The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1906-01-31
LOCAL OPTION
ADVOCATED
Municipal Corporations Com
mittee Hears Reasons
Why the Majority Should
Have All the Say
REV. THOMAS NasH's PLEA
LARGE DELEGATION OF CLERGY
MEN AND TEMPERANCE WORK
ERs ATTEND THE HEARING
AND URGE THE PASSAGE OF
THE MILLER BILL.
tspecial to ..rhe Jersey city News. .,

| Special to ''The Jersey City News.')
TRENTON, Jan. 81. 1906.--The Mu-
nicipal Corporations Committee of the
House granted the advocates of local op-
ton hearing yesterday afternoon upon
Assemblyman Miller's bill providing that
the questionso of local option shall be sub
mitted to the people of any town, town
ship or other municipality where 30 per
cent of the voters thereof make petition
to the governing board.
| The Anti-Saloon League of New Jer-
sey. which is responsible for the intro
duction of the Miller bill, was we'll rep
resented, as was also the Presbytery of
4 New Brunswick, which attended in a
body In addition there were present
many clergymen and laymen from the
various churches in Newark, Jersey City.
| Paterson, Hoboken and other sections of
North Jersey. They filled the Assembly
| Chamber and enthusiastically applauded
the remarks made by various speakers
in favor of the measure.
Rev Mr.. Thomas Nash, President of
the Anti-Saloon League. was the first
speaker. He explained the object of the
Miller bill and why its adoption was de-
manded. He said it was not fight be-
tween advocates Of temperance and the
brewers and saloon interests. but q. fight
to give the people rights which belonged
to them. rights 10 govern themselves in
the localities in which they lived. If the
majority of the people of any locality
was opposed to the sale Of intoxicating
liquors, he believed the majority should
rule and its rights be respected. He did
not approve of allowing the brewer or
saloon keeper TO say that liquor must
be sold in defiance of the will of the ma
jority.
Rev. Mr.. Nash said that the Miller
bill was demanded by people who lived
in communities where the inhabitants
were opposed to the sale of liquor. 1t in
ficted no hardship upon the saloonkeeper
nor was it intended to drive him out of
business. 1t merely provided that he could
not conduct his business where major
|
ity of the people are opposed to saloons.
This was fair measure, he argued, and
it was the duty of the Legislature to
grant the people equal rights with the
brewer and saloonkeeper.
The provisions of the bill were not
mandatory. If any community did not
desire to adopt the local option scheme
it could be voted down. The decision
rested with the majority.
That Rev. Mr.. Nash's remarks had
! made strong impression upon the COM
mittce was evident by the reception he
received when he concluded. A large
number Of friends of local option gather
ed around him and congratulated him
upon his mastery presentation of their
side of the case. Rev. Mr.. Nash then in
troduced score of other clergymen and
laymen who desired to present their
views
Mr.. Grafton e.. Dey, chairman Of the
State Prohibition Party, said that al
/ though the measure was not all that
could be desired, still he was willing to
accept it in the interest of good govern
ment. He cited an instance in which
county judge had granted a liquor liz
cense to saloonkeeper in community
where nearly seyen-eighths of the people
had signed petition opposing it. Such
/ defiance of the will of the majority of
! the people was un-American and against
the laws of the State, but the people
could have no redress to prevent a repe-
tition Of the outrage in the future unless
local option was granted. He believed
that where a majority Of the people was
opposed to the sale of liquor no Judge
should be empowered by law to grant
liquor licenses.
1 Albert Van Blareom. President Of the
Law and Order League Of Long Branch,
deprecated the failure Of the Legislature
TO allow the people to govern themselveeA
He said that although he did not believe
that Newark, Jersey City, Hoboken, or
any. Of the large cities would ever adopt
local option, still he thought there were
many towns that would take advantage
Of the law. # granted the opportunity.
It gave the majority the right to rule
and decide whether or not they would
allow liquor to be sold in their town,