The Penn's Grove record., 1909-03-05
Local option To Suit All

Nine different bills dealing with ex-
else matters have been introduced into
the New Jersey Legislature, all but two
of which favor the saloon:
"The first bill to be introduced was
Senator O%sborne's measure, authorizing
cities to permit the sale of liquor on
Sundays during certain hours, and then
followed, not in re- ular order. Assem-
blyman Kenny's bill, allowing munich
palities to do pretty much as they pleased
Assemblyman Keifer's bill granting
great privileges to Atlantic City; Sena-
tor Wilson's bill, drawn for tie same
purpose; the two bills by Ford and
Brooks, of Essex, both on the very lib
eral side of the Issue, and last, but far
from least of those in the liquor inter-
ests, the bill of A~ssemblyman Otto, the
lone Republican of Hudson, repeating
the Bishops law" the Werts law and
everything else on the statute book, and
giving municipalities license to do any
thing and everything they please.
"The two bills looking to the regula-
ton of the liquor traffic are Senator
Plummer's measure, which is the local
option bill of last year so ledrawn as to
remove as many as possible of the OBJ
jections raised against it when it came
before the Legislature of 1908, and the
bill drawn and recommended by the
majority members of the State Excise
Commission. All the bills provide for
s<hom e rule" but seven out of the nine
favor such home rule as the brewers and
saloonkeepers approve, while the two
others are favorable to a quality o fhome
rule desired by those not inclined toward
furthering the liquor interest"
If all these bills were passed the liq-
uor men who claim to have a majority
in Atlantic, Essex, Hudson and Pas
sale counties would have what they
wished and the prohibitionists who live
in counties which have a majority
against the sale of intoxicating liquors
would have their law to suit. That
would be having local option with the
privilege of doing bad as well as~good.
The object of government and all law
is to advance civilization by making it
easier to be and Go good and hard to do
wrong. Total abstainers need no law
According to st. Paul, law is our
''schoolmaster' to teach righteousness.
Therefore, it is better to have a law as
a 'tschoolmaster" to teach the better
way, even, tho il be not fully obeyed
(no law is fully obeyed) titan to have no
law at all.
A hearing was given OH those
bills favored by the liquor interest,
sellers as well as drinkers last Mon.
day. Those who spoke in Atlantic
City's interest stated flat the Sunday
law had never been observed there, ex
cept for a short time, and the business
interest favored Sunday sales OF liquor.
Those who spoke for the German drink
ers spoke for a liberal Sunday because
the working men need a day of recrea-
ton.
The speakers in the interest of the
Anti-Saloon League and Churches said
that the Sabbath was a State wide in
stitution: protected by State laws and
should not be made a matter of local
legislation. 1t is the right Of all the
people of the State to say whether
there shall he a plague spot in New
Jersey like Atlantic City. 1t is a
special privilege they ask-class leg
islation, which this legislature has no
power to pass.
A hearing on the Plummer anti sa-
loon local option bill will be given next
Tuesday.