New-York daily tribune., 1858-03-03


will there be sure to find themselves in excellent
and abundant company.
Our last Legislature undertook to pass Liquor
License law which should steer nicely between the
extremes Of letting every one who chooses make
drunkards and prohibiting the Liquor Traffic
altogether We had no faith in the principle OF
License, and hence did not anticipate good results
from its operation. But We were willing to see
the LcenEe experiment fairly tried, and so inter-
posed no objection TO the passage Of the act of 81
We were mainly anxious that the bill should be so
drawn and perfected that the advocates of Lii
cense should regard it as fair embodiment of
their favorite policy. And we see no reason why
this bill should not have been good one 1t was
drawn by on experienced legislator and earnest
champion of regulated Liquor-sclling; il was no.
wise amended in such manner as to impair it's
efficiency or impede its operation. Yet It has been
in existence for the better part of year, and its
friends are foremost in proclsimiDg it an unqual-
fed falure--a miserable abortion. The Journal Of
Commerce thus pronounces its condemnation:
"The Excise Commissioners (Messrs. Haskett and
Holmes presently met in the roem OF the Court OF Com
Pleas YESTERDAY to which day they had adjourned
from the 9Th of January. The usual proclamation was
made inviting persons who wanted licenses to come
forward but no ore responded and the Commissioners
adjourned to to-day Tie last of the % sessions which
the law allows yearly for the granting of licenses will
be hold tomorrow. when the Board will adjourn to
May 10, 1859.
1.-THE Excise law has proved most ridiculous fail
ure, was fully expected by every sensible person at
all acquainted with the nature and extent of the liquor
business in this city. SiLce the first session of the
Excise Board, May 10, 1851, they have granted only
4S0 inkeepers licenses and 6i storekecpers' licenses
making GA in all, ioY which they charged from $50
1.-THE minimum of the law to slOO (s25O being the max
mumj. The entire receipts wera 81 SO, which was
paid over TO Mr. Stout the City Chamberlain and by
Ri handed 10 the Board of Ten Governors for dis
bursement TO the poor under their charge The num-
Der of licenses granted is greatly dsprOporonae to
the number of places where liquor is sold, which may
be roughly estimated as follows: Hotels, taverns and
restaurants about 30O liquor stores here less than
gallo are sold at time but not drank on the prem
les about 300; porter-houses, from 600 to 1000;
grocery stores stores for ship chandery, &C., about
5000; the lowest kind of rurholes and improper re-
sorts where liquor s Sold and to which Licenses should
be refused under any law, from 900 to 4,OOO IL
fact obvious to everybody that the amount Of drunk
enne-s has not been sensby diminished in this city by
the cpera,op Of the Excise law and the figures show
that the city has derived only little more than one
third Of the revenue which was taken in former
wear n8j2l under the $40 license law The receipts
for lree years in 1850, S9 lSIl, SioJ5o
1859. s5i 900. Since the aforementioned date, the
number OF liQtOr-seers mas largely ltt
the income from licenses is less than half Of what
il was nearly eight years ago.
thus, practically, the law is failure. Had II
been expressly got up for the purpose oi falhng II
could hardly have accomplished its mission more sue
ce.rfulv In the first place il full Of stupdities
and in The second place, the Commissioners had no
power to enforce IT, That was left to the District
Attorney the civil magistrates and the Police Depart
men and the result is We believe, that no one arrest
has bee n made for a violation of the law. Neither
did il contain any provision by which the Comulis
sioners could employ any portion of the fund.- in con-
testing cases that might arise under II, and they nat
uray did not teel warranted IN pushing SUIT whicn
had been nearly agreed on between their counsel and
the counsel for the lquordeaers and the expenses Of
which had they lost the case they would have been
obliged to pay out of their own pockets.
This law demonstrates, perhaps better than any
other the ignorance which naturally and inevitably
nrevas al Albany with reference 10 the needs OF this
city, and furnishes another unsnswersble reason why
our local legislation should be attended 70 al home, by
those who are alone competent TO understand what
ought TO be done, and how TO do it. A law might be
easily framed BY few old intelligent and experienced
citizens which would regulate the sale of liquor bring
in splendid revenue 10 the city, and greatly promote
the public morals. But there ls small likelihood that
We shall ever get anything OF the Ike from Albany"
Let us see how far TIE Journals objection.
are sustained BY facts:
l. The License Act Of 1857 10 arraigned as
local legislation and as an evidence of :. the
ignorance which prevails at AIbsny With reference
ito the needs Of this City But this is in no
sense a local measure. 1t is a law regulating the
Sale of Alcoholic Beverages throughout the whole
State, having equal efficacy in every County Why,
then. is it stigmatized as local egislstion p And
why is it attributed to Albany ignorance Of the
wants of our City, when il was drafted by an able
and experienced Senator from this city (Era.tus
Brsoks) and supported by three if not all four of
our Senators. Who could be expected to draft
and enact general laws adapted to the needs of our
own City if not our own Senators
II. But the law is failure i! is urged, for want
of equate power. rePosed in the Commissioners
On the contrary il is failure because those func-
tiou.ries have too much power. They have been
in open corniyance with law defying rum. .ellers
ever since their appointment-hare devoted their
time, talents and ingenuity to the problem of How
Not TO do It-and if they have not been generously
paid by the Liquor interest for their valuable ser.
vices then they have volunteered to do an exceed
;n,'y dirty AID dsrepu;abe business for nothing
Iiey were appointed expressly 70 License 1T persons
T. sci Liquor N thi. City sni were allowed by law
any jsy.iu p.ich % t.usl Up tbeI wor. and