The New York herald., 1877-12-08
An OMcfal Outrage.

The questionable action Of the Excise
from applicants on deposit and withholding
the licenses with the understanding that
the police would regard receipt for such
o deposit as equivalent to license and leave
its holder unmolested has been followed
by sudden change Of tactics even more
reprehensible than the original policy. The
charge of judge to grand jury limiting at
indictments for misdemeanor against the
Excise Commissioners for violation Of the
law induced the Commissioners to inter-
pose the plea that deposits had only been
taken from applicants in conformity with
the old practice Of the Board that the
Board intended to act upon the applica-
tions as speedily as possible and decide
whether license should or should not
issue that meantime receipt did not
authorize its holder to sell liquor. but that
the duty Of preventing them from SO doing
fell on the police and not on the Excise
Board, and that if any officials had neglected
their duty the Police Commissioners and
not the Excise Commissioners were the
guilty party. The plea was false one, for the
Excise Board had held deposits for months
without deciding the applications, and
tinue to hold the money and to allow the
dealers to 90 on selling just as if they pos
sessed licenses until the Legislature should
dispose of the difficulty by the enactment
of a proper excise law for the city. The
Police Commissioners, however, not caring
to be made the scapegoats for the Excise
Board, resolved in retaliation to enforce the
law, and to arrest all dealers who only held
the receipts of the Excise Board on the
charge of selling liquor without a license.
l. was this contemplate squabblc between
the Police and Excise boards, brought
about by the desire Of the latter to shirk
the responsibility Of their acts, which led to
the raids on liquor dealers commenced on
Thursday evening and continued yesterday.
Both boards are equally to blame. The
Excise Commissioners have held a very large
amount of money belonging to the liquor
dealers in their hands for months, without
any intention Of granting the licenses ap-
piled for, but with the design of allowing
the applicants to sell liquor on the strength
OF the receipts for their deposits. The Police
Commissioners have allowed the LIQUOR
dealers to understand that these receipts
would be regarded by the police as equiv
alent to license. On this considera-
ton the liquor dealers have been in
duced to invest their capital in laying
in stock and in fitting up and en-
bellishing their places Of business, ex-
pecting that they would have the pro-
lection for which they had paid their license
fees, until proper law could be enacted.
The two boards get at loggerheads and the
liquor dealers are made the victims. The
practical guarantee given them by the Police
Board is suddenly and capriciously ignored,
and they are dragged off to jail for offences
which they have committed with the implied
sanction and under the eyes Of the police.
Such conduct on the part of officials cannot
be too severely condemned. 1t brings all
law and oil the public authorities into con-
tenn pit and paves the way for the bribing and
corruption Of the police force. If the Mayor
possesses force of character enough to prove
that he is the head Of the city government,
and has any real desire to do his duty with