The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1906-03-07

black, were the centre Of all eyes. Back
of them and on their right were Rev.
Edward :, knight, rector Of Christ
Episcopal church, Trenton; Rev. w.
Strother Jones, D. D., rector of St.
Michaels Episcopal church, Trenton;
Rev. Milton A. Craft, rector of Grace
Episcopal church, Trenton; Monsignor
John II. Fox, St. Mary's cathedral; Rev.
Patrick Gilhllin, of the same parish, and
nearly 200 Episcopal and Catholic priests.
The gallery was crowded by tre-
lnendous delegation of saloonkeepers and
their friends, many of whom We're OPP
posed to the passage Of the high license
bills.
Counsellor Peter Baekes, of Trenton.
was the first speaker for the Bishops
bills. He exploited their provisions,
showing that ii made licenses in munich
palities above 10000 population $500 in
stead of $3.50 a year; made the owner of
saloon property jointly responsible with
the saloonkeeper in that license once
forfeited should not be again granted for
the premises, one entrance only to sa-
looms; no back rooms; all blinds and
screens removed from doors and win
dows; no colored or clouded glass al
lowed; to compel consent of property
owner to the application of the saloon
keeper for license, thus making him
bondsman in that forfeiture of license
destroys forever his property fsr saloon
purposes.
Mr.. Backes read statistics showing
that based on the last census there was
one saloon in this State to every 100
men. women and children.
Jersey City, he said, had 1121 saloons,
or one to every 207 population; Hoboken
3so saloons, or one to every 170 inhabi-
tants; Trenton 293 saloons, or one to
every 273 persons.
Mr.. Backes further said it was now
impossible 10 get a conviction against a
saloonkeeper for selling liquor to minors,
That is why the new bills made this il
legal sale misdemeanor, amending the
crimes act
Mr.. Backes said it would be we'll TO
place the license granting power in some
strong body. He further believes that
any saloonkeeper convicted of crime
should forthwith lose his license.
Rev. Father Clifford. Morristown, was
the next speaker He said he represented
100000 religionists and that he was
really representing 10000 persons for
every one Senapr Hudspeth represented.
He said that the time was fast coming
when the sentiment would be an element
in the body polite. There were honest
saloenkeeaers in the galleries who would
make their places respectable but the
conditions do not allow them to. Three
fourths of the crime done by liquor is
due to the secrecy of the traffic. Public
ity was the cure for much of this. crime.
People do not allow the sale of dynamite
in private, and they.shonld not allow the
sale of liquor in any way than by the
fullest publicity.
The Dpeaker said there was a great call
from the people for law to restrict the
sale of liquor.
The liquor trade in Germany and Aus
tria is an honorable one and could be
made so here by publicity
Asked by Senator Wakelee. where pub
licity had worked well, Father Clifford
said: in Massachusetts" He could not
tell how well it worked.
Right Reverend S. Lines. Episcopal
bishop of Newark, promptly took up the
effect on the liquor question by publicity
in Massachusetts and said it kept wo-
men out of the saloons and made sa-
looms clean.
Bishop Lines said that publicity was
the great remedy for the liquor ques-
ton.
Back rooms and side doors were breed
ers of vice and all good. self-respecting
saloonkeepers know that this is so. and
many of them would be glad to get rid
of the results of this evil.
Society must restrict the saloon, be-
cause the liquor trade laid 90 heavy bur-
dens on the state because of filling aims
houses. asylums. orphanages and other
charitable institutions for the restraint
of the criminals that liquor breeds.
Rev. Father John A. Sullivan. of st.
Aloysius' r. c. Church, of Jersey City
said that he was an advocate Of liberty
and was not against any man taking
any mans God given right. He said he
was born in New York City and spent
many years in ''the horse shoe" in Jer-
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