The Monmouth inquirer., 1907-02-21
LIQUOR LEGISLATION.
Democrats Preparing Amend
ments to Bishops Law.
CAUCUS NEXT MONDAY NIGHT.

Measure For Local Option Presented.
Active Legislative Session Is Now On.
Especial Correspondence
Trenton; Feb. 21.-The legislature
this week had two busy sessions Mon
day night and Tuesday. after which
the members went to the Trenton
House, where a dinner was served to
the legislators and few invited guests
by United States Senator Elect Frank
o. Briggs and State Treasurer Elect
Daniel s. Voorhees, of Morris county.
The dinner was one of the most pleas
ing given during a legislative session
since the days of Governor Murphy
who was famous entertainer in both
public and private.
Liquor Legislation.
The proposed liquor legislation occu-
pied most of the attention of the legis-
lators. AssembIyman Buck of Cumber-
land county presented local option
bill at the instance of the Antisaloon
League of New Jersey. 1t is practi-
cally the same measure as that intro
duced last winter, with the exception
that it goes little further and permits
municipalities to vote by wards on the
question of having or not having sa-
looms. 1t is somewhat of a coincidence
that both local option bills should come
from Cumberland county and that both
should be fathered by Assemblyman
Buck Assemblyman Miller, Mr.. Bucks
associate last winter, was to have been
sponsor for the last bill, but he was kept
at home by the death of his wife at
the time, and Mr. Buck took his place.
That measure failed of passage, and
this measure is likely to meet the same
fate. The Democratic majority of the
house is opposed to temperance reform
of any kind and has the votes to de-
feat this measure. Even the Republic
ans are somewhat fearful of SO radical
a measure.
While the Democrats may be said to
be opposed to all temperance reform,
they seem altogether at sea as to just
what stand to take. 1t is reported
that Leader Klenert has been severely
taken to task by some of his colleagues
because he so arbitrarily refused to
grant the temperance people hearing
on the bills now before the house. An
other Democrat who is opposed to
liquor legislation this winter is Mr.
Morris Of Sussex He has expressed
himself as opposed to any change in
the bishops law, and if he stands out
in this position the Democrats will be
unable to amend the present law I'M
less with the aid of Republican votes,
which they are not likely to get
The Democrats in joint conference
late Tuesday afternoon listened to the
Silzer bill, which is to modify the
bishops law, but there was no agree
ment, the matter of caucus going over
to next Monday evening. There are
Democrats Of the house who say that
there will not be any caucus. Mr.. Nor
ris says that he will not vote for the
bill in its present shape. The Silzer
compels women to drink
at the bar, as men, if they want to en-
ter saloons for the purpose of drinking;
the mandatory feature of the screen
sections is modified by allowing boards
of excise and common pleas judges
discretion whether or not they shall
order screens down; the landlord is re-
lieved of joint liability with the tenant
by a section which modifies the bish-
ops law by saying that "the landlord
shall not be liable if the illegal acts OF
the tenant are unknown to him.
Churchman's Conference.
The bishops and other clergy of the
state are against the proposition.
Prominent clergymen from all parts of
the state assembled here Monday aft
ernoon at the call of the interdenomi-
national conference, which last winter
secured the enactment of the bishops
law for the better regulation of the
LIQUOR traffic The object of the meet
ing was to plan campaign against
the liquor bills which have been intro
duced by the Democrats, including the
bishops bill repeater and a bin to le-
galize Sunday selling. 1t was decided
to refuse any compromise in this mat
ter and to contend for the present ex-
else regulations They are especially
DESTROYS Of retaining on the statute
books the provision which requires
bars to be exposed on Sunday and the
provision which makes landlords re-
sponsible for their tenants. Among
the churchmen who were present and
agreed to stand pat were the follow
ing: Right Rev. John Scarborough,
episcopal bishop of New Jersey; Right
Rev. James A. McFaul, Catholic bishop
of Trenton; Father John Ryan of Jer-
sey City, Father Charles of Hoboken,
Rev. DIR. John D. Fox, leading Meth
odist of Trenton; DIR. Charles B.
Wright, state commissioner of chart
ties and correction; DR.. Henry B. Min
ton of Trenton, formerly moderator of
the Presbyterian general assembly;
Or. H. b. Macauley of Trenton, Rev.
Il. ]. knight of Trenton, s. H. Kahn,<
secretary of the New Jersey Law and
Order league Of Camden and Counsel
or Peter Backes of Trenton, counsel
for the conference.
In both branches of the legislature