Perth Amboy evening news., 1904-05-06
LICENSE IS REFUSED
AFTER WARM DEBATE.
Baptist Church Prime Mover in Effort To Drive the
Fitzgerald Saloon from Fayette Street--After
Long Discussion The Renewal was Lost
by Vote of Three to Two.

When the application of Patrick
Fitzgerald, for renewal of license to
keep a saloon at 81 Fayette street.
was presented to the Excise Board at
their meeting, last night, petition,
signed by abont fifty property owners,
Including the trustees of the Baptist
and Methodist churches and the Min
listers Alliance, was read against the
granting Of the license, as it was to
near church property. A petition
asking that the license be granted.
and signed by about thirty people.
was also read.
Before the board balloted on tile
question, Rev. Percy r. Ferris, pas
tor of the First Baptis church, asked
for permission to say few words.
He said this city had already in the
neighborhood of $50 saloons, while
Plainfield had only fourteen and ask
ed the board to do all in their power
not to grant licenses, not only to this
saloon, but to any saloon where a
woman or girl was compelled to sell
beer. Mr.. Ferris told how the place
was said to be run and how they
played the piano continually on Sum
days, and how he had seen intoxicated
men coming from the place on Sum
] days and that it was so near the
church that it was danger to the
children who went to Sunday School
and church.
Lawyer Pleohner, who represented
Mr.. Fitzgerald, jumped to his feet
when Mr.. Ferris had finished and told
how the petition against the saloon
was started. he said, through malice
on the part of one of the property
owners, who objected to the saloon
being so near her home and, the
lawyer CONT nue., "They say thct it is
too near the church, now the excise
law says that it must not be wi hin
900 feet of church property, ana lie
Baptist church is fully 500 or COO feet
away"
Mr.. Plechner said when the petition
was going around q business man
had signed it because he did not know
what it was, but this time he had
refused to sign against the place. but
had signed for it.
When the lawyer had finished Presi-
dent Hoy, of the Excise Board. said
that he was told that the piano had
been removed from the building.
Mr.. Ferris asked to speak. He said
that the piano had been moved. but
that it was next door. He said he
would answer a few of Mr.. Plechner's
remarks. He declared it was true
that the excise ordinance says that
saloon must not be within 200 feet Of
church property and that he had paced
it from the Baptist church property to
the Fitzgerald place, and it was about
300 feet, but that it was not quite 200
feet from the Catholic church, and
that the business man who had signed
the previous petition and would not
sign it this time, had told him that
he would lose $500 by this transaction
and that they did not want that kind
of signers on the petition.
At this Thomas Redhing of High
street, contractor, jumped to his
feet and said that he was the business
man that had signed the petition
against the saloon the first time and
would not do it this time, for, said
the speaker, II was told it was dis
orderly house, now the question is:
Is it disorderly house?
Lawyer Plechner then made plea.
asking the Board to grant the License
J as they had no real charge against the
place.
Mr.. Ferris told how he had wit
messed two men coming out of the
saloon Sunday night, April IS,
drunk, and this was only two weeks
after the board had refused a trans
fer of license to the new building.
He told how they had said that If
they could not get a transfer they
would, if they were granted
renewal cut doorway from
the old saloon to the new building
.. and thus make it into one. Mr.. Ferris
told of other disorders he had seens
and OF how he had heard that the
people who were after the license had
! threatened. to burn down his church,