Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-06-06
GTBBONEY HOTLY DENIES
MERCENARY MOTIVE
Law and Order Head Says So
ciety Is Not Maneuvering to
Get $4,000 Legacy
ALIVE AND VIGOROUS
Attack Declared Malicious and With.
out a Grain of Truth
in It"

y. Clarence Gibboney. indignant at
charge published this morning that the
Law and order Society. said to be well.
nigh defunct was being resuscitated for
the purpose OF claiming a $4,000 legacy
alleged to have been left the organization
under the terms Of the will of William
Il. clark. who died in 1911. asserted vgor.
ously that the society was never mora
firmly intrenched than now and that It has
held its annual meetings with unfailinK
regularity. despite the published statement
to the contrary.
Moreover Mr. Gibboney denied that the
sum Of $4,000 was involved A sum much
less than that. he would not speak OF il
more definitely than "as few little prop
critics" was bequeathed. he said, by Clark
VINO left his entire estate to his sister,
Lucinda &. Hodges, with the provision that
upon her death the society was to get the
property. Miss Hodges died this year.
"The attack made on the Law and Order
Society" Mr.. Gibboney said at the organ
i2atons office at 92O Walnut street. and
the attempt to disprove its existence is a
malicious one and there isn't 2 grain Of
truth in the whole thing.
THE Law and order Society has been
liquor traffic for more than twenty years
and the signs outside of this office and on
the steps leading up to it have been there
since 1905.
PRECEDENTS FOR COMPENSATION
"Those people who criticize my belief
that the liquor dealers should be COM
pcnsated upon being put out of business
| have lost sight of the fact that virtually
all of the countries that have attempted
| to abolish liquor or to limit its sale have
| adopted the compensation method.
"As far back as 1852, when the Russian
| Government took over the vodka business
! the individual dealers were compensated
| The consequence was that when the war
| came along all the Car had to do was to
| turn the key on the door The Government
| owned the business the shutting of of the
sale was a simple matter When France
| abolished absinthe, in 1915. she bought out
the dealers Switzerland did the same thing
! in 1910, and in that year England passed
| the consolidated liquor act reducing the
number Of saloons, by compensating the
| dealers bought out"
THE Law and order Society is alive, all
right" Mr.. Gibboney continued 1T is not
| Incorporated however, because we do not
| wish to have pack of suits on our hands
| every time we have saloonkeepers indicted
| Now every time a man wants to sue us he
| cannot sue us as body, but must file a
| number Of individual suits Our work is
extremely dangerous; we are not incor-
porated as matter of protection"
WILL INDICATE DIRECTORS
Replying to the intimation published this
morning that Mr. Gibboney's reluctance to
name the present directors of the society
denoted that there were no directors, Mr..
Gibboney said that in a few days when
| all this has blown over" he would willingly
diVulge the names.
The Fidelity Trust Company is acting
as trustee of the Clark estate. Tomorrow
the audit and account of the estate comes
| up before Judge Anderson in the Orphans
| Court. According to this mornings pub
lshed statement the nearest Clark relatives
who would probably contest the legacy TO
the Law and order Society include vii.
liam Clark Hodges, Mary f. Restne, A.
l.. Wittig and Robert L. Hodges. The
auditing department Of the Fidelity Trust
Company disclaimed any knowledge OF
these relatives or their whereabouts.