The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-05-19

s.Whereas experience has taught us that on
New Years days and on May. days, from the
firing of guns, the planting of Maypoles
and drunken drinking, there have resulted
unnecessary waste of powder and much IN
toxication, with the bad practices and acci-
dents which generally arise therefrom
therefore, we expressly forbid, on New
Year and May days, any firing or planting
of Maypoles or beating Of the drum
nor shall there be at those times any wines,
brandy-wines or beers dealt out" Here
are to be found in full bloom several fan
cies that are thought to be only products OF
modern delicacy, virtue and civilization.
Here is prohibition absolute and even with
out an exception in favor of houses with
''three BEDS" and, worst of all, applied
especially to festival days. Here IS
.yrannical suppression OF popular
sports, and here is the first as
sertion of the existence of that race OF
men with women's nerves to whom the
firing of guns" is an abomination, and
who in our own time have suppressed the
Illuminating glories of the Fourth OF July.
But it is believed that the boisterous
Dutchmen went on in the same way in
spite of Peter. They beat their drums,
wasted their gunpowder and swlgged
their beers and brandy-wines, and the
decree failed of any other operation
than standing in evidence of the early
appearance in our municipal history
of that militant and intolerant virtue which
has since afflicted us with Sunday laws and
Sunday societies, and societies and laws TOR
the suppression of almost all things that the
people are inclined to do in the way of mer-
riment and jollity on days of supposed
recreation; laws in the spirit of the Puritan
rule which suppressed bear-baiting, not be-
cause it was cruel to the bear, but because
the people enjoyed it. Peter had about
him, also, Mundys and Crosbys, but they
could only make impotent DEGREES, and the
city was not subject to their will.
And we doubt if the city has greatly
changed even in this latest particular That
it has not changed in the others is, OF
course, evident. Our people are disposed
to indulge their appetites and their joliity
at least as much as in the days of the Dutch,
and we are possessed also of our proportion
of yirtuous men, who are the salt Of the
earth. and with whom wisdom and good
ness will probably die. These men be-
lieve that the world will be i'm
proved if all others are compelled
to regulate their lives in accordance
with what these few regard as right. But
they have greatly improved upon the ex-
ample Of the earlier efforts of their order;
for while in Stuyvesant's time the endeavor
was to repress the too uproarious and ex-
IRENE indulgence Of holidays, our over
righteous contemporaries want to restrict the
reasonable indulgences of workingman's
day of leisure and to pursue the vendors OF
wines, brandy-wines and beers whenever
they can catch them. The adjourn
ment Of the Legislature without the
passage of nm excise law adapted to
proper regulation of the liquor
traffic in this city has reopened the hunt
that was carried on SO vigorously last year,
and has given to the fanatics of temper.
ance" the opportunity for which they
waited Liquor dealers in the city are in
a very singular position with regard to the
law, and the public is able to APP
preciate the peculiar variations that
may be played on that sound theme
in politics, ''The will of the people
is the law Of the land" Polled on any
day in the year the will Of the people here
would be in favor Of a very liberal excise
law, but the will of the people of the coun-
try counties is the law that must rule us for
the time, if it can be applied. But in the
difficulty that will be found in applying it
it may appear that intolerance is not to
rule altogether. The temperance crusaders
are to mako their cases and to catch their
witnesses and to put the culprits on trial
but perhaps the trial by jury that is in
tended to limit the tyrannies Of tho law
will stand in their way at last.
Undoubtedly it was gross dereliction Of
duty on the part Of the Legislature not to
put This troublesome excise dispute out Of
the way by plain and liberal law for
while we have no special tenderness toward
a traffic that in many aspects is a great evil
wo must recognize that a large number of
persons entitled to the protection Of the
law in their property are suddenly
left without such protection through
no fault or wrong Of their own.
In the opinion that their trade was lcgiti-
mate and regularly authorized by the laws
of the State certain men invested their
means in this traffic but by an intorprcta-
ton of the law which discioses an oversight
in its construction they suddenly find all
that ground of regularity taken from under
their feet, and are left to be girdcd at by
the fanatics, who glory in their calamity.
This should have been remedied in
the interest Of public tranquility if not
for other reasons, since it threatens US with
unlimited squabblings on the subject in all
the tribunals rs in some other places.
Gathering u hint from the proposed plan Of