The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1906-01-25
Canvass of the Legislators
Proves Gonclusively That
There Will Be No Liquor
Bill Passed This Year
REPUBLICANS FEAR IT
THEY SAY "A BILL TO PLEASE
PRoHIBITIo oNIsTs MIGHT
PROVE A BoeAfERANG-REy. CT
3. MASH WILL FORCE THE MIA
LER MEASURE.
Especial to 'grhe Jersey city News.'J

Special to 'sThe Jersey City News.'3
TRENTON. Jan. %, 1906.-The con@
sensus of opinion of legislators and men
who have attended the sessions Of the
Legislature for many years is that tbs
present Legislature is hardly likely to
pass any local option measure whether
the bill emanates from the New JERSEY
Anti-Saleon League or from the Catholic
clergy in the northern part Of the State
Almost every law maker when asked
where he stands on the question will rer
ply that he is on the fence and under
cided how he will vote if called upon.
In the next breath he will tell you that
It is hardly likely that vote viii ever
be taken on the question. This simply
means that the committee to which any
local option measure is referred can be
depended upon not to report such mea-
sure. thus relieving the members Of the
painful duty of going on record, either
for or against local option.
Rev. Charles E. Nash, Of Newark,
President of the New Jersey Anti-Sa-
loon League, visited the Senate Chamber
last Monday evening. accompanied by
two local clergymen, and sought to pre-
vail upon each Republican Senator to
stand sponsor for local option bin SIM
liar to the one introduced by Assembly,
man Miller. of Cumberland County. IN
the House last week. Each Senator
cordially received Rev. Mr.. Nash and
listened with respectful attention to what
he had to say in favor of the measure.
but all fatty refused to commit ttheinselve
whether or not they favored the measure.
They also declined to introduce such a
bill in the Senate or allow their names
to be used in any connection with it.
The reception which Rev. Mr.. Mash
received was not especially pleasing to
him, and when he left he seemed TO be
impressed with the idea that even if the
House should adopt Miller's local option
bill there was scarcely any hope that it
would successfully pass through the Sem
ate. He declared that while majority
of the Senators booked with favor upon
local option, they feared to antagonize
the liquor interests for political res sons,
and therefore would not place themselves
on record either by introducing it or
openly supporting it.
'They are all hedging" said the Rev.
Mr.. Nash, .and are waiting for the cat
to jump out of the bag before they be-
gin to make up their minds how they
are going to vote Although it looks
very much that way, can scarcely lead
myself to believe that the Republican
Senators are afraid to advocate a local
option measure.
"When the Miller bill reaches the Sem
ate, as l feel confident it win pass tle
House, we are going to force these Sem
ators to take sides. They will either have
to vote for it or stand by the saloon 9n-
terests. They will net be allowed 70
bury it in committee, as they did last
year. Public sentiment will force theM
to show their hands either for or againsr
it.
A majority of the Republican sepa.
tors, while not talking for publications.
do not hesitate to say that the local OPP
ton question is one of the most diHiellr
to be solved by the Legislature during
this session.
''We had an experience with this quess
ton in 1885, said one of the Senator's,
when the Republicans Joined, the Pres
hibitionists in creating high license ana
lCcdI OPTION. w nSQ we went sDeEOTes Lne,
people on that issue We We're disastrous
" defeated. Our experience then tausht
US lesson and we are not likely 70
make the same mistakes again."
Just how far the local option project
will get in the House seems to- be prob1
metical The Miller bill was referred
to the Committee on Municipal Ccrpdra5
tions, of which Assemblyman Seovel OF
Camden, is chairman, and a public hear-
ing viii be given the measure in the As
sembly Chamber next Tuesday AFTERNOONS
1t is expected that the Assembly ChaTn$
Der will be taxed to its limit by advocates
Of local option from all parts of the
State who will seek to impress upon the
committee the necessity of such a law.
The Miller bin provides for the sub.
mission to the people of towns, town.
ships. boroughS, villages, cities and oth9I
municipalities when thirty per cent. Of
the voters thereof petition the governing
board to be allowed to vote on the ques.
ton of the sale or prohibition of spirit.
GUS vinous, brewed and intoxicatina
liquors in such town. township. etc. The.
elections on this question cannot be held
oftener than once in tive years.. II
Mr.. Miller acknowledges that the bill
was given to him by the New Jersey Lo-
cal Option League and that he introduced
it at the request of this organiza ton.
Asked if he had not introduced the bill
for the purpose of embarrassing the Re-
pubicans in return for the cold shoulder
he has been getting since he deserted his
South Jersey political friends, he smiled
blandly but refused to make any further
reply than that the Local Option League
had asked him to introduce the measure
and he saw no reason why he should not
as he represented constituency where
Prohibitionists were largely IN the major
ity.
Before Mr. Miller had been induced fe
present the local option bill it is known
that the leaders of the league appealed
to almost every member of the House
outside of those from Hudson and Es-
sex counties and tried hard to persuade
them to stand as sponsor for the bill
without result. Each man in turn had
reason or excuse why he could not intro
duce it, but promised to vote for itSii
if it was ever taken up by the House
How many Of them will stand by theil
promise it is hard to forecast. but it is
almost safe 10 predict that the bill will
never leave the committees hands and
that if it does it will be SO late In the
session that its fate wtl be sealed IN tht