The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-03-18
p~EusKARD's CLOAK.

L6 Ia "a 49,
but an essential thing, for which gratitude
should be offered to the Great Provider.
There was an abundance of stimulantS at
all fit times, occasions and places, and,
undo allowance from the court, liquor
was always on sale at fairs, o~rdinaries,
trucking houses and other places where
the public congregated.
Moreover, those were palmy days for the
thirsty poor, for the court made order
regulating the price of beer. Here Is a
law as enacted and recorded n 1884:
ut is ordered that noe person that
keepes an ordinary shall take above 6
pence a ineale fer a person, and not above
i penny for an sic quartz of beare, out of
meale TYNE, under the penalty Of 10 shil-
lings for every offence, either of dyet or
beare."
With this popular price prevailing, it is
not strange that Governor Winthrop, in
1e41. made Ell itera Of the fact that 'sat a
great training CT 1900 men not one mar
was drunk, though there was plenty OF
wine and strong beer in town"
But this incident is not typical Of the
general condition Of things. Drunkenness
became prevalent almost as soon as the
colony was established. The gentle agency
of moral example was first put into opera
ton in 1880, when, it is recorded, Govern
or Winthrop, Tin consideration of the in
conveniences which had grown in Eng
land by drinking one to another, restrain
ed it at his own table and wished others
to do the like, so as it grew by little and
little to disuse."
But either it didn't "grow to disuse'
fast enough or else it died and later came
to life, for in 1889 the aid of the law was
invoked in the following enactment
against drinking healths:
t.Forasmuch as it is evident that the
commo custom of drinking one to another
is meere u~selesse ceremony and draweth
on that abominable practise Of drinking
healths, and is also an location of many
Sims, as drunkenness, quarrelling, bloud-
shed, u~ncleannes, mispence of precius
time etc. = = 1t is ordered that noe resi-
dent OF conner into this jurisdiction, after
a weeks residence, shall directly or indi-
1ectly, by any colour or circumstance,
drink to any other contrary to the intent
of this order upon paine of IL pence for
every offense."
In 1914, the public being universally
thirsty, licenses to sell liquor were issued
to tavern keepers, who paid a lump sum
into the treasury of the colony upon petit
ton and an annual fee Of 40 shillings.
Upon these early innkeepers rested the
burden of responsibility for the sobriety
OF their patrons, according to the law of
1915, the first complete enactment for the
punishment of offending tipplers. In part
it reads as follows:
"No such psons as have publike houses
of intrtainment & nave license to sell
beare shall suffr n to be drunke or
drinke excessively, or to continue tipling
aboue We space Of halle an houre in any OF
yir said houses, under poenalty of IS. for
evry such offence suffered, and evry pson
founde drunke in ye said houses or else
where shall forfeit los, & for evry Excess
siye. drinking he shall forfeit 3s. Id. for
sitting idle and continually drinking
above halle an houre, %. 3D., and it is de-
clared to bee excessive drinking of wine
when above halle a pint of wine is allowed
at one time to n pson to drinke.
And If any pson offend in drunkenness,
excessive or long drinking ye second time
they shall pay double fines, & il they fall
into ye same offence ye third time they
shall pay treble fines, and If ye pties be
not able to pay We fines yn be vt Is found
drunke shalbe punished with ten stripes,
& he vt offends in excessive or
drinking he shall be put in ye stokes Tor
three hours wn ye weather is s~easonabie,
s. if they offend We fourth time they shalDe
put into prison, s. there RENAME till they
put in two sufficient sureties for their
good behaviour.
This was the first specific legislation
against drunkenness. but it was not the
last. Our lawmakers have been legislat-
ing ever since.
This same year, 1916, was also marked
by the repeal Of the law against the drink
ing Of hcalths and the Importation, per
haps In celebration of the event, Of 1000
hogsheads Of Spanish wine, on which there
was a tax of 10 shillings a butt. BY 1870 it
is recorded that the people had begun to
grow intolerab1y 1icentious in their NOR
ais, D in 1859 the general court direct
ed THAT the laws against vice be pushed
and rigidly put into execution
Then there was much controversy over
the question whether or no the mobile red
man should be allowed an entree to the
~ s-'-s = ;,i,lsle house" where the hand