The Penn's Grove record., 1916-09-29
A MORAL CRISIS
Duty of Courts to Enforce Laws
For Public Health, Morale,
Peace and Safety

The e. s. Supreme Court in the IL
quor case Of Crowley VS.. Christensen
(137 Z. s. S6) says:
"As the liquor business is attended
with danger in the community, it may be
entirely prohibited. No one possesses
an inalienable or constitutional right to
Keep a saloon for the sale of ~intoxicat-
ing liquors It Is not a privilege of a
citizen of the State or of the United
States.,
The U, 3. Supreme Court in the case
Of MugleT vs.. Kansas, 1913 u. s. 205, has
defined the duty of the court as fol-
flows:
"The courts are not bound by mere
form, nor are they TO be misled by mere
pretenses. They are at liberty, in deed,
are under a solemn duty, to look at the
substance of things whenever they en-
ter upon an inquiry whether the Legis-
lature has transcribed the limits of its
authority. If. therefore, a statute pur-
porting to have been enacted to protect
the public health, public morals, the pub
lie peace. or the public safety, has no
real or substantial relation to these sub
jects, or is a ~palpable invasion of rights
secured by the fundamental law, it is the
duty of the court to so declare, and
thereby give effect to the constitution"
The inn and tavern law of New Jer-
sey enacted in 1916, says:
ut shall be the duty of and it is
hereby expressly e~njoined upon, the said
courts, to license no more inns and tav-
erns, in their respective counties, than
shall be necessary to accommodate and
entertain travellers and strangers, to
serve the public occasions of the said
counties. and for the convenience of men
meeting together to transact business;
and to prevent, as much as possible,
inns and taverns to be kept for the en-
enlargement of gaming, tipping, drunk
enness and other vices.''
OLD TAyERNs.
A hundred years ago Upper Penns
Neck had two inns and taverns The
brick house at the Cove, occupied by
! Charles H. Summerill. was owned by
Catherine Hoover, wife an n1Gi5hel
Walker. who got it from hT father, An.
drew Helms. The Cove} being the
safest harbor for boats, was a landing
place. and the Helms ~coloRial mansion
was a refuge for the traveller. Liquors
were sold there until her sons, Robert
and Francis p. Walker. were converted
at a Methodist revival in the Cove
school house in 1896, with other young
men and women who became the most
influential religious and political leaders
in the township. The next morning the
sign post was dug up so it could never
sprout.
Biddle's tavern, the large house on the
farm sold two years ago by Willard Lay
ton to the duPonts, was another place
for travellers on the road between Penns-
vile (then known as Kinseyville) and
| Auburn (then known as Sculltown). 1t
was the place where public business,
elections and musters were held. Our
forefathefs met there to drill for years
when the war spirit stirred them for
preparedness to whip the British in 1872
and for years thereafter.
The oldest recollection of our aged
~townsman, G. V. Dolbow, is that David
Smith kept Biddle's tavern. After the
brick hotel at the foot of Main street
was built in 1882, Mr. Smith moved from
the farm and conducted the licensed no.
tel there for many years. He was the
last native born citizen of Upper Penns
Neck township to conduct a licensed no
tel in Penns Grow The standard OF
Goodness created b. Methodist agita-
TORS has been such among the social life
of this region that no native born citi-
zen has considered it respectable citi-
zenship to conduct a licensed hotel for
more than seventy years.. All the no.
tel keepers since then nave come from
other places. In the early SOS the hotel
keeper n family attended Emmanuel
Church.
When the temperance crusade swept
over the country in 1861 Henry B.
Beagle was pastor of Emmanuel Church.
He was a strong temperance man and
raised the standard of Christianity above
that held by liquor sellers and public
drinkers of liquor. Some church mem
bers continued to sign applications for
licenses for several years but after the
revival under Ms. Lizzie Smith in 1876
rs, the standard of Christian living was
raised a step higher.
Public business was lone in the brick
hotel and later in French's hotel when
the license as transferred there. That
building was erected much smaller for
a temperance, hotel Elections were held
there. The drunkenness on election
days became so disgraceful all over the
State that a law was passed to prohibit
the sale of liquors on election day.
The Good Templars and Odd Fellows
were very strong in the early seventies
md the members erected Odd Fellows
hall in which to do public business with
out having to go to the hotel to do it.
Elections and public meetings have
since been held there.
As all the applicants for liquor IL
censes are business a~dventurers who
have com to Penns Grove within the
past two years, it may be well for the
new arrivals to learn the moral and tenn
perance standard of this region before
their arrival. They have a mental con-
ception of the moral and religious sur
~roundings whence they come. The fact
that they came here to make money. off