Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1911-06-09
BILL TO LICENSE
THE THIRST CLUBS.
Point Made That 1t Will Legalize
Bawdy and Road Houses.
ESPECIAL to The BulIetin.)

Hartford June S.-Legal conSldera-
tions involved in an excise matter
the club license bill-the first 1mper-
tant excise legislation to be taken up
in the house this session, resulted on
Thursday in its being tabled Just as It
was apparently about to be killed In
order that learned attorneys among
the members may have chance to
scan it closely for the purpose OF de-
termining If it can be made an 1nstru-
ment under which the perple2,ing prob
lem of effectually prosecuting so-called
clubs that sell liquors to their members
without a, license. 1t developed during
the discussion that there is difference
Of opinion among the members Oh the
legal profession as to the r1gnt OF
club to do that in this state, wnefc
there are no supreme court decisions
to guide. although the supreme courts
in New York and Massachusetts have
decided that members of a CLUB nave
a right to buy liquors OF each other.
Mr.. Bent, Bridgeport, author of the
bill, explained that it is really neces-
sarv that clubs be made to take out
license. He said that under the pres
ent ARRANGEMENT conditions are becom-
ing intoierable. Clubs are doing a
LIQUOR business all over the state and
are net paying any license. There is
no law in this state requiring club
to take out a license. We have no
supreme court decisions on this club
matter and it is an open question
whether or not q club has right 20
sell to its members. This bill is aim
ed at the great number of illegitimate te
clubs that are springing up like mush-
rooms all over the state. Most Of these
are Incorporated as athletic clubs, but
the only thing they develop is thirst.
The retail liquor dealer pays $3.50
year for a license; the clubs pay moth
ing. The bill provides that every club
where liquor is sold shall take out a
license at 500 a year and that a list
of members and officers and copy cf
the by -laws and constitution be filed
with the application, signed by the
president and secretary to the county
commissioners, who may use their dis
cretion as to granting. The bill ex-
empts clubs within the 200 feet limit.
THE bill Mr.. Bent said, will remedy
evils which exist today"
Mr. Tingier characterized the meas
ure as one to license every bawdy and
road house. If these clubs want to
take out a license he said, let them do
It under the regular form. believe it
an aoominabie measure and that it
should be killed.
Various amendments were offered 20
the bill and reported one of them, by
MIR. Hall of Wilmington. raising the
license fee to $3.50, but all were finally
tabled with the bill. Mr.. Halls amend
would not If passed, be contrary to
the present law regulating the number
of saloons to one for every 500 people.
Mr. Banks said he could appreciate
the difficulty of making members from
the small towns understand the condi-
ton that this club question is creating
in the cities of the state. In the court
for which he is the prosecuting attor-
ney 53 club cases are now pending on
appeal 'I will try to convict in eacn
one of these" he said, despite what
Mr. Bent has said about there being
no law on this matter in this state.
Some of the cases will probably go
to the supreme court. I know of the
decisions in New York and Massachu-
sets. I would like a certain and set
tied law SO that I may know and the
courts may know what the exact sit
us ton relative to the clubs spring
ing up all over the state and that are
doing business in competition with the
saloons without paying license.
would like to have the law fixed SO
that this condition can be corrected.
am inclined to think from a hasty ex-
animation that this bill is in the in
terest of temperance il we can get it
in such shape as to allow of having
clubs that sci liquor without a license
declared a nuisance"
The bill with all the amendments
was tabled on motion of Mr.. Banks.