Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-04-05
MONTGOMERY DRYS'
BEATEN; OUTLOOK FOR
MORE BARS THAN EVER
License Court Refuses to Heed
Remonstrances in Numerous
Cases - One Wholesale
House Refused Permit
EIGHT DECISIONS TO-DAY
By a staS Correspondent

| BIZ a Std6 Correspondent
NoRRTsTowN, Pa, April 5-Mont
gomery County probably will have NOR,
saloons than ever the coming year, de
spite the efforts made during the las
10 days by the dry" forces 70 have the
number reduced.
Judge Swnrtz and Miller completed the
work of the License Court today by hand.
| ing down eight decisions In cases OF
saloons against which remonstrances had
been filed In only one case did they
shut tight the doors OF n liquor establish
! ment, and that was n wholesale place
conducted by Samuel f. Sewers at Green
| Lane.
The court refused to renew the licens,
! of two saloonkecpers Thomas Z. Mulvey
| proprietor of the Mcclellan House. Nor.
| ristown, and Harry Printz, of the Inn
perial Cafe Pottstown, but, much to tho
disappointment Of the "drys," indicated
that there might be no difficulty in having
| the saloons opened again If new pro-
prietors could be found to take tho place
| of tho men against whom the remon-
strances were made.
If these two saloons are rcopened later
| under new management there will be I'll
| liquor licenses In the county during the
coming year as compared with 2iO during
the last year.
LICENSES REVOKED
Two country hotels where licenses were
revoked last year were allowed to reopen
their bars These were the Palm Hotel,
in Upper Hanover township, of which Will
son NJ. Freed is proprietor, and the lior.
sham Hotel. Horsham. where Harry S.
Nash is the keeper of the tavern.
Two other country innkccpers. Ellis
Butt, Black Rock Hotel, Upper Providence
township, whose licenses lapsed last year,
and Merritt Young. of the Reliance Hotel,
Franconla township. in which hostelry
only soft drinks have been permitted
during the last two years, were refused
new licenses
II was evident that the case which had
most puzzled the Judges was the remon-
STRANGE against Mark Stead, proprietor Of
the Valley Forge Hotel The license was
finally granted after much discussion but
the old saying that the way TO n mans
heart lies through his stomach was never
better illustrated than by Judge Miller, in
announcing the decision, for the Judge
dwelt at some length on the excellence of
the meals served by Stead in his cafe,
which, he declared, with modest smile,
was patronized by some of Norristown's
most prominent citizens.
Judge Swartz indicated that he had
been opposed to the renewal of this Ii
cense, and had concurrod finally only be-
cause his colleague was strongly of tho
opinion that It should be granted He
pointed out that only one case of specific
violation of the liquor law had been
brought, and mildly rebuked the rcmon-
Strants by the observation that If Stead
had been n constant violator of the law,
the remonstrancc should have presented
more abundant proof of it.
FOURTEEN REMONsTRANCES.
In all the Montgomery County Law and
Order Society had filed 9 protests against
applicants for licenses, and George Wan
ger, the attorney who represented the anti
saloon forces in each case, expressed dis
appointment over the outcome, lie said:
1 consider the decision of the court
a victory for the vets. We had hoped
that the court would nor onIy re-
fuse to grant licenses to Mulvey and
Printz but would decide also that the
saloons were unnecessary and should
be closed
The Court indicated that it was out of
for the owners of the prop
critics leased by Mulvey and Printz that
the licenses would be held under advise |
ment," as they did not wish to make the |
owners suffer by the acts of the tenants, |
for which they were not responsible.
Printz had made application for a trans |
fer of his license, but Judge Swartz de- |
clared that he believed the owner must |
have known that the place was not con- |
Quoted properly and therefore had not |
exercised proper supervision.
"lt is on that account we are not in |
,lined to relicense this saloon at pres
ent," he said although we believe a sa-
loon in such location is legally neces- |
sary"
WARNINGS ISSUED.
Judge Swartz issued a warning to clubs ,
IN Pottstown to enforce liquor laws strict |
~. He said:
In all of the Pottstown remon-
strances there seemed TO be an under
current of resentment on the part of
saloonkeepers because they felt that
clubs were not being made 10 adhere
to the laws as closely as the saloons
We know nothing regarding this mat
ter. but II 1t is so, the police authorI-
ties should exercise greater super
vision. There is no question that
clubs may distribute liquor, but when
they exist for the sole purpose Of
serving drink to persons who could
not get it otherwise they are unlaw-
full. The complaint of the hotel
keepers is we'll founded If persons can
drink In the Pottstown clubs when un-
der the influence of liquor.
JUDGE DEFINES CLUBS.
The Judge said he believed the police
hould drive out of existence clubs which
AlSlSu llSAS4S iOi the pul pose OF uElnklng, |
md where social, fraternal or literary
unctions did not exist.
Drinking should only be incidental in
club" he asserted, "and not the purpose
f it's existence"
In all of the licenses granted the Judges
ssued a stern warning TO the saloonkeep-
rs, They told Nash and Freed that their
licenses had been taken away for a year
s punishment but said that If there were
ny further violations they would lose
heir licenses for all time
The nearness of the Black Rock Hotel
D the County Almshouse was given as the
lain reason for again refusing a license
D Ellis Butt
More Bonds for HaverfOrd Roads
An era of better roads is due in Haver-