New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-01-09
LIQUOR DEALERS DIVIDED.
"HoTELrMEy AGAINsTTHE "GRoGGERTEs"

OF THE LATTER.
Mayor Grace recently called for n report
from the Excise Board the liquor licenses granted
by that body lss1 presumably as data for his ioi
coming messages and abstracts were printed IN the
several papers on December T. But on Tuesday Iart'
in Interviews with IT. Howard Crosby and D. j. "ht-
ncy of the Society for the Prevention of Crime. THE
THaNF disclosed the fact that only about half the 5000
retail liquor the city are properly licensed The
c1'res were sarncly suggestive OF negligence "r irauh
in the administration Of this Board. and attracted
great deal Of attention among politicians temperance
men and societies, the liquor men themselves ana
among the class Of lawyers who prominent In excise
cases The proof Of the ectncss of the statement
that tho Law being evadei by nearly onchaf Of the
auor dealers is established by The simple comparison
OF the numbegog licenses issued by the Internal Revenue
Bureau Of the Federal Government and the number Is
sued by tho Excise Board Of this city
Both tho Federal and the City Government have r'e
classes " liquor dcalcrs namely:
l. Retail dealers In sprituOus liquors.
H. Wholesale dcalcr5 in splrituous hquoia.
III. Retail dealers IN malt liquors only
For yearly licenses of the first class the Unit ed states
charges S25 the EKcsc Board SO For licenses OF the
third class the General Government exacts $50 year
aud the city charges $50. The difference III inc
Government charges small that dealer, even II he
oontempIatcs selling malt liquors only, pays 50 ana
takes out fI ccnsc that practically there II only
one class Of retail dealers known TO The revenue agents
The difference between the Excise Boards charges iSi'
and consequently many dealers pay the city $50 only Tor
malt liquor license But every one OF these sells hlo'"
on the strength Of his United states license.
Puttirg aside the wholesale dealers OF Class LAS pi no
present interest it has found that the following are
the figures licenses to sell spirits returned 10y te
Internal Revenue Agents and the Excise Board Tor
1851
4 : i Ei,i LEY io.l SdI'ii75 = 5i3,.5O
37i3
Tbis shows that 3.7i3 retail dcalcra have paid the
Uni,cd states tax licenses TO retail ardont spirits VINO
ba, NOT pad the Excise Board tax for the samo priv
cce ON me face of this showing the Hquoi ct'eie
VINO ms constrnctiycly inn or hotel keep have paid
foI frat elias, license, have, rivals Ia the business
3-43 other dealers who are not ic%aiy
entitled 10 first class hccuscs, MOI being ho''i
kocrors, ana who pay no spirit tax But II 10
not trre that these 3743 nave Ho license oI any hh
Al IN, last report there only i saloons WhNui
n.eu,c ~ a,ry sort The 37i3 are the men who have
the United states fun first class license TO sell srous
liquors and The Lxcse Board third class license to sell
msIt liquors only But, u- ict'rc stated, ioHgh H'y
have no city license 10 eel spirits ana make h' P'tt"''
Whatever to beng "loteA'cpeI-' under the 'IHIte
bed. decision as what con-tilutcsa hotel every one
n these thru cass malt liquor dealers SELLS spirits un-
der hi, UicI Statcs license and ignores the Excise
Board. Il by amy LEGAL construction they cu1ii Doe
come crulrd 20 "a first class license iLr5 N'Wd
gladly pay So per year. or 20 t'lf io Ih' cib "i
Y2-O7-5. As It IS they take ont ih" malt liquor
license at $50 per year aud pay only Til2@"o. As
they really sell spirit, in accordance Win their United
-tatt- iccu-t }ut H violation uf their c'- LICENSE ic
annual loss 60 the city Is ei6.,f|5.
