The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1906-07-12
SALOON CASES
DISMISSED
Score Of Downtown Men
Cited to Appear In Court
for Violating the Screen
Clause Go Scot Free
ALL UP TO THE EXCISE BOARD
LEGAL LUMINARIEs HOLD THAT
A FORMAL DEMAND MUST BE
MADE BEFORE SALOON MEN
MUST REMOVE SCREENS.

MADG bHtsOhE 0<AhOON @nA11~'
MUST REMOVE SCREENS.
The cases against about a score of
downtown saloonkeepers who were cited
to appear in the First Criminal Court
Monday morning to answer charges
of violating the anti-screen clause of the
new excise law We're dismissed by Acting
Police Justice Robert Miller this morn
ing. Nearly the same number of up
town saloonkeepers were before Police
Justice Manning in the Second Criminal
Court Monday ON the same charge, but
Police Justice Manning held with for
for the Hudson County Liquor Dealers
Association, that the saloonkeepers were
not obliged to remove the screens until
the Excise Board passed a resolution de-
manding the removal of the screens. He
dismissed the charges on the spot, but
the Acting Police Justice who was sitting
in the down-toyn court postponed the
cases before him until this morning.
Chief Murphy was in court. He said
to the Court: 'These men are engaged
in business here and belong here, and as
there seems to be reasonable doubt en-
tertained by them and the public at large
as to whether the law cempels the
screens to be taken down until the Ex-
else Board passes resolution ordering
the screens down, would advise that
the charges this time be dismissed"
The Chief holds that there are some
discrepancies in the law on this subject.
He says he finds that eminent lawyers
agree that two certain words s'require"
and for were evidently left out of the
sereeh clause, possibly as a typographical
error. The clause-with the werds 're-
qaired" and ''or' left out-and which
vi. be found inserted in brackets in the
appended reproduction of the clause,
reads as follows:
The court, excise board, or other
beard or authority having the power by
law to grant licenses in any municipali-
ty of this State, if said license is not an
inn and tavern, or a hotel having 3t
least Ten spare rooms and beds for the
aoe amodation of boarders, transients
and travellers, or restaurant where the
business of furnishing meals to the pub
lie FOR compensation, is regularly carried
OF. and which restaurant is conducted on
more than one floor or story Of the build
ing where such business is carried on, or
picnic or recreation ground, or a
building with bowling alley, or in a
building entirely occupied by a regularly
organized club or association shall ire
quire) upon the days and times when the
sale of liquors or other Intoxicating
ersnks is by law prohibited to be sold,
tori may at any or all times, require
that the entire interior of such bar or
business room in which such liquors and
other Intoxicating drinks are served shall,
during the entire prohibited time or
may at any or all other times, as may be
required by such authority. be open to
full view from the public street; and up
on the making of an order to that effect
by the court, excise board or other au-
th'ority having power to grant such IL
censes, a full view of the entire interior
of such bars or business rooms in such
municipality, shall not thereafter during
the times SO specified as aforesaid, be
ebstructed from the public street by the
use of transparent glass or of a
ehade, blind, shutter. screen, merchan-
disc or any other article placed within
u "ianoul Inc puiiuins III Whlcn Such
room is located"
The Chief holds, however. that all OBJ
structiens Of view from even the interior
Of saloon any day in the week, except
ing those to closets for toilet purposes,
as well as those obstructing the entire
view Of rooms where liquor could be
served privately during prohibited hours,
must come down. Many of the saloon
Keepers have decided to take no chances
and the interior of their cafes are grad
ually undergoing transformation.