Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-12-31
ARREST OF PROMINENT
HOTELMAN OF LEBANON
WORRIES LIQUOR MEN
j. Wistar Sperry, Proprietor of
Hotel Stratford, Is Accused
of Operating Lascivious
Picture Machines
WHITE RIBBoNERs BUSY

LEBANON. Pa. Dec. 3l.-Consternation
was thrown into the camp of the saloon
men of Lebanon County by the arrest
yesterday of ]. Wistar Sperry. proprietor
of the Hotel Stratford, one of the Oldest
licensed places in the Lebanon Valley,
accused of operating in the barroom or
his hotel n number of penny-in-the-siot
machines showing lascivious pictures Not
only was Sperry placed under arrest and
the machines confscated by the Anti
Saloon League OF Lebanon County, but
the announcement was made that this
move Is but one of the steps incident to
filing n remonstrance against the renewal
of the Stratford license at the annual
license court to be held on Thursday,
January 49, before Judge C. V. Henry.
President Judge of the Lebanon County
courts.
With n record OF nine license revoca-
tions In two years, the Anti-Saloon
League is known to have been quietly
conducting n compaign for the systematic
gathering OF evidence of violations OF the
Brooks high-license law on the part of
Lebanon County saloon men, and there Is
a general feeling of uneasiness being
shown on the part of the latter as the
day OF the annual License Court ap-
proaches.
Harry ]. Schools, attorney for the Anti
Saloon League, has made the statement
that there will be number of remon-
strances filed by the league on the
strength of disclosures recorded during
the last ~ months most of which have
been made through the activities of the
Rev. b. F. Daugherty, pastor of Trinity
United Brethren in Christ Church, and the
Rev. T. Chiffon Harris, pastor or the First
Baptist Church. who, as officials OF the
league, have in person gone into saloons
for the purpose of gathering evidence
of violations of the law. This evidence
has been filed away and only possibly
week before the annual License Court VIII
formal remonstrances, with the various
charges of alleged violations. be made a
matter of record in the License Court
MANY VIOLATIONS FOUND.
The charge is made that. potwithstand-
ing the fate of nine law-breaklng saloon
keepers and the well-known fact that the
Anti-Saloon League was continuing It's
campaign, some hotelkeepers In this city
have shown defiance of the law. with the
result that the league has obtained evil
dence of many law violations.
The action of the league in publishing
the names Of all signers on liquor license
petitions has made IL difficult for saloon
men TO obtain slgners, where formerly
prominent business and professional men,
some men high in church and Sunday
school work. thought nothing OF atfixing
their signatures, Notice served on such
signers during the course of the Slough
evangelistic campaign last October has
had the effect of causing virtually all
of them to refuse TO again have their
names appear on the liquor applications
ANTI-sALooN WORK FELT.
Tebanon County saloonmen no longer
deride the efforts OF the anti-saloon or
ganization which, with its record OF nine
Straight reyocations. has had the effect OF
depreciating the value OF saloon properties
as never before in the history OF the
county, Three of the four city hotels
which lost their licenses during the year
have been converted into business places
and the owners OF hotel properties are
FOR the first time experiencing difficulty
in getting tenants.
A total of 1O4 applications for licenses
are on fle with the Clerk of the Court
to he considered by Judge Henry on jan
nary 1S, and the prediction has been made
mat with the close of the next annual
license court the number of licensed
nlaees In Lebanon County will have been
reduced below 100