Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-03-02
CHANGE URGED IN
LICENSE SYSTEM
Would Transfer Granting Pow
err from Town Councils to
Judges.

The agitation for a reduction in the
number of saloons from eight
to five in Nontclair may re-
suit in bill being introduced
in the Legislature to take the power
of granting licenses out of the hands
of the Town Council and place it
with the judges of the county courts,
where 1t formerly belonged. Such a
step, it is said, is contemplated by
those who are satisfied with the pres
ent number of saloons in town. 1t is
thought that the Montclair council
men and councils of other towns
would be pleased with the proposed
change, as they would then be re-
lieved of the responsibility.
Montclair has eight retail licensed
places and three wholesale, with an
, estimated population of $4,000. This
is considered by the general public as
reasonable number. and many less
than in other towns similarly stu
ated
When the Hotel Montclair was
grantee q retail liquor license, seven
years ago, a verbal agreement was
entered into by the members Of the
then Town Council and the church
people of Montclair that no more new
licenses would be granted, but that
the then licensed places would be
granted renewals as long as they
obeyed the law. The following year
one man broke the law, and after a
hearing before the council, at which
the violator was represented by coun-
sci, his application for a renewal was
denied.
-Four years ago the temperance peo-
pie made a desperate attempt to prove
violations of the excise law against
Patrick ]. Farrell, proprietor of the
Union Hotel, Bloomfield avenue and
Valley road. Detectives had been
hired and they had practically lived
in FarrelPs place for two weeks, all
the time using every means to in
duce the proprietor or his employees
to violate the law. The detectives
presented a lot of trurhped-up evil
dence to their employers, and Mr..
Farrell was cited before the council
for trial. When the evidence was
presented it fell fiat and Farrell was
absolved from all blame. Even some
of those most energetic in their eff
forts to convict Farrell afterwards
apologized to him.
The present agitation to defeat the
granting OF renewals to Mr.. Farrell,
on the grounds that his hotel occu-
pies too prominent a corner; the
Hotel Montclair. because it is used
by the young people of Montclair for
social purposes, and Ralph Andolino,
36 Glenridge avenue, because the new
Baldwin Street School has recently
been erected within a block of his
place. will likely fail unless charges
of violation of the excise law can be
made and sustained. There is another
class of people in Montclair, that
stand between those attacking re-
newals to the present licensed places,
and that other element, which might
be termed the saloon element. These
people think that the present con-
dition in Montclair in regard to the
excise question is good, much better
than in most places, and as long as
the saloon-keepers adhere strictly to
the law they should be assured of
fair treatment and renewals of their
applications. They fear just the very
sentiment that is now uppermost in
the minds of the saloon element, that
an effort will be made to have the
granting of licenses taken out of the
hands of the council, which. if sue
cessful. would probably lead to an
increase of saloons instead of a de-
crease. They say let well enough
alone, make no agitation as long as
the Town Council keeps its agreement
to grant no new licenses