The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-12-20
THE BIG WAR ON WIIISKEY.
THE REp. DIR. CHOsBY's CHARGE or
LdxTTY DENIED BY OFEItTdLs
Recorder Uackcu Declares that he Can Man
npe his Own Busincss-Thc District Attor-
ncy Hendy to do hts Duty-PoIicc Matters.

thut The cases OF violatole OF the Excise law had
been improperly hndcred in tie General
Sessions Tho Recorder said that ho had been
so i'll that he had got behndhand in his work !;
that, besides having as much court business az
any Judge in tho United States he had other
and exacting official duties: that he would
attond. as soon rs possible. to the cases OF liuuor
dealers who had pleaded guilty Of violating the
Excise law; and that he had not indefinitely"
postponed the sentences. as stated bv the Rev
DIR. Crosby. but simply deferred them until he
could examine the af1ldavits that had been pre-
scented In mitigation Of punishment He added
with emphasis. that he would not be influenced
in the performance Of his duty by anybody's
criticism.
Tho Roy. DIR. Crosby. in his speech. accused
the District Attorney Of lacking zeal in the
prosecution Of violators Of the Excise law Dis
trict Attorney Phelps yesterday denied that
| there had been any laxity In his office as to the
cases in which the Society for the Prevention OF
Crime is particularly Interested and referred
the inquirer to Assistant District Attorney Rus
sell. who has charge OF them. Mr.. Russell said
Every one OF the cases mentioned by DR.. Cros-
10y was promptly put before the Grand Jury
and then on the calendar Of the General SEES
sions for trial. The parties came In and plead
| ed guilty Their counsel asked for time in
which To prepare and file anldavits in mitiga.
| ton ~ punishment. ] consented. ns | would
| nat tn" cHs's been those Of irlons. for il Is the
| common usage. Tho aflldaviis were filed. and
| TIA. counsel for DR.. Crosby'- society presented
| rehuitlnE alIllavits. Recorder Ilackcit has had
all the papers since the part ies pleaded guilty.
| II and nave been in court with large calen-
dars every day. He IL I'm bad health. when
| the cases raine up Yesterday for final dispOsi-
| ton. hcunnounc"d that he had intended to read
| thr papers on the previous day. but thai he had
! been So NJ as ~ 40 to bed and send Tor ply
sirlun. Consequently he was compelled to
postpone the mater"
Nnal i tue present condition ot thc cases 2"
oil ftf ia. SLIM q
been madr. aud the defendants are awaiting
sentence. The case of Mynduiph one OF tho
| two % three oXc,ptions-not mentioned by Dr..
| Crosby-has not been brought Ia trial because
! Col Spencer. his counsel. II engaged in the
| Lambert case. Tho actual engagement OF coun-
sci ia trial elsewhere IL alWays considered n
good excuse for post Ionement Thcrcis no one
! OF these rNcisc cases thut mas not been prose-
| that the District Attorney has nothing 10 do with
when or how the Court shall do the sentencing"
DR.. Crosby seems to think that the work Of
! his society is somewhat lmpedcd IN the District
! Attorneys Office. Perhaps Il is fair 10 interpret
! An intention 10 thwar the socicty'- Intentions
Tho society cannot Justly claim that there is
any lack of cooperation ia this On'c. II WIS
ailidayits, ana irci bound to say TINT in some
cas's thry might properly er 'ct a mitigation Of
punishment how much is for tn court. not ia,
to say. oar duty ends with conNiction. Dr.
inots or h. would not have intlmuted the charges
that he did. A. 20 tho cases that he says have
has been some Kind oi 'hu-lermtiggery the
parties. thnrrhiil amt Reagan. hnve pleaded
guilty. and the indictments and pleas are IN the
hands oi the court to be disposed OF rs he may
dr.w Just.
