The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-05-25

CAN'T FOOL THE CLERGY
The Rev. John SCudder Says
the Church Will Shut
Up Saloons.
IN MEMORY OF THE BRAVE
Clergymen Throughout the City
Preach to Grand Army Posts on
Memorial Day Topics.
IN MEMORY OF THE BRAVE

The Rev. John l.. Scudder, before his
sermon last evening, delivered a prelude,
taking for his subject, .sCan s~aloonkeepers
hoodwink the clergymen?"
nights. lcwanreed. etaoin shrdlu cnfwm
"The time for withdrawing the police
force is past" he said. .sand now the Law
and Order League proposes to take this
matter of Sunday closing into their own
hands. Today our own detectives have
been doing some thorough work, and
they lave proved what has been already
asserted, namely, that although there is
a certain appearance of virtue about these
Sunday drinking places, the man who
ant a glass of liquor can get it in var
ious parts Of this city. and can get it on
the Sabbath Day. We are willing TO
give the police what little credit belongs
to them, but it is a fact that they have
only half done their duty,fo Sunday liquor
selling goes on in many saloons, and in
some cases it looks very much as if the
police were in league with the rum-sel-
lers.
From the evidence given by our pri-
vate detectives and furnished from che
churches, it is evident that If we are to
have a law-abiding community, we must
depend upon men with more backbone
than the average policeman. The police
nave heretofore arrested a few %insignifl-
ian saloonkeepers, but they nave as a
rule let the large downtown liquor-selling
establishments severely alone. Why have
they not closed up some of the famous re-
sorts on Montgomery street n Newark
avenue, into which our detectives walked
and obtained drinks without any difficulty?
Were they afraid to interfere with these
powerful establishments and trying to
hoodwink US by making a half dozen in
significant arrests per Sunday?
II affirm that thisd discrimination against
the smaller and less influential saloons was
unjust, and the Law and Order League
will try and even up matters by securing
the indictment, of some of the more nc
torious offenders. TIL prominan. salcon-
keepers are more deserving of punishment,
as they sell more liquor and are therefore
the more fragrant violators OF the law
From this time en- the League will turn
itself into a temporary police force, pro-
curing evidence on its own responsibility.
We cannot arrest. but we can go before
the Grand Jury and present the proofs Of
violation of law. Much of this evidence
is already in, and during the week the
people may expect some interesting de-
velopments.
"Our detectives. many OF them are
members Of our Christian Endeavor So
~cieties, and are showing their Christianity
by fighting. the saloon power in a practical
manner. Upon the evidence obtained by
them we hope to secure the conviction of
the more conspicuous and influential
criminals. # paid officers will not do their
duty and enforce the law, Christian lay
men will do the work without pay. The
churches are not to be discouraged or re-
pulsed by the failure of the police TO ar
rest the big sinners. The churches nave
formed a strong and permanent organiza-
tion, and they propose to show that the
present. crusade is not a temporary splrt,
but rather a growing demand on the part
of the people that The law shall be re-
speeted and obeyed.
Hereafter those who wish to carouse
on Sunday had better go to Coney Island.
Jersey City will be a bad place for them
As long as the present law exists we
shall demand and secure its enforcement.
keepers. can change the law to silt them
selves, if they can elect men who will
legalize rumselling on the Sabbath DAY,
we shall have nothing to say; bit as
long as they violate ghe law Of this cem-
monwealth they are criminals and ought
to be punished. In this age the clergy are
emit they are more interested in a heaven
on earth than a future paradise in the
skies.
cations of private citizens TO have rartfeu-
lar hot beds Of vice and crime suppressed.
1t is refreshing to know that the great
majority of our citizens are in favor of a
quiet Sunday and are opposed 10 dissipa-
ton. They want. the ~saloonkeepers 10
obey the law, if the religion of today -
anything more than a mass of inert sem
timental,sm. | am confident that the
battle has only commenced. There are
| lively times ahead of us. This week the
Christian Endeavor will supply the Grand
| JLry with evidence wh;ch the whole police
force was apparently unable to obtain.