Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-01-20
TRUSTEES EXPLAIN
STAND ON SALOON
CLOSING MATTER
South Orange SOlOns Favor
Extending Time Until Midnight
Instead of at ii O'clock.

luSlcdu vi d. IL NtVSh'
Among the arguments advanced by
Congressman-elect Walter l. Mccoy OF
South Orange, for his attitude as a
member of the South Orange Village
Board OF Trustees in favoring the re-
turn Of the midnight closing time for
saloons In the village is h a you can
not make men good by telling them
that they must not be bad"
In a statement given out by NH. Me-
Coy, which is signed also by Village
Trustees Frank j. Hill, William Arthur
| Babson and Charles Fl. Burke the
officials make known many Nasons
why the saloons In the village should
not be compelled to close at II O'Clock
| as has been the rule since December,
1907" From June, 1873, until that time
the trustees claim IL o'clock was the
closing hour.
According to police records the trus-
! tees state that there were more arrests
for i~ntoxioation' during the past year.
which was the first for h saloons to
close at II o'clock, than the previous
year, when the saloons were allowed to
keep open till midnight. There were
q arrests last year and but "a the year
previous.
EFF these records have any signifi-
canoe with reference to the ordinance
closing the saloons at Ii o'clock 1t
would seem that the ordinance has re-
suited In more, rather than less, drunk
enness, and that the late hours are not
the time when drinking to excess Is
most INDUCED In the trustees state.
THE argument advanced by those
who wish to have the saloons closed
at II o'clock, who are not mere prohi-
b~itionists. but willing to reason about
the matter, seems to be that there are
some men in the village who neglect
their families by staying in the saloons
and spending money there after II
o'clock, and that it is a good thing for
all men to go home not later tina II
O'Clock, so as to secure a sufficient
amount of rest to put them in proper
condition for work the next day.
I'VE are not informed as to the work.
ing OF the ordinance Of December, 1909,
In either of these respects, and II any
important results have been obtained
by the early closing. the advocates of
it no doubt would have published the
fact; but, however that may be, we do
not believe that the Board of Trustees
lis called upon to undertake the regula-
ton of the personal conduct of some
people in the village so far as that con-
duct does not interfere with the rights
of other people in the village.
I'VE are credibly informed, however,
that one result of the early closing of
the saloons in the village has been that
some residents of the village are In the
habit of going out of 1t evenings into
other communities, where saloons re-
main open until after IL o'clock. n
frequent saloons where practises are
INDUCED in more Objectionable from the
point of view of any respectable man
than drinking intoxicating liquors to
excess.
THE net result of the whose move
ment then seems to be dis Sinctly bad,
and 1t is simply another illustration
of the principal that you cannot make
men good by telling them that they
must not be bad.
I'm all the neighborins communities
the saloons are allowed &c remain open
until - O'Clock, except in Montclair.
where they are clos sd at Il. In West
Orange they are allowed TO remain
ope1 all night.
There are a great many people in
the village who wish to make use of the
saloons after II O'CLOCK. For instance,
many members OF lodges. whose meet
ings do not close until after that hour.
These citizens believe that there is
no reason why they should Ire deprived
of the right TO get u glass Of beer
after IL o'clock in the saloons zin; ply
because there are other people in the
community who do not know how to
make proper use Of the saloons, and we
agree with them, and see nothing In
the conditions in this village that
makes 1t desirable that the hour of
closing here shold be different from
the customary hour In substantially all
places of which we have n knowl-
edge.
These people point to the fact that
many signers Of the petition against
the II o'clock hour belong to clubs,
where Intoxicating drinks can be
bought at any time of the day or night
and on Sunday, too, in violation of the
law, and they ask by what considera-
ton of fairness those persons see their
way clear, to interfere with rights OF
Others similar to the rights they en-
JOY and the curtailment of which they
would bitterly resent. These people
ask further why the signers of the Pc
tition do not sacrifice some of their
personal comfort and come into per-
sonal contact with those who misuse
the saloons and attempt in this way
to accomplish their object instead of
working at long range through the
Board Of Trustees.
"In our opinion. so far as any action
on the part of the trustees is con-
cerned, having In view the regulation
Of the personal conduct Of citizens in
regard to this matter, their duty will
be fully performed by enforcing the
provisions of the so-called Bishops
Law which makes it possible to re-
woke any liAense If the holder OF 1t
sells intoxicating drinks to those who,
In the opinion OF the Legislature, should