Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-12-28
Commissioners Heard Both
 Sides of Case To-Day.
FATHER CURTIN'S TESTIMONY.

Says That Already Too Many Saloons
 are in the Neighborhood--A Number
 of Other Witnesses Were Also Heard
 on Both Sides of the Case caring
 on the ovRourke License This After
 noon.
 The hearing on the remonsTants to granting liquor license to Michael A. Hartnett at 2S Washington street took place to-day before County Commis- sioners Walter and Thompson in the district court room, to accommodate all those interested. The room was crowded, indicating considerable int est in the matter. Attorney Thoms ap- peared for the petition and Rev Father Curtin of St Francis's parish, in which the location in question is situated, con- d@cted the opposition to the license, which was based on the grounds that 2S Washington street Is an unsuitable place for a saloon. that the district Is purely residential and that the appli cant is unsuitable to conduct saloon.
 MT Hartnett testified that there were about sixty business places in the dis trict. He designated cohblers' shops as "shoe'' shops and in other respects differed greatly from Father Curtln's understanding Of what business place is. His witnesses were Thomas E. Walker, superintendent Of the Holmes Booth & Haydens factory; W. I. Schle- gel the real estate agent: Sheriff John E. Doherty. Nicholas Burns. Thomas Dooling. a contractor, Edward F. Fly land. James Hayden, a school janitor. Philip McGivney. John Lawson, Charles P Meehan. Michael Wren, John Kelly Philip Gaffney and Patrick Cavananeh. A number who had. boen summoned did not appear. and some < those who testified were not greatly in favor of the petition. Ore witness said MT Hartnett would elevate the saloon business if granted a license and all. of them said he was respectable. soher inHustrious man.
 Father Curtin testified that MT Hart nett was a sOl,er man, an average man, but the averare man is not goo enough to conduct saloon. He took the censns of his parish last October and found sixty families on Washing ton street. between River and Baldwin streets. There are at present two sa- looms on Washington street. and he thought that was more than sufficient Tn his oDinion there was not more residential district in the city than that l in dnestion and there Is no section l where the increase in popul"t'on is greater. On Washington street l there are 300 souls. allow 1 ing five to Far'lv ans h. I heard no one crying for. another sa- loon. He quoted Judge Case of the sr1nerior court on the meaning of resi- 1 dential district Inuuiring into the character and kind of business places in the section, he said that some of l the meat stores were small concerns that could be cIassed as large refriger- ators None of them was distinctly a business house. but was of the class that sllpnly the immediate wants of the neighborhood. Five or six years ago the place was law1ess and disor- derly. but since many of the saloons were closed through the work of him. self in that respect good order has reigned and the community is nleas- ant, and he hoped it would continue so.
 l Attorney Thoms had asked one of the witnesses if Father Curtin in his sermon yesterday had not said that anyone who testified for Hartnett should not be sent to the insane asy-
 Ium. The witness denied such 8 statement was made. and Father Cur lin stated in reply to Attorney Thoms's questions to what he did say, that he spoke In reference to per- jury. because he considered there was nothing so important to the good or der and conduct of any neighborhood as a full and thorough concention of the sanctfty of an oath. He said that five or six years ago when be under | took the extinction of all the saloons in the neighborhood of Washington street he hea.d the evidence of those who favored the saloons and he could not help being struck by the reeard
 some of them had for the obligation of an oath. Witnesses for the saloons at that time were practically driven to court by the lash: they were not even summoned in the ordinary way and
 he hoped that repetition of that would not occur. He did not think it necessary for the sake of consistency that a person should stick to his statement made some years ago. Things change every day. He himself CudH&NS HE ODliliOu NSfy OllSn NIid LIZ learns more every day. and closing,
 he said that those who would stick to an opinion expressed five or six years
 ago merely for the sake of consist encv. ought to he sent to the insane asylum.
 The commissioners said that this
 was a very good sermon. and it ouoft to be given every Sunday. This closed the hearing. Decision was re-
 served.
 The hearing on the remonstrance
 against the granting of the application l of James O'Rourke of Scovill street for
 a license to open saloon at 789 North