sary to come.'
 Burpee-''I think it was lack of judg- ment. Yes, and I am inclined to be- lieve that it borders close onto trick ery''
 In answering, MT. Thrasher said that if the license was granted the case l would be taken to the superior court Decision was reserved.
 Cheshire voted for license this year and Scott applied for a license on Octo- Der 2S last, but later thought best to withdraw, because the date of his con- viction was November 19, 1895, and the laws of the state provide that no li- cense shall be granted to any one with, in one year after their conviction of vii olation of the liquor law. A new appli- cation was therefore made out after the year had elapsed and handed to the commissioners. s. P. Thrasher, secre- | tary of the Law and Order league, was retained by a number of remonstrants and the following sixteen persons sign- ed paper objecting to the license: | Milford B. Rice, A. c. Peck, c. W. Bill G. L. Ballard, T. S. French $. B. Will Hams, Joseph r. Beach, John L. Foote George Keeler, B. E. Hotchikss, w. C. Allen, H. s. Allen, K. P. Morgan, Tim othy Guilford, E. R. Brown and C. M | Hotchkiss.