New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-01-25
VIEWS OF MIR. BLISS.

main unchanged and he believes it can be ehiorceo'
VIEWS OF MR.. BLISS.
About year ago public SPIRITED genie
mar who has since died. called upon ucoiSe Disc
welkpown lawyer of city, and retained MN 10 pre-
marc mn making changes in the excise laws III TIC
;D,eres, NJ good order and morality MI Bhsss eA
ncreuce as attorney for the Excise COMMISSION III io
and 1sss-a tine when the then existing Ia" wa"
lowed to be a deadetter- specially ht'eu Ill" io '
task and his later observation of the workings Vi "
english excise system gave HIM an additional qua'h'"
t,on He drew BILL after careful study OF Tue "hoie
subiect which was presented in the Legislature i"s'
session. but received little attention lew DAYS ago
was revived 10y MI Varnum and the puohe ue'p"iu i0'
a reform IN the present loose ami bady en'oIeou IA"
gives II fresh interest. In recent conversation "n
TRIBUNE representative, Mr. Bliss gave ciear cap"
tion OF the ideas on which the bill is based
" There are two or three fundamental facts ne Saiu'
nvhicn must be accepted in all excise legislation not ne
carse they ought exist hut because they 40 eAV a
cannot I've got rid Of The first is that the sort Oh "
who yet INTO office Excise Commissioners VIII G"n'
licenses 10 Improper people, and will grant more
licenses than there is any public call Tor Inc seeonu
o. thai the Police Justices Will not apply TO people
CHARGED with violating the excise law the Iues
of credence and the references from aum''eu i"o''
that they do in OF all other CRIMES ro'
instance man is arrested for keeping an uhlconso"
manor shop. 1t Is shown that he invites custom by
sIQuR
Scotch and so forth that he has bar with sundry
battles apparently containing intox eating drinks ana
that men have been gong III aud drinking AT the
bar The policeman making the arrest Is asReu ny 'nc
lus,ce if he viii swear that the men Were drmh'hP
alcoholic liquor and not colored water lie can swear
70 this because he didn't taste the stun III the tuh-
HERS so the Justice discharges the prisoner on the
vround that no offence has been proved against hm
.Wbv do the Police Justices refuse to take as cvl-
aenee against hQuor sellers the facts THAT they take
eyery day when they want to break up gambling hes
and dlsreputable houses T.
Because of the political power OF the liquor dea"rs
and the general Generalization OF our political system
Now for the third No Legislature in our day VIII
ever authorize the sale of LIQUOR on SUNDAY The coun
try members OF both parties. matter what their PHI
yate views may be- do not record in favor oil any
such legislation. The Germans VIII not accept 'hs c''
however The history Of excise legislation OF late years
has been az follows The respectable liquor deaerSo'"er
than the Germans, start movement to defend tner
interests AT Albany when changes in the law are
threatened They don't care to sell on Sunday, and
uoud that every should Ne restrained from
doing They appoint committee ah1 Id>u III" ne
brewers appoint comkittee, and. raising $40 10 the
liquor dealers one they are abe To CONT" .n'
They prefer bad excise law which cannot ne .no'eu,
10 a good which can because they Know tl"t any
law viii b. sure to contain clause prohibiting her
selling on Sunday This has been the history OF every
law originating in this city during the past tn year,
"Now upon the basis OF these facts, which you say
must be taken into all efforts for legislation
controlling the liquor trade what is practicable III the
way OF impairiug the present system =
IT would retain tue present Sunday clause which is
careful and specific, and has been adddeated by the
courts Any new Sunday legislation would reque four
or five wears legislation before il could be passed upon
bv the Court Of Appeals because the Germans and
brewers would fight II as long as they e0ulu. ,,.
The thrte-bcd system should he abolished IL IS not
cd To
their meas town every day VINO 90 n"' secp ID
Srt itb HER meals and IL is absurd 10 require that
the paces where they eat should be htted ~ ~ notes
The altemot 20 keep up tbs system Il E an
around The Excise Commissioner gfdnlhs q license
knows that 1t is not true hat the place If
a hotel The proprietor starts OIL win tue iCeNuE
ihaf fIe law is TO be evaded. The policeman
on the knows that he isn't Keeping motel 20 ne
law TO be regarded as iblnE 10 De aodgcu anu
not enforced. Besides there Is no reason why person
WHO sells lquOr should keep hotel The present Law
is bs ed the old rural NOTION mat wneh men 60 on
Journey they need to drink and when Eey stay al nome
"My uext proposition is to tie mp the Excise Com
missiGpers with limit to the number OF places they
each ward. object to this because some wards need
fever licensed places than Others An uptown waid
W acqs v6cr liquor Is sold as the FIRST ward for e
annie which densely populated, ana where thousands
of pe.pe take their meals VINO I'VE out OF town.
Ahoher IoirT 81 licenses er 900 or 10 900
Of the eutre population Of tine city 30 thai there could bc
an increase only population Increases don't know
av great objection this. If matter Of fairness the
i0uoT dealers who have complied with the present law
are gwen the preference Tor licenses under the new sys
tenn and the maximum is made large enOngh 10 incude
them all. They DumbcI about 5000, believe.
My judgment leads me 10 prefer different plan.
however. | would REQUIRE the aggregate number of
licenses Lot 10 exceed che number IN force III Jahday
1850 and ehut cut AL new applicants unti some Of the
existing licenses fan In by de"'n failure ana other
causes. When the question OF granting new
provision in the law prohibiting ,he establish
ment o. new Drinking 9dni Place ~i, un
mis- woild tend to make license a valuable property,
rs IN England where IL a0ds 10 the rcntaDlc or saab
value of tho building licensed The landlord Interested
IN seeing mat The shop kept In orderly manner
that the license may be forfeited and the licensed
help enforce the law. The hquorselier becomes d
valuable detective 10 hunt up unlicensed places. |
would have clause IN The law that after one cOnyc
ton OF violation by licensed place aId notlce to hg
Is The English system and in advertisements for the
sale public houses. you often see this line: No com
plant ever made against tins house"
ENFORCING THE LAWS
How would you enforce the law against selling drinks
or Sunday r.
don't admit that IL is impossible to enforce a sun
day law great deal OF nonsense Is talked by the
police on this subject The old excise law, which was
unwise in many particulars was enforced when we had
the Metropolitan police. There was substantially no
Sunday liquor selling 1866 and 1867, and notice
able falling of in crime the result. OF
there Will always be back doors open where
few people will sneak in TO get drink
but the great majority of people won't drink Sunday
unless the temptation Is put before them Now IN prn
ctple IL Il TO sell on sunday Than on
other day, the excuse for prohibition Is that open
barrooms sunday are liable to create Disturbance
and annoy VINO want TO observe the SABBATH II
we drive the traffic out OF sight so that NOBODY Is an
moved the object If the law is attained though there
In good deal of secret drinking AS TO the police not
enforcing Sunday Jaw i have this to say Ihey VII
enforce Il II the Police Commissioners want them to-"
" How would you manage 10 get convictions for ViO-
lating your new law ~
The rules of evidence should be changed. i would
have rules which would help the doubts OF the
Police Justices. In the iirst place when place was
licensed sell ale and beer, sprtuous liquors
class OF license greatly TO be encouraged It should be
conclusive evidence that the law nad been violated II
any kind Of liquor not authorized IN the license
fonnd npon the place. The snOpkeeper should not