lutoly no hindcring OF these cascsi'
Certainly do. The representatives Of the
society who appear here do not seem 10 ap-
l'reciaie th" TACT thatt tho court and the District
Attorneys office have some other business be-
sides these excise cases. such rs the prosecu-
ton OF murdcrcrs. burglars. pcrJurrrs. and the
Ike. Mr.. Phelps and Assistant District A,tor-
noy Rollins have becn busy IN tho Lambert trial
ia tie over and Terminer: Judge Glider
sleeves branch ot the General Sessions has had
full dorkcts ~ felony cases and | nave had
from twenty-five 70 thirty cases on the calendar
every day before Rccorder Hackctt. Why. sir.
nobody ID more in favor OF u fair enforcement
Of the Excise Jaw than are we of the District At
hnse you any knowledge of what the Re
corder intends TO dof'
bench, az I" what sentences he intended TO in
nint. and don intend to-
Police tomfntss lohers ErhHrf. Wheeler. and
Niehols were together mos of tho dayycstt rday
ana unul ",o Hsl 1yynns s{Aparng Tor thglr
~ llng about thelr answer 20 his charges.
Ihty refused To say anything concerning
ne charges hul are united on 2 vigorous
records % TIE Police Department and Of tin
street Cleaning Bureau ia the PREPARATION of
the answer. and several oi the gentlemen whom
they haze retained as counsel consulted with
thgin. They also received visits from several
lnNuental mon. among whom were Assembly
man Hustled and several members Of the next
LIZ stature
PASSED lat" IN the evening:
h'o'e That members Of the force are cautioned no,
s,, .sN t",f I. m ,s nioi ue ,"M ana
arr, ne,r n .,,, n , 'a a, m IN. . s
aHssed nl "a j. in,e The board y y ,Ap.et from
vr Ia ff o.n.s OF AL t, ss . "'' ~" pfrsn
OF ne. hlg Nv "nl li"icf'4 and ihc mMni,n.hcc Of
are 'n,c c,cd IL tue court "''' ''''' '''N' anu
THE poss.l,,e removal q Police Commission,
crs Erlardt Wheeler. and Nichols was the chief
tOpif among me lolliicians yesterday The
opinion prevails that the Mayor VIII take adj
nalias', 81 tnls 9luqrtnn'iy to defeat the Tam
many Aldrrmrn Efforts 10 secure control Of
the Polrc Board by nominating for the Alder
men action Democrat To- su coed Nj Err
cess oi- oi Mc~srs Whceicrnnd Nichos. Among
tn" Democrats mentioned for Mr.. Erhardt
place are james :. Thayrr, George Jeremiah.
Jordan l.. Mott, and shepherd i. Knapp. Tho
nal,tanr nr-,yl iqr Giher pacs arr Police
GoAcrt.r Thomas Murphy and cX-Alderman
col. Loc-cr. President ~ tho Wine and Shirt
Traders Society has written to nr. Crosby in
nhsM,r o. the views expressed in hi- lecture on
Tuesday evening qsi. lie asks hun ii he Is
justified in saying that the object Of the 10000
places where lIluur - soli u To- make people
drunk. Avery hite inquiry, hc says, would
OF most ol the ORGANIZATIONS ol liluor dealers
"a TINS city Is TO Keep people from getting drunk.
We alii"i somewhat from youas tothr methods.
always lailcd. You next state that oven eighths
oil The crime and pauperism of the community
'hds"d 10y dih". Are not ignurnhr" lndo-
cnrc, ayarice. lust. the influence 81 Older GRIM
inals. love oi display envy, and the vast array
Man onr-tighth2 tho hant' OF drunkonuess rs
mut, frequently an rn"t than cause oi ram"
tnat his society VIII present 10 the Legislature
There wes less excitement ana fewer appli-
raut- FOR liHru~os IN tnr on a. of the l.Nclsr
Commissioners Yesterday. 4 urgc numb,r Of
leor lcen-cs were I~Anod and $ yrrtl hundred
4 obi ion