The New York herald., 1871-09-26
Sunday Rum.

The enforcement of the Excise law is a
matter that calls more strongly for reform than
even the alleged frauds that are now under
going such general investigation. While
municipal corruption depletes our pockets
Sunday rum kills our people. There were
three murders on Sunday last, at least two of
them replete with the utmost horror. A
woman was gashed and cut to death in her
bed, it is supposed by her husband during the
families orgies of a Saturday night spree. A
man was killed in his own room during a
quarrel by an infuriated iend, who had
screwed his coura ye to the ''stickipg place.
by copious infusions of poisonous whiskey,
and another was stabbed to death over bar
by the maddened barkeeper, because Of some
disagreement over the price and payment Of
the deadly mixture he was just serving. This
record is enough to warn our city authorities
that there are more terrible evils than munich
pal corruption to reform. There is whole
sale murder to restrain as well as Wholesale
swindling.
The Sunday Excise law, which originally
closed Theoretically every rumshop in the city
on Sundays and between midnight and day
break of every day, was modified by the
Legislature of 1870 to salt the ''boys."
Although the latter loudly demanded that it
be repealed altogether and that free rum be
legal, the Legislature refused to do that and
would consent only to modify the law and that
only after it had exhausted its ingenuity in
kbo o1t
possible. The law was modified, and rum
shops were permitted to remain open until one
o'clock at night, instead of twelve, and the
price of licenses was reduced. These were
the only notifications. Sunday was still kept
sacred from the grasping avarice of the rum
seller, and the doors of giushops, under the
law, were closed during the day of rest. That
is the law now. Its enforcement is entirely a
different matter. 1t is not enforced at ALL
There Is not even preteIce of its enforce
ment. No liquor saloons close at one at
night unless they are in a neighborhood
would not pay the barkeeper. None
are closed at all on Sunday, ex-
cept in some very respectable neghborhoods,
where the owner feels his respectability at
stake, or where the respectability of his
patrons would prevent them patronizing his
shop to paying extent on the Lords Day, and
even these have side door, which can be
reached through the hotel entrance or the
barber shop, or by some route that out
wardly indicates some very necessary Sab
| bath business. Others, and the largest num-
ber of them, are open without any attempts
at secrecy, their doors flung wide as on
week days, their array Of bottles and decan-
ters unblushingly displayed, without the weak
pretence of boarded arrangement round
them, which was one of the requirements
under the old law. One has only to go in and
| call in as loud voice as he chooses for bis
poison and il is given him. and the presence Of
| policeman near the doorway or inside the
room makes no difference. This is how the
| Sunday law Of 1870, modified as it was, Is
enforced, and this is the direct cause Of The
murder list Of Sunday Let reform turn iii
| hand in this direction while II is making 6
virtuous squirt. Let 1t save the lives ant
morals of the people while it is pretending tt
| save their money.