The Penn's Grove record., 1916-02-11
SENATE VOTES DRY
The Great Demonstration Last Week
StiPS The State

49, 1880 - 49, ~
last Monday night by a vote of IL to 10.
Senator Stevens, Of Cape May, was not
present at the time, but had his vote re
corded before the bill went to the House.
The following was the vote on the bill /:
1eas-Aekley, Cumberland Allen, Sa-
lem Gaunt. Gloucester; Hennessy, Ber-
gen; Hutchinson, Mercer; Martens,
Hunterdon; Mathis, Ocean; Pierce, I'm
ion; Rathbun, Morris; Smalley, Som
erset; Wells. Burlington; Stevens, Cape
May.
Nays-Ackerson, Monmouth; Barber.
Warren Colgate, Essex; Edge, Allan
tic; Egan, Hudson Florence, MiddIesex ;
MeCran, Passaie; Munson, Sussex ;
Read, Camden.
Senator Gaunt made a strong plea for
the right of the people to say whether
or not liquors should be sold. He said
the time has arrived when we must rea-
lie that the citizens of the municipali-
ties of New Jersey should nave the right
10 rule on the liquor question in the
community in which they live, as well
as other states in the union. There are
only two states that nave not local OPP
ton in some form or other. 1t will not
be long before New Jersey will nave the
right of local option.
Can any one defend the sale of liq-
uOr?" he asked. "Will it increase the
output of our manufacturing plants ?
Will it increase a mans efficiency? The
corporations by their attitude on the
booze question condemn the drinking
of intoxicants."
Senator Hennessy, of Bergen County,
a candidate for the Democratic nomina-
ton for Governor, delivered a fiery
speech against the saloon. He said the
liquor interests were reSorting to IN
derhand methods to defeat the bill. Pow
erfui. interests are being used to hinder
the people to vote OF and control their
own affairs. What right has any man
to forbid the people from voting upon
this issue? He declared the Legislature
should not pass laws attempting to regu-
late the personal habits of the people.
He did not support the bill because of
any moral issue, but merely because it
was a nome rule measure to which he is
pledged.
Senator McCran, of Passaic County,
said a local option bill was passed in
1888. and the following election the Leg
lSldtuit was tHdnStl DbillitdllNs
Senator Wells, of Burlington, said the
people of today are not living in 1888.
He said that both the times and the con-
ditions had changed since that time.
we have many things now we did not
have in 1888. and New Jersey should be
a greater state than she is. She will
be with such legislation as this" He
gave both wet and dry statistics and de-
clared himself for the drys because he
thought they had the better of the argu-
ment. He said the argument that $780,
600 persons employed by the liquor in
terests would lose their positions if pro-
hibition prevailed was more than offset
by the cost of keeping criminals and the
suffering and woe due to drink.
The bill will be voted Upon in the
House next week, where it will be de-
feated. The large number of Assemb-
lymen from Essex, Hudson and Passaic
counties will overwhelm the votes for
local option.
ANTI-SALOON DEMONSTRATION
The demonstration of the anti-saloon
forces at Trenton February 2 was the
greatest in the history of the state
Seven thousand persons marched thru
rain and slush from the Billy Sunday
Tabernacle to the State House where
a petition was presented to the legisla.
tors praying for the passage of the local
option bill. The legislators adjourned
and most of them did not stay to heaI
the addresses. The movement has be-
come so formidable that local option bills
will not not be smothered in committees
any more, but every man will be put
on record.
THE "DRYS" RESOLUTION
This was the resolution addressed by
the mass meeting TO the Legislature:
Whereas, The brewery and the saloon
enthroned in politics and the boss system
have for years prevented the enactment
of a local option law in New Jersey; b
it
Resolved, That we, representatives o
the people of all sections of the State il
mass meeting assembled at Trenton, de
clare that we are weary and disgustet
with this long and continued subserv
iency to the saloon, and we demand o
our legislators that they assert thei
personal and political independence b.
breaking the stranglehold the brewer.
and the saloon have upon the lights o
the people to govern their own affairs
In forty-six of our forty-eight State
the voters have in some form the RICH
of majority rule on the license question
and We demand that the people of New
Jersey be also given the right to destro,
this social and political blight, this bust
ness parasite. this breeder of crime
wrecker of homes and debaucher of viz
tue.
ITO that end we demand that Senat
bill No. 20. known as the Gaunt Locs
Option Bill, be enacted into law"
A second resolution, addressed TO tn
New Jersey delegation in Congress wa
offered. 1t read as follows:
Whereas. The leaders in Congress an
throughout the nation are by speech an
through the press, discussing the burr
ing issue of national preparedness; an
Whereas, The nations of Europe mo-
at war have declared the traffic in a
coholic liquors to be one of the greaf
, est barriers to effective military sci