The New York herald., 1869-05-20
THE EXCISE LAW.

Committee ON Applications.
The Board OF Excise met yesterday afternoon the
president, Judge BOsworth, In the chair. The an
nouneement made IN the HERALD last week that the
subject OF reducing the license fees would probably
be discussed at the meeting Of the Board the 10th
inst, had the effect OF drawing together in the court
room large number OF temperance men'and liquor
dealers. delegation from the temperance society
Of Kings county presented set Of resolutions OF the
society, expressive Of the opposition Of temperance
men to reduction in the license fees. and the liquor
dealers Of this city presented the following commu
nlcation:-
10 THE HONORABLE THE BOARD OF ExcIsE THE
MKTRoPoLIrAE DISTRICT or the STATE OF NEW
The undersigned, behalf of seven thousand per
ssa a s s IN and s
request that modhcaon OF the rates heretofore imposed
AZ your Board well aware, engaged this
and e % S ss
therein and who could not suddenly withdraw from
to whom the present rate Of taxation is an opprss
reasonable that to such as well as to
the rate should be apporoned as In ordinary taxa
acted - '''p''' ''''' "'' ''''
Considering the la1iy with which the laws regulating this
which the present law has been enforced the aacry and
parent cheeruness with which has been obeyed are GER
It seems 70 your petitioners though the time had
propriety be made; and we believe that by such
bsn the law VIII be more e
those who assisted In its We feel borne out IN this
law braSch LEGISLATURE at the session just
S 6 a%Ss without u s and BY Large
SIDE the merits OF the question involved ,,-,
exercise powers delegated your honorable
body have removed the great disparity between the rates inn
disparity we believe not in accordance with the original in
tention OF the law
Mr. NOAH CHILDs ION behalf Of the liquor dealers)
of tna lav in tba
of reducing the license fees. In his opinion there
would be no private selling of hquor on Sundays if
the modification was made, but private selling OF
liquor Sundays for the sake of gain would con-
tnue as long as the Board compelled the dealers to
pay the hign fees they were now compelled to pay.
Rev. MI HALE, OF Kings county, said that he rep
resented the Kings County Temperance Society. He
differed, did the society he represented, with
the liquor dealers as to any modification
any an reduction in the license fees. The members Of
the society were opposed to the granting OF any
License to liquor dealer under any a
not right to exact license for the selling but
that If it was wrong no legislative enactment could
make 1t right. They, however, did not intend to
insist on that point The Legislature, the speaker
believed, intended in passing the Excise law shat
dealers in liquor should be made to pay The largest
possible sum for the privilege granted them, and he
1et that the religious and moral sentiment OF the
world was set against the liquor traic. If the law
are made in France to license houses Of ill-fame-
that II a bad thing must be tolerated IL must
be taxed heavily for the prvilege-al right-minded
men would to 1t tnat all the good that could pos
sbly be made to accrue to the advantage OF the law
should be made. What the temperance men did OBJ
ject to was that facilities should be extended to a
traffic that was sending thousands to untimey
graves. They had no personal enmity against deal
ers in liquor as class but they could not stand by
young men without lifting hand to stay the caam-
ity. II the temperance men had their own way
asked was that the Board would do the best thing
they could to satisfy the $4,000 temperance
men IN this state who, on the liquor Dues
with the society which the speaker represented it
said in advocacy of tie reduction of the license
fees that some OF the liquor dealers were unable to
make any money while the present high fees were
charged. He for that very reason would oppose the
reduction, and # the keeping up OF the present IL
cense rates would finally have the effect of forcing
all tte liquor dealers out OF the business he would
be all the more deslrous OF seeing them Kept up 10
the present standard.
Mr. DAVID s. PAIGE o liquor dealer, said that he
had not intended to make any remarks on the reduc-
after what lie had just heard he felt 1t his
duty to say a few words on the subject. The
statement that the whole world was in sympathy
with the temperance movement and its many
strange opinions was not true. He went to Europe
some time ago, and from The time he LETT New York
until he returned he did not hear glass of water
asked for Uaughter.) In England he found bar
in the vestibule OF 81. Stephens Hall, where the
lords and commons drank TO their hearts content all
kinds of liquors. and he also came across a bar
within 200 feet of the palace OF the Iuileries where
liquor was sold on sundays. The Emperor him.
self could hear the clicking OF the glasses from
his bedroom window AS for the thirty thousand
people in Kings county whom the temperance So
ciety contended were with IL in the Issue against
the liquor dealers he knew the great majority OF
them were women and children. The idea OF the So
cIetys saying IL represented thirty thousand persons
recalled 10 his mind the three taors OF To0ey street,
who called themselves the people OF England. When
the temperance folks came to the scratch where did
they md themselves Where were the thirty thousand
fail the epCtlOuH Were they voters
mere men In buckramS Liquor dealers were all
property owners aud paid taxes, and were interested
In the faithful enforcement OF the laws as much as
the temperance advocates. The latter, to add TO
their prosecutions OF the liquor dealers declared
that they loved the dealers. In the speakers opinion
they loved the liquor men as wolves love lambs lie
was once OF the opinion that too strong
an infusion OF the foreign element into
our midst would be rather damaging than
otherwise, He had changed his OPINION in tn at
respect Of late years, and believed that but for the
foreign element IN the state the people would nave
very little liberty left, Sunday or any other day IN
the year. The men VINO moutned strongly
against the liquor dealers were in nine cases out OF
ten, oilce-hoders or men who have not got much,
but who wished for much.
Commissioner LISooLS-what are you liquor deal
ers aflerg
Mr.. PAIGE-Wc attend 10 our own business.
Commissioner LlNCoLN-What Is your occupation
O manufacturer of llquorsY
MIR. fAiGE--l am hotel keeper The only manu-
featuring do IS manufacturing drunkards-as the
temperance society, suppose, beneve.
Nr. HALE remarked that the best way to answer a
liquor dealer was TO let him talk. The only truth
Mr.. Paige had spoken during his harangue was that
he was manufacturer OF drunkards. The deega-
ti0n from Kings county In the room were owners OF
property gained honestly If the gentleman who
had Just taken his seat desired 10 discuss the merits
Of the temperance movement he was wiling to meet
him at any time and discuss The matter ms hearts
content.
Mr.. PAIGE-I'll meet you.
Mr.. HALF would state, 10 correct the gentle
man, that did not say the whole world In SYM
pathy with the temperance movement but the re-
glous aud moral sentiment of the world.
IN Il 4 Va n I'M
length against the reduction or the license FEES
wren, on motion OF Commissioner Manferre, the
from the temperance society and
The liquor dealers were referred 10 the Committee
APPLICATIONS and Judge Bosworth.
Inc Board then adjourned.
THE BOARD or HEALTH