The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1906-03-19
LIQUOR DEALERS
ON WAR PATH
Meeting. Today to Devise
Means to Defeat the
Bishops Bill
CLERGY REFUSE CONCESSION
Ex-MAYoR JOHN. HINCHLIFFE,
or PATERSON. A LEADING
SPIRIT IN THE RETALIAToRY
CAMPAIGN
Especial % .'The Jersey city News.")

Especial TO sThe Jersey City News.')
TRENTON, Mar 10, 1906.-Realiz
ing that the clergy and laymen ad9ocat-
ing the Bishops bills are determined to
stand pat and viii not accept any amend
ments suggested by the liquor interests
or make any concessions, committee
representing the brewers and the New
Jersey Liquor Deaelrs' League will meet
in this city this afternoon to devise ways
and means Of defeating these bills.
Ex-Mayor John HinchIiffe. Of Pater-
son, is at the head of the movement. He
declares that something must be done by
the brewers and liquor men to protect
their own interests. otherwise the Bish-
ops bills will go through the Legislature
like cyclone and be laws before the
liquor men are aroused from their APP
parent lethargy. Just what can or will
be done to block their passage, Mr.
Hinchliffe is unwilling to state until he
has conferred with the committee. He
allowed it to be inferred. however. that
he had something up lis sleeve and that
some surprises may be looked for if his
suggestions are adopted by the commit
tee
Ex-senator Robert s. Hudspeth, rep
resenting the Hudson County Liquor
Dealers Association, will also attend the
meeting to-day and advise with the COM
mittee as to what action should be taken
to defeat the Bishops bills. He also
realizes that it is a hopeless task to sug-
gest any amendment that would be cler
gy, and that the liquor mems only hope
sof defeating the bills sn their present
shape lies with the Miscellaneous Bus:-
ness Committee of the Ssnate. which haS
them in charge. While Mr.. Hudspeth
does not hope to defeat the bills, he is
still confident that some of the lrastic
provisions of the bills, auch as the joint
liability Of the landlord with the saloon
keeper in the event of any violation Of
the law, will be eliminated. Also that
the drastic screen, ETC., provision will be
vastly modified by the committee. not
withstanding the elergy's protests.
Senator Avis has told Mr.. Hudspeth
of the committee substitute he intends to
present at to-night's session of the Sem
ate and Mr. Hudspeth has sought to pre-
vol upon him not to present such re-
port until after the committee of brewers
and liquor men have discussed the mat
ter. this afternoon While the Glouces-
ter Senator did not promise that he would
withhold his report any longer than to-
night, he stated that he would be Pleased
10 receive any recommendations that the
committee had to offer. but did not know
what good it would do, as the committee
had practically made up its mind what
kind of a substitute measure should be
presented in lieu of the Bishops bills.
As told in the "Ne-ss'' issue Saturday,
the committee substitute will contain
many of the drastic features which the
liquor men have complained of So pit
terly. The only concession made Is that
the screens are allowed to remain until
8 o'clock at night. After that hour they
are to be removed until sunrise the next
morning They are also to be removed
on Sundays. election day and any other
day now prohibited by law.
This concession is not satisfactory to
the liquor men. They claim that if the
screens are to be removed on Sundays,
they may as well be taken down on week
days, as it will have a tendency to pre-
vent Sunday selling. They also cl
that the screen provision was placed Il
the bill for no other purpose than to pre-
vent Sunday selling and want it modi-
fed. The amendment which they pro-
pose is the closing Of saloons from II
o'clock Saturday night until 5 A. NJ.
Sunday; then to be allowed to open from
that hour It TA. NJ; then close until
O'clock; from that hour to be open until
2 O'Clock and then closed until 10 o'clock.
Between 10 O'clock and midnight to be
open.
The saloon interests claim that such
an amendment would be big concession
to the clergy. It would have tendency
to keep the saloons closed during church
service hours.
Rt. Rev. Monsignor John Sheppard, Of
St. Michael's Church, Jersey City, was
among the first to condemn this amend
ment, He said the clergy would ipsis-
upon law which would keep the sa-
looms closed all day Sundays and would
accent Of no comDrouai3a amendment.