New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-01-27
TIE MORNINGS or THE EXCISE 1AU

The Annual Report of the Metropolitan Com
Inssoners Excise having Just reached we hasten to
lay the gist Of it before readers at the earliest
moment We have rarely perused public document
which seemed pertinent and cogent 1t is MS follows
To The Governor Of tie state Of Neic- York.
The Metropolitan Board Of Excise in and for the Metro
poltan Police District Of the State Of NewYork except
ngand excluding the County Of Weschescr respectfully
reports:
That the act constituting the Metropolitan Excise Dis
rict and regulating the licensing therein Of the liquor
traffic and the retailing Of Intoxicating drinks,
passed the 1lh Of April $780, and by ITS terms TOOK
That his Board was duly constituted and entered
upon tie discharge OF its duties on the LIST day OF May
That its operations were soon afterward virtually
rested and It's authority and eaorts parayzed by jnuc
tons, which niuDctiOns were ultimately oEefiuied ana
dissolved by reason Of decision Of the Court of Az
meals which determined that the constitutional
and valid; but not until after they had Tor term OF SIX
months served their purpose Of nlliyng the law aud
and unrestrained traffic IN Intoxicating liquors
Excise Law nor ths Board justly be held accountable
counting from the organization Of the Board up to ls OF
December 1851:
amount accounted for thus c0leced-under the rrO
visions OF the law which this act has supercedcd was in
decrease Of taxation under this act was no less than 81
295i9 &c during the II months closing with March ls51
and has 81 3050o2 during the eight succeeding
months making the total receipts from licenses aud fines
and interest deposits under this act S2GOOjl % up
/ % the of December, 1861.
That tic total OF collecting this revenue Las been
less than three 90 per cent OF lis amount ..,, ,
itself suffice If uudivered 10 other uses TO pay of the
entire pubic debt Of the City Of NcwYoTk within the
That tic number Of places at which liquors are publicly
reailed in the cities Of NewYork and Brooklyn has
been reduced from o21O the ls Of May IcG 10 6s
tie 1st Of December, 1sG7a reduction Of 242j dram
shops. involving redemption Of that number Of tcnc-
meht from lquor-seing to other and trust, better
uses and diversion Of some 1900 to 1900 persons from
attendance In dramshops TO different, and we would
I hope, in the main, more bcucNcclt &NOCdllOuS:
That the hours during whch liquors were publicly ex
per week the whole NUMBER, have been reduced by this
act to lo or s in th e., ayease on eaGh secular dy
Of other days with each day Of election entirely
exempt from the liquor traffic.
That open yolatlonsof the Excise act except in the
towns Of Queens County where owing 10 the absence Of
ponce loree, an G&CePIOn cUioI VI us las eS
which suporsedes was habituay as OstcLatOusiy de
fed and set at naught by tie great body Of retailers Of
That, The effects Of the Metropolitan Excise Law are
Administrations. in largely increased balances to the
credit Of the poor in our savings banks. and q signal
which formerly made more but now make fewer, on sun
DAYS than on any other day Of the week
That curing the thirteen months in which have not
been prohibited by the courts from giving effect to this
@ the total nuiober Of arrests on sunday by the police
Ocnscs resulting manifesty from too free indulgence
tuesdays of those same months it was no less than
more than double the aggregate OF arrests n the cor
That this disproportlon is wholly new to our cities ex-
porence; under other laws there arrests
on Sunday than any other day OF the week Thus in
the eight months Of 1861 from May November inclusive
there were 35 OF the arrests made on Sundays and but
$3.50 Tuesdays
That very large proportion Of the arrests made
Sundays those Of persons who having left these
cities to indulge in the suburbs their passions for strong
drinks return upsy and dsOrderly at late hour and
compel the Police TO take them in charge.
That. while the number Of dram-shops Of Oenses and
the cost OF gratifying the passion Tor strong drink have
all been thus slgnay reduced, no sober. decent, law
abiding citizen will complain that the facilities for obtain
ing liquor have been harshy resrcted GSj dralnshops
and beersaOons in two such cities being liberal allow
ance. while all who choose to tpple between midnight
and sunrise on the Christian Sabbath have only
provide themselves with their favorite beverages few
hours in advance. and drink them their or each
the lowest and most abandoned drunkards and outcass
being unable 70 make such provision. ..,,
be lost those whom they fail TO impress with the utility
and beuecence OF the law which we have been conis-
stoned 60 execute.
Theorists have contcnded on the one hand. that the
and suppressed the other that IL should be left
free the trade in grain bread or in any other
tiOns, held middle ground between these extremes;
maintaining that this traffic should be tolerated but reg
ulated aud subjected TO restrictions which, Willie they
provided for the reasonable and moderate qualification
of the appetite for stmuiants opposed barriers to peril
between absolute prohibition and boundless Indulgence
is sti to he adhered To- We respectfully submit that no
alSIa ALTERATION III the present law - desirable, or
would prove CONDUCIVE to the general wellbeng -,
On reference to the report Of the Treasurer 1t will be
that the amount received by the Board for licenses
issued from April l. 1861 10 November go 1897 period ~
For fines from New-York S.Ss3 90
For fines from Brooklyn .......... $3.50 90
For interest on deposits in 1876 ....... 1929 q
For interest on deposits In 1861 ......... 1888 90
OF this SUN. the Commissioners Of the Sinking
Fund OF NewYOrk received ........ 7Os.5s7 0j
Commissioners Of the Sinking Fund OF Brook
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. ........... 2O3G6O 90
Commissioners OF Charities and Correction IG473 81
NewIO state Inebriatc Asylum. ...... 12s,659 -
Inebratc Home for Kings County. AO,5l2 &c
Common SchOOls-RichmOnd County ....... 1890 GO
School Fund-Queens County ............... 1850 30
School Fund New trccht................. 1881 20
Commissioner OF SchOols-Kings County .. 9f75 30
Tie total amount received for licenses and in each
year since the organization Of the Board Is as follows
LIcESsEs-is6G, 81 ,2s3,s5i &C; 1871 sl255,O3l 70.
FOR FINES.
1sce, 81, 59l co; 1907, so2s7 40
JACKSON s. SCHULTZ. President
EMMoNs CLARK. Secretary.
NJ .InrE Dnc 1