Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-04-26
j l ] ] ~
CLIB BUFFETS
i Spe eakeasies Target Of
npaign Against Booze
n Dry Jersey Town
5KS LIKE "wET" DEFEAT
BY a ssor Correspondent

BY a sto0 Correspondent
MILIvILLE. N j.. April 2s.
6f more than thirty years law dry
Iv5lle, . town without a single saloon
&< war with club buffets,,, Millviiie has
&a&6 that social "speakeasies" and other
f4Sfious organisations that sell liquor
k quit the practice or be abolished as
[o make this possible Ordinance Num-
1Bl has been drafted after the manner
ths District of Columbia liquor laws
will be subjected to referendum
- on May s. On this day general
3lion for Mayor and commissioners Will
b held.
me measure declares clubs where al
&holic liquors are or hereafter shall be
EG61d vended or furnished contrary 10 law
N '{lnGluding those in which Clubs lodges
4br other associations sell. barter, exchange
*&lve keep. store, deposit or distribute or
X 1lispense alcoholic liquors to their members
4 Associates, guests or others by any oe-
<vIce whatever) are declared to be common
< and public nuisances and shall be guilty
fSoe . violation Of this ordinance
CAMELs ORGANIZING
N Two national organizations flourish in
N M9fillville-the Elks and the Loyal order OF
"a 1foose A third, the Camels. is now being
" 1orsned. In addition to these institutions,
Y {here are many smaller local social clubs,
mach as the Crescent Social Club, and many
' eAopeakeasies.
81 ID Is alleged that liquor Is dispensed in
quantities in these institutions and that
b some of the clubs are now little less than
N ordinary barrooms
\. Membership of the bigger clubs Is com
posed of the business men of Millville and
n younger men of the city. 1t is charged
K that after the days work is over these men
< can retire to their clubs and drink as much
4 1iQuor as they desire
w &c upderstoOd that though petition
signed by Is per cent OF the voters was
presented to the Commission Council TO stay
!. flnal passage of ordinance No. 154 without
n roferendum, many of the business me1
\ lnsmbers Of the clubs are going to vote for
NJ The ordinance, and favor abolition OF liquor
IS now sold in their clubs.
For years. "law-dry" town only, for
q almost as many years wet" in fact,
the better element Of Millville's citizenship
mobilized for action two years ago follow
'<lng a visitation from George Wood Ander-
u oon, evangelist, who stirred the town to it's
very depths.
l4% Because of q loophole in the law permit
4 III liquor to be sold in clubs, social argan-
& isations, boat houses, etc, or because Ordi-
/. nance No. "a Nhe old liquor law) was too
evasive in embracing the issue, Millville be-
came a club city
The evangelist came to Millville, performed
n his mission and went to another town. But
\ from the germ of his spirit sprang the
!, Federation of Bible Glasses.
< It was this organization that determined
that Millviles clubs should no longer hide
Y beneath a cloak of respectability and be,
(. IN fact. little less than barrooms. The
A Eederation of Bible Glasses recently ap-
psared for a hearing before the Commission
Council and succeeded in having the City
Solicitor Lewis II. Miller. draft an ordi-
3 nance fashioned after the District of Co.
\ iumbia liquor law.
FACED POLITICAL DEATH
rhen, in the face of almost certain
u political death, Mayor Thomas Whitaker
n commissioners Roland B. Corson. Lewis f.
2tKurtx, Walter Kates and w. Fred Ware
e }ndorsed and adopted the ordinance as an
3o1ministration measure
5* I'VE perfer to be judged by our acts, not
<}ky words" was the only statement the
Mayor would make regarding the situation.
It Under the commission form of city gov
H3rnment. II any element in the community
Ndosires to block any act that has been
ADOPTED by the council by presentation of
petition signed by Is per cent Of the regis
ssred voters the issue must be settled by
) referendum.
Miilville will be dry!
u Taking advantage of that fact as soon
n ~ Ordinance No. 154 was formally adopt
N "a by the Commission Council on February
N1o, 1917. liquor advocates of Millvile sue
~ <eeeded In presenting petition against 1t
Y 0tGned by is per cent of voters and action
q Vas stayed until May 3, the day on which
N d general election for mayor and commits
Z. o3oners Is to be held.
81 There are twenty-four candidates in the
3 0eld against Mayor Whitaker and his COM
Z Qnissioners. Feeling is intense and bitter.
"a keen issue Is at stake. With few eX-
\ captions, most Of the men opposing re-
\ Qlection Of the present administration Of
< GciRls are representative of the booze
& 4lenen.. So booze is the campaign issue.
N Mayor Whitaker is confident of victory
\ 46r his platform and party.
'E Under the direction OF the Bible Glasses
4 oud ministers of all denominations in Mill
FiIls. steady campaign to effect passage
4 ~ the ordinance has been waged. BY a
#6rAw vote, almost completed, the "drys"
\ nya now confident Of success.
Nearly every residence and place of busi-
q ness In Miliville displays a placard on
2 which il inscribed: II am for Ordinance
no. 154. Are your
KIT On the eve Of election, EVANGELIST Ander-
zen, to whom credit for the initial move
|<upont IL due, will return to Millvile with
4 Ain entire stan to wage fight for the ordi-
fHence. He is due to speak at several
eAurches there on Monday evening. April So
John s. Horton, manager of the Upper
Whitall-Tatum Glass Manufacturing Com
pany, and former city councilman, now
enc OF the leading citizen propagandists
10r passage of the bone dry law, believes
ths measure will carry by a vote of two
~ one.
CLUBS VIOLATE LAW
Certain social clubs" he declared, have
pnder cloak of respectablity. jiagrantly
violated liquor laws. / am sure that the
moral hber OF this community win assert
}frelf on election day and eradicate an evil
'nt 20 materially affects the welfare of
IIlyflle" sfn
x Ordinance No. l54 is considered by many