The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-08-05
WORK FACES ''NO
 LICENSE" FORCES
Names of Tenth of Register ed Voters Must be Obtain
 ed to Submit Question
LIQUOR LAW CHANGES


 In spite of the unusual amount of liquor legislation at this session and the passage of some measures which seriously affect the liquor dealers, there is an occasional bright spot in the cloud through which the optimis- tic saloon keeper may see the light of day. While some of the measures passed by the house would indicate that the enemies of the saloon have staunch supporters belonging to both bodies, the passage of other bills fa- vorable to the liquor interests would indicate that this element too has it's friends in the house to look out for it's interest. For instance the new pc tition law is one that will bring joy to the liquor man who has been trem- bling for fear his town will go dry. Previously to the passage of this law a, few. persons in the community could start a "bunch of trouble for the li- quor dealers by signing a petition to vote on the license question. In other words 25 people in community could sign a petition to vote and 1t would be granted. Under the new law the face of things is considerably altered. Instead of twenty-five persons being allowed to put the city in a turmoil it takes ten per cent of the registered voters in order to bring the license issue to the polls. In other words where it used to take but 25 persons to bring the question to a vote in Bridgeport and contiguous territory it now takes a petition signed by ten per cent of the registered voters. This would mean in Bridgeport that 1872 persons must sign a petition before any attention could be given to the license vote. In New Haven 2,663 would be necessary In New Britain it would take 67S to bring things to an issue. In Hartford 1887 ana Tn towns of smaller size in almost every case more than three times the mum Der formerly required.
 In contrast to the above described piece of legislation is the new limita- tion law which is a powerful club held in plain view of the liquor dealer in order to make him obey the law This bill provides that no new ncenses e. shall be issued in any town where H. cense prevails now if the present mum Der exceeds one saloon to zoo of the population In addition to this re- striction the law says that every per son holding a license who shall De convicted of a violation during the year proceeding his application for a renewal or transfer may not secure such renewal or transfer. In other words if the saloonkeeper is convicted of a violation of the law he loses his license and cannot regain 1t until the population of the city has lncreas- ed fast enough to make the saloons in the city number less than one lo every 500 of population.
 The POO feet restriction was eased in some degree in. House bill 53O which provides that license may be issued within 200 feet of church or school or in a residential ard manufacturing place after a No-license period, pro vided the place had been licensed in the last previous license year. Thls bill was not looked upon with favor by the Governor and upon its receipt he promptly vetoed the measure
 Another piece of legislation which the liquor man will wonder at is the bill providing for the closing Of sa- looms on Christmas. One Of the op- ponents of this measure said that ne could not see the necessity for closing saloons on Christmas day any more than on the Fourth of July, but de- spite his protest the measure went through There was another measure at this session which restricts the re- tailing of liquors by a firm or dealer outside of the town limit in which he has received his license.
 Taking the matter of liquor leglsla- ton all in all it seems as though the liouor dealer had received a little the worst of it, although the bright spots that appear for him here and there indicate that there is present in the legislature a. number of representa- lives who are on hand to prevent any thing drastic .or fanatical that might be attempted by the enemies Of the saloon and to handle the liquor ques- tion more temperately than some or the advocates of extreme measures against the use of liQuOr.