The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-05-24
The SpeakeasieS Again.

T. II. c. NalOney, as reported in The
Tribune, has sworn out a number of
warrants against the reputed prOpri-
etors of speakeasies in the North End
of the city. We cannot congratulate
society on the work of this crusader in
the cause of temperance and morality
As common informer he has been be-
fore the courts already and made such
an exhibition of himself that the grand
jury threw out many of the indictments
in which he had filed information, and
OF course those cases in which he was
listed to appear as principal witness
for the prosecution We're at once set
aside. This is a very serious matter
indeed. If indictments against the
peace and dignity of the common
wealth" are thus subjected to public
ridicule and contempt on one occasion,
what guarantee have We that the same
thing may not occur again? An in
former who obtains evidence of the
Illicit sale Of drink is subject TO pri-
Nate ana interested influences which
may render his oath and evidence open
to the graVest suspicion. His testimony
is tainted I'm the eye of the law, being
that of an accessory to the fact Of a
criminal rapsgrcssion. Prosecutions
on the evidence Of a common informer
are necessary in certain we'll defined
instances, since a conviction on such
evidence is alone possible. The less,
however, evidence of this kind is acted
upon by the commonwealth, the more
hopefulness there is that the law in
it's ordinary working. and procedure
will assert itself and bring offenders to
justice If public opinion rs not in
sympathy with particular law. its
enforcement, iudCially and impartial
ly, is well known and understood to be
impossible where its application in
criminal causes lays in the discretion
of a jury. a common informer in the
minds of common jury is an obnox-
ious and despicable creature, whose
motives they understand, gauge and
divine with unerring intuitlveness. The
judge may express his astonishment
that the direct and circumstantial evil
denCe placed before them was not
palpable enough TO convince the in
telligence of any ordinary human be-
ing, but the court is too familiar with
human nature as segregated in a jury
box to be surprised at IT,
That speakeasies are sources of un-
falling decentralization there can be no
question, They are under no restric-
tions,- under no obligations to the law
or the executives OF the law; they rob
the commonwealth of thousands of
dollars annually; and they compete
with licensed salOonkeepers who con-
tribute their quota to public taxation.
They are an inexcusable nuisance and
an unmitgated .menace to public
health and public morals. Scranton is
honeycombed with them from one end
of the city limits TO the other. They
have grown brazen with impunity. The
licensing records OF the Lackawanna
court, growth In population consid-
cred, show steadily diminishing
number of licenses granted. The court
does not, as might be supposed from
this phenomena, place obstacles in the
way of obtaining permits to sell drink
On the contrary, the judges know that
20 refuse a license is practically TO es-
tablish a speakeasy, and they are gen.
orally ready to grant a license to the
saloonkeeper who has hitherto con-
Quoted his business in a reputable
manner, or TO the new applicant who
may be presumed TO do so. In fact, q
large number of licensed saloonkeepers