The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1909-02-09
PLUMnERSLOCAL
OPTION BILL NOT
So VERY RADICAL
Thirty Per Cent. OF Voters Can
Set Aside Call for Special
Election.
MEASURE LAST YEAR
MUCH MORE RABlD
Interest in Accordance with a
Promise Made TO the Anti
Saloon League.
Special to the Evening star.l

TRENTON. Feb. 9.-The Anti-Saloon
Leagues local option bill. as introduced
in the Senate last night by Senator
William Plummer. of Salem, was the
subject of general comment at the CAPT
tai today.
When Senator Plumner was running
for reelection last fall he made the
pledge that if the A%nti-Saloon League
so desired he would introduce such a
measure.
The measure is somewhat quieter
than that introduced last year. 1t ap-
plies only to municipalities which is
defined in the bill to mean towns, town
ships. villages, boroughs or cities, as
the case may be. The bill provides that
when so per cent. of any municipality
shall petition the judge, he shall set
aside an election day, other than the
regular election day, and removed from
1t by not less than sixty days, at which
time the voters of such municipality
shall vote on the question Of creating
5 ID municipality "anti-saloon terri
tory or prohibiting the sale of intoXi-
eating liquor therein. and in case the
majority vote for such prohibition, il
shall be illegal to grant a license or
sell liquor in that municipality for two
years. If they vote for license. they
cannot vote again on it for two years.
At the expiration of two years q vote
can be taken Under the bill regardless
of the result of any prior election. and
the majority may reverse their former
verdict.
The bill does not prohibit the manu-
facturer of liquor from the raw materi-
al, to sell. deliver, or furnish his pro-
duct in wholesale quantities outside of
the municipality which has voted
against license; and it allows the holder
of a license to continue to sell intoXi-
eating liquor TO the expiration of the
time for which his license was issued,
providing his license was taken out
prior to the passage Of the act. 1t
further. oXcepts from its provisions
wine for sacramental purposes. Also,
druggists who sell in good faith on
prescriptions to be filed but once, pro-
viding a book is kept in which all sales
are registered. 1t also allows the drug
gist to sell alcohol i'm quantity for
chemical and manufacturing purposes.
IT provides the machinery for carry
ing these provisions into effect, and IT
provides as a penalty that the party
shall be guilty OF a misdemeanor, and
shall be fined not more than two hun-
bred dollars. nor less than fifty dollars
for the first offcnse. and shall for any
subsequent offense be fined not more
than five hundred dollars nor less than
one hundred dollars, and be imprisoned
not more than one veal nor less than
three months. and for the second Of
Tense. the court shall abate the place
where the liquor was sold as a
nuisance, and shall order the person
convicted to give a bono for the sum
of one Thousand dollars, with sureties
that he will not again violate the law.
The Anti-Saloon League employed the
firm of Sommer, Colby & Whiting as
special counsel. and they have given an
opinion that the measure is constitu-
tional.