FrEuNG AMONG THE DEALERS
These 1rurr. ~ thus coutros'od hy tUr TRIBUNE,
have sct The liquor men who pay the tu! license TO
Thinking Of hc injustice and injury don" them, bn
they cxcss thls feeling ind> tudiy ana NOS collective
IN. anil mai fYu
over their own bars spend time Iu trying 10 stop tie
abuse though there b. no question that they would sup
port any movement which would shut up these third
class places without tOuclIhg Themselves The majority
OF them IS fearful, however that any legislation
which would infect the third class would even
finally extend to the hr,'C.a-s dealers
and so II hc.,'ates 10 move. II is the general
and very freely expressed opinion that tho city trade
will not support D. 743 places restricted absolutely to the
sale OF malt liquors There are many people Ae dealers
soy capeciay on the East side Tho mover touch spirits
and yet DRINK freely Of beer and ale hui tIec or onI
hundred would more thdn nuhcr To- supply AL
ON tho support OF the beer drinking people only Ihc
dealers SAY also tnai the 'hect pi lho pr en- ~" i7
men Those aho taFc or tic tuii license DO not as
rule. care for the bect trade IN '..IN hp,ti-
and the men III thi- class look u""n the suc
OF liquors j.! men 'l "3 o' l'',' r cas. 't ,I
Gvncd Erstcaso licenses because the! Lave not bed
rooms attached ID their .ru.gre, ana ty are aui1go
nisc 10 those who have. iho nrs class wou,d quietly
support legislation which Wuud ltdU,t thr 3'fVD Win
mai. c,ns,, IL three, or four huud cd or compel ol u
sion selling liquors. ON tine other nauH the 500 would
ai4 any legislation Whch lh them "h lhe HAuc iopung
u8 others, and gladly rHy "a" price of ini license
INC question iur the Temperance nuI , nov ihcy may,
by practical legislation, take advantage OF Tile antaso-
Tnc polit clans Who have talked over Tie matter re-
crntS Drought into prominence l i"I''ij7 alii'd 10
I.Ii. of the Excise Bourd aad thc lu.rma Revenue
Board insist Thai the Gen'hl Government m'hcs 10
sucli class distinction, ur the cry Hih'. 'ht ''hLa.
cjsiou coulu,c5 She Internal h'' r.ue agents inns D,
true. They claim, too ta tht "frl'icc I'D ' cIisr3
- 700 "'1 any i, rnt I. rnlir, ,lo moi rrror
luor cu when found selling spi.ltluus liquors. Those
opposed 10 Ut parry m. rover , %" "o' n',i-
ay tls the 500 malt mon vino save Ti6s,nr0 year
~, tsi ont Only The tIiId ca,, license are rot granted
s"n,wbcrp - Not half OF it, ~ IMEuNI reporter
ruggesc surprising that Tie hqror hcu rouid certain
:but AL ON" They would gladly pay all and NOR,
t,oor e privilege II doing Wna' thc tstclGsa men do
which thew cannot do without becoming hotci keepers.
They 40 no want .hc money; they want TO eYadc the
three DcJs decision without mruHnS thc penalty
They get their Immunity hy some means nom some
body. That %l0~oJ1 anu, more, 700 S"t' Whcrc
Oages AEla's chtcAs "en'-"AeIeNer Hk'l TO 90 me
Iuost good
SUGGESTIONS As TO LEGIsLATION.
A lawyer Who has gwen the subject considerable
thought and Who has appeared many times IA defence
ofouor dealers charged S.th violating TIE cisr laws,
in .n,nkilc oi The facts as shown 81 TIL TRIBUNE
article and a, elaborated above said;
81 think the fact hae been overlooked by the temper
ancc men that the enforcement OF the decision 81 nc
Court of Appeals To what constituted an nm or hotel
al once mai, other legislation necessary. Not IcisI
ron iurthcr 10 define inn bat egatc 10 restrain
use who hot Iln keepers from selling sllts The
ur, -Cuf legislation very detective
" And Of course" suggested IHHIN. reporter, you
30 not expect Democratic Legislature 10 grant IT,
NLv NOT o. Tie uqu.ril reply. Il l- probably
necessary TO SOY lust iLat the lawyer good
democrat
op, of nm, laws uusyorabic to thcr interests
20. ~.by 30 their general intctc-t- But 30 -yu not
see that the 'tIcr-lrdf' decision diYteH the liquor