The Portland daily press., 1898-05-07
WILL PLAY POOL.
Petition to Have Licenses Refused in
WestbrOOk Denied.

WestbrO0k Denied.
Members os W. C. It. U. Represented That
! the Institutions Menaced the Home
| One Alderman Charges That Liquor
Was Sold in Them.
| The adjourned meeting of the West
brook city government which was to have
been held on Thursday evening, but
which was postponed owing to the lack of
quorum, was held last evening at 7.30.
Absent Alderman Gray, president of the
board, and Aldermen Quinby and Has.
kell. Mayor Raymond was also in attend
ance.
Alderman Warren was chosen as tempo
rary president. Records of the previous
meetings were read and approved.
Mayor Raymond presented the follow
ing petition signed by Mrs. NJ. K. Center,
Mrs. Annie A. Chandler and twenty
three others:
To the Honorable Board of Mayor and
| Aldermen of the City of Westbrook:
J In common with all loyal and law abid-
| ing citizens we wish to esta bliSh the right
and suppress the wrong. A compromise
with one, is to the expense of the other,
and as we are aware pointed discrimi-
nation between the two may sometimes
| be perplexing question to determine,
but where good morals. good citizenship,
and the sacred precincts of the home are
assaulted. then it is that the line Of defense
| is made clear.
We doom the pool room SO called now
existing in our city, conclusive to no good,
but productive of much harm especially
to our young men. We the undersigned
members of the Women's Christian
pray your honorable body that all
| petitions for licenses to run any one pool
room in the city Of Westbrook be deter
mined against.
1t was voted to accept the petition and
lay it on the table.
The order appropr1ating the sum of
$1,000 to be used in providing for the
families of soldiers enlisting from the
city of Westbrook in the United States
army, was given it's second and third
readings and final passage.
The order appropriating the sum of $500
for the maintenance of the Manual Train
ing school was given its second and third
readings and fina passage. Alderman
McAubrey alone voting no.
| A petition from E. G. Clements and
eighteen others asking for the continue
ton Of sidewalk on Lonfgellow street
was referred to the committee on side.
walks.
Voted to refer the matter of the election
| of the Republican ward ballot and cleo
ton clerks to the municipal officers.
Adjourned to meet Monday evening
May % at 7.30.
MEETING OF THE MUNICIPAL
OFFICERS.
At the close of the city government
meeting Mayor Raymond called for
meeting of the municipal officers
The Mayor read a favorable report from
the committee on licenses recommending
that permission be granted II. A. Hunt to
run pool room at Cumberland Mills.
Alderman Pomerleau said that he
! thought that in view of the fact that
petition had been presented to the alder
| men protesting against the granting of
| licenses to those places that it would be
well first OF all to deliberate upon the
matter. I respect these ladies that have
petitioned thissbody, and have no doubt
but that they are sincere in their desire
would it not Re we'll for us to look at the
matter fairly and squarely. Some of us
find it very difficult to keep our young
men at home They enjoy such pastimes
as the pool room affords. Other young
men perhaps are interested In churches
and perhaps in attending temperance
meetings. II these pool rooms are run we
should run them as licensed places, or
they will BIO maintained as club rooms,
and as such we have no voice in their
control. The pool and billiard rooms are
conducted better under the license system
! than under the club. These places are
conducted in an orderly manner. Under
our license system man is under a $500
bond, and if the proprietor does not con-
duct the place properly 1t is the duty ct
every citizen to complain and we can
then upon conviction collect their $500
license fee and then license is revoked. |
am afraid these ladies have false impress
sions regarding the conduct of these
places"
Alderman McAubrey said: 81 am
opposed to the granting of these licenses.
feel that l should forfeit the respect of
y large number of our best citizens if |
voted for the renewal of these licenses.
| These petitioners are working for the best
| interests OF the city. | don't wish to pro-
test against these places, but when con
stituents of my ward come to me and tell
| liquor and coming home intoxicated from
| these places l think it is time to raise
| voice against these Places
Alderman Pomerleau in reply said that
if he (McAuDrey) had the interests of the
city at heart he should have stepped for
ward and had these pool and billiard hall
keepers arrested for a violation of the
rights granted them
In reply Alderman McAubrey said that
the only reason that he had not done 1t
was because he couldn't get the witnesses
to back him up.
Alderman Pomer1eau made the closing
remarks and suggested that these places
should have another chance and ii all was
not right during the year they should be
closed up. Alderman Pomereau moved
to issue licenses to billiard and pool room
keepers during the coming year, in ac-
cordance with the revised statutes of the
state.
The vote Cd the motion resulted as fol-
lows: Yes, Bailey, Lamb London. Pom
erleau, Warren, Lawrence; No, Burgess,
McAubrey, Watson, Ames.
The petition of Ii. A. Hunt to maintain
a pool room was presented and upon vote
WINS granted, the same aldermen voting
in favor as they did on the previous CUES