Perth Amboy evening news., 1913-01-06

| present rule a forfeiture of a license
| means a loss of revenue. You
| should not give your enemies ammu-
| milton at this present time, but YOU
| should show the public thai the
| number of licenses can be reduced
| in number without one penny loss
| to. the city. However, should this
| rule prove impracticable, 1t can be
changed at any time within two
| months. Therefore you have no rea-
son for worry.
There are saloons which are run
by men, who, during the day, let
their wives attend the bar, while
they, themselves, go to factories as
common laborers, etc. This Is a
great wrong, not only to the families
of the saloon keepers, but to the
man, who a few doors away, gives
up his entire time to run the busi-
ness. 1t is wrong to his family be-
cause the saloon atmosphere is not
extra ethical; the mother needs all
the moral improvements b can OBJ
tain, not only for her own sake, but
also for her small ones. 1t is an in
Jury to the neighbor saloon keeper
who may be striving to earn an hon
est living. He cannot compete with
a man who lets his wife attend bar
while he himself goes out as a la
borer. This recommendation can
not be injurious to the saloons or to
the public.
You may know of cases where a
saloon is run very we'll by a woman.
Such cases are, however, rare and
far between. To make an exception
to the rules would only lead to IA
voritism. The public is against spe-
cial privileges. There may be cases
where this rule will work harshly.
But a good law, at times, does work
an individual hardship. l believe
that laws should be made for the
benefit of the many and not for the
enrichment of the few.
These recommendations will GER
tainly not be hardships to the men
who desire and who do obey the law.
He will get the benefit in losing
neighbors who do not play fair.
That is they who do not obey the
law.
Many saloons are not sanitary and
measures ought to be adopted to
make them so.
1t is not the province of the ex-
else board to enforce the principles
Of local option, yet, l have hereto
fore stated that it is your duty to
enforce and abide by the will of the
tain same. We all wish to reside IN
a community with people who agree
with us In ethical and social ideas.
This desire Is SO natural that it re-
quires no explanation. To interfere
with people in their enjoyment Of
life is not only wrong but wicked.
1t is a well known fact that the sa-
loon does not increase the valuation
of property, and that the only ones
| who do receive the benefits from a
saloon is the owner and brewer,
| and, in some cases, the saloon keep
err. Therefore, I believe it is your
moral as we'll as political duty not
to grant a license against the will OF
the people. Hence, the ordinance of
| the excise board ought to be so
amended that in cases where the
majority of the property In
any street block file a remon-
STRANGE against the granting or re-
newing of a license, same should no,
be granted. This proposition should
be left to the property n to de-
eide and not to the tenants. The
tenants car leave the neighborhood,
but the property owner cannot move
his property. I fail to see any objec-
ton to this recommendation.
/ do not assume that these recon
mendations are infallible. But / dc
say that they are improvements.
Last but not least the people are
against the secret ballot, which is
now prevailing. For a public ser
want to favor secrecy Is both COW
ardly and unjust. The people are
entitled to know how their repre-
s~entatives are voting. Under the Sc
cret ballot 1t would be very easy tt
shift the blame where 1t does no
belong or deprive a person of credi
which belongs to him. BY the abol
ishment of the secret ballot tn
blame or credit can be placed JUS
where 1t belongs.
4 Yours very truly,
PETER A. PETERSON.
Dated, Jan. 4th, 1913.