Perth Amboy evening news., 1911-01-30
ENFORCING EXCISE LAW.

that he viii impose a fine Of $50 for
the first o~ffense; $50, which is the
limit, for the second %offense, and for
the third offense he viii hold the sa.
loonkeeper under $1,000 to await the
action of the grand jury, is along the
right line.
There is no reason why a man
dealing in the sale of liquors should not
obey the law than anyone else. The
law is poor enough at the best. 1t was
made by men afraid to offend the
liquor interests and, therefore, was SO
worded that it is hard to accomplish
any real permanent good. With a de-
termined recorder on the city bench,
and with 4 court at New Brunswick
ready to enforce the law when the VIC,
ktors are brought before 1t, there is
some chance of getting justice.
Now If the excise board will take q
firm stand for publicity and high Ii
censs, refusing all new applications
and turning down renewals where vio-
~lations have been proven, Perth Amboy
can take renewed hope. OF course it
is necessary to have the police depart
ment In this, and people have a right
to hold the mayor responsible if the
police do not do their duty. Mayor
Bollschweiler has more than once prid-
ed himself with being at the head of
the police department and, therefore,
he cannot shirk the responsibility.
That Perth Amboy is not alone in
the demand for higher license is shown
by a signed editorial published in the
Railway News-Hersld, owned by J. B.
Furber. 1t seems the court is about
appoint two new excise commissioners
for Railway, and a strenuous effort is
being made to have high license men
put on the board. Commenting on
this matter, Mr.. Furber, in mis- news
paper, saysi
"That the appointment of excise
commissioners to succeed Messrs. Till
man and Helmstadter should be looked
upon as a joke by some irresponsible
and wholly superficial corner loafers
and that the most important subject
of the year, to the true lover Of our
city, should be all but ignored by the
better class who are only half awake
to the evils of our saloon domination is
most deplorable. There is no one thing
and may be no combination of condi- |
tions, which has worked so much in
jury to the city as the excess of dram
shops. Summit, West1eld and Plain
ield are growing at a tremendous rate
Railway for a score of years has
oeen at a standstilI. The average man
II a family does not by choice locate
mhsre his shilldraa mazt meet an open
RNa~a sa.ss or e. md ethaGsat1
Intervals In every block. Why
1t that householders contemplating
he location Of q home in this city are
old; Don't go there, It's a dead
,nes Who made 1t a dead ones Who'll
IS Il sends over 5000, 900 per year out
Of town to pay for liquors which never
did the drinkers a cents worth of
goods Who is it that keeps the streets
of the city 30 full of drunkep men that
all the doctors petitioned Council to
appoint q Jag Commission to look af-
ter the DRINKS and protect them from
the dramshop keepers 1t Is perfectly
within reason to say that no one thing
within the history Of Railway has
worked such a hardship upon the city
as the excessive number Of saloons,
many of which make no pretense of
obeying the law. " =
Gin the report to the Newark and
Elizabeth papers it was stated that the
saloonkeepers prefer men who are not
biased in their opinions. In other
words they prefer the men they have
selected who will either leave the
amount of the license where it is or
reduce it. The people of Railway who
suffer daily that a few saloonkeepers
may prosper, want a higher license and
less saloons. 1t follows, therefore, from
the saloonkeepers' standpoint, that the
man who wants to protect the property
and the children of Railway is preju-
diced. To be sure he is-he must be
against the present condition in this
city and who is not who has the least
spark of civic pride in his makeupa
The people of Railway should go en-
masse to Judge Atwater and urge the
appointment of commissioners who
care more for Railway than for O par
eel of saloonkeepers. A license~of 81
600 was promised and it should be SO
ifxed.o
Perth Amboy should have a license
of at least $3.50. This would put a
large number of the saloons out of
business and, at the same time, keep
the city's revenue up to the present
income from this source.
The only men who are hit hard by
the high license in this city are the
brewers, who, 1t is known, control
most of the saloons here. These brew
ers take thousands of dollars out of
Perth Amboy every year and leave
only wreck and ruin in return. No
sympathy should be shown these men,
and the city will be a great deal better