Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-04-07
LIQUOR FALLSN
WESTMORELAND
Interesting Story of How the
Court Refused Licenses
This Year

This interesting story of the way
wcstmoreland county went dry is
told in a story from Greensburg:
Bone Dry This summarizes
what will be the condition of West
moreland county from May l, 1913.
as a result of session of the License
Court Saturday The license hear
ing had been held on March "a, and
a week ago to-day a session of court
was held for the purpose OF handlhg
down the decisions. 1t was an
nounced at that time by President
Judge Mcconnell, that conference
between himself and Judge Daniel j.
Snyder had not yet been held and
court was adjourned until Saturday
to give the judges a better oppor-
tunity to go over the matter
when court convened the room
was filled with attorneys, license ap-
plioants and dry workers. lmmedi-
ately the attorneys representing the
brewers and distillers severally arose
and withdrew the application OF
their clients.
president Judge Mcconnell then
began the delivery of a lengthy 1u-
dicial opinion. He began by saying
that the results which had been ar
rived at by the court had been the
same in all cases. He did not need
to say more to let the persons in
the courtroom know that all appli-
cants had been refused.
THE judge continued by saying
that where there were two judges
on the bench in a county, it was
necessary that both concur and that
such concurrence had not been OBJ
tanned in any case. He said that no
conference lasting over ten minutes
had been held between himself and
Judge Snyder. and at that time the
individual applications had not been
discussed. but simply the general
proposition of whether or not lie
enses should be granted at all. He
said he understood that the other
member of the court had taken the
position of refusing all applicants
because of the ratification of the
constitutional amendment. the act
of Congress prohibiting the sale of
liquors for beverage purposes after
June so, 1919. until the termination
of the war. and thereafter until de-
mobilization, and public sentiment.
as reflected by the recent election of
Governor Sproul and n dry Legis-
lature. He then took up these mat
ters in detail and discussed them.
Judge Mcconnell said. as for him
self, he was willing to follow the law
and that the Brooks law had yet not
been repealed.
He said Congress had fixed the
time for the enforcement Cf the
prohibition amendment n year in
advance to give the liquor men an
opportunity TO set their houses in
order The judge cited numerous
authorities to sustain his position
and remarked that by the present
action of the court, some hotels.
which had had liquor licenses since
stage coach days, would be without
the privilege to sell liquors. He
further said that is was just as i'll
legal for n judge to refuse all lie
enses as to grant them all and that
no self-respecting judge can do
otherwise than follow the law and
retain a clear conscience.
Judge Snyder then began read
ing his opinion. He said that under
Brooks law. a license must be
granted for one year and in view of
the fact that the prohibition amend
ment would go into effect next jan
uary, the court could not legally
grant a license without trangressing
the organic law of the land. He
further said that the sale of intoXi-
cants was an intolerable evil: was
not necessary for the accommoda-
ton of the travelling public and
must be eradicated."