The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-09-11
GREAT WICKEDNESS
IN HOLYOKE
President of Citizens League Declares
Liquor Is Sold and Gambling Per-
mitted at Hotels.

HOLYOKE, Mass, Sept. ll.--Charging
that every liquor dealer in Holyokc is
selling Whiskey and that there is gamb-
ing going on in three or four hotels and
old-t time gamblers are again doing bust
ness, Urban Fleming, president of the
CltizenS league, made stirring adj
dress at public meeting in the Cham
Der OF Commerce rooms last night. Ow-
ing to the fact that Thomas f. Rohan
secretary of the Citizens league was
called INTO service with d Co., Goth
Regt., Mass. State Guard, the meeting
was short one and the presentation of
documentary evidence in support of the
charges of the Citizens League that
there have been wholesale violations of
the liquor laws and gambling is flour
ishing here, was postponed until Mr. Re-
han returns to the city.
Secretary Rohan turned over to Mr.
Fleming large package of papers,
which he said contained documentary
proof of the charges they have been
making regarding liquor law violations
and gambling. Mr. Rohan desires to
be right here in Holyoke to push any
charges that he makes and promises on
his return to take up the fight with as
mucfr vlgor as ever. Both Secretary
Rohan and President Fleming spoke
and they handled the situation here
without gloves. There were some in
the audience attracted apparently
through curiosity, while Others present
were evidently DESTROYS of learning the
true situation.
Secretary Rohan said:
80 We have in A. ..
shall, but we can't interview our MAYOR,
who does not want to hear from us evil
IDENTIFY He said that the nation had
said that it was illegal to sell intoxicat-
ing liquor, yet the mayor, city solicitor,
and license commissioners apparently
felt that it was legal and the licensing
board issued Licenses. eve will uuit
now, he said, eff they can show us
one legal reason for granting those IL
censes.
Secretary Rohan charged that Hol-
yoke was helpless before the liquor
dealers, gamblers and politicians. eve
can show specific instances where the
law has been violated" he declared.
We told the city marshal and he evil
IDENTIFY told the mayor. He said it was
time that Holyoke was cleaned up and
notknown as the "scum of the valley,
due to unfavorable notoriety because of
Illegal LIQUOR selling and gambling here
lie said it was worse than Russia here
there was no law enforcement The po-
lice department didn t know of anv
violations. ''but we know where there
are violations" he declared Mr.. Ro-
han was heartily applauded as he
hustled away to report back to the
armory for duty.
President Fleming said: 1--WE should
demand the city marshal and the mavor
to enforce the law. If the city marshal
can't do it, then the job should be
given over to someone else He told
of visit he had made to City Marshal
Murphy with Secretary Rohan and
complaint made of the violations of the
liquor laws. The city marshal doubted
If the law was being broken as he had
received no reports of violations from
any officers. He had offered to take the
head of the police department out to
show him where the law was being brok-
en-, but the marshal did not go.
Mr.. Fleming charged that every IL
quor dealer was violating the law in
selling 2.75 per cent He said they were
all selling whiskey. He said Secretary
Rohan had the documentary evidence
to back up every charge made. He
charged that dealers were even selling
to soldiers and getting their bonus
money, and that they had sold to men
who had the delirium tremens