New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-11-20
LIQUOR LAWS FOR HOTELS.
SHOULD THEY SELL TO GUESTS ON SUN
DAY?
A NEARING BEFORE THE COMMISSION ON THf
EXCISE LAws-DEFINITIoNs OF A HOTEL
AN INN AND TAVERN.

A NEARING BEFORE THE COMMISSION ON THE
EXCISE LAws-DEFINITIoNs OF A HOTEL,
AN INN AND A TAVERN.
The commission for the Revision of the Excise
Laws began yesterday morning series OF hearings
Cor those Interested I'm the chambers of the Court OF
Common Pleas, Part H. In the absence OF the chair
man. Daniel G. Rollins, the Rev. Dr. Howard Crosoy
presided. The first to be heard was the Personal
Liberty League, which was represented by Edwan
s. Hubble, and by President katzenmayer, oil inc
Arion Club. Mr. Hubble began by saying that he
rrprcsented the views of the Personal Liberty League
on the question of sunday legislation and had no
connection with the liquor traffic He held that the
prohibition OF the sale OF liquor on Sunday was con-
trary to the fundamental principles of liberty and
that drunkenness sunday was more common when
tho rum-shops closed than when they were open.
and quoted the testimony of number of Mayors
in Irish cities in support of his argument He
thought that after Sunday properly observed
during the hours OF religious services opportunity
should be given TO those who desired 1t to hear
music and TO drink their beer.
President Kauenmayer followed much the same
argument, reading record of the arrests in this city
during last July and August showing that arrests
for drunkenness were numerous on Sunday as on
other days. and making the same plea for opening
tie barcooms during a part Of the day. The New
York state and City Hotel Associations were repre-
scented By William ID. Tanning and William d. Gar
rison Mr.. Tanning read the memorial Of the Hotel
Association, requesting that the provision to hA 'ne
status of hotels or inns as at present under INC
decision OF the Supreme Court be maintained anu
that the rights of travellers and guests at hoe INES
or taverns be clearly and Enthusiastically Defined.
He offered the following classification which would
meet the wants of different communities, as well as
aid in regulating the granting of licenses
"rrrst, hotel shall be place where all who
apply and properly conduct themselves are supplied.
dfxtn rafras hmn
and such services are Incidental to temporary
home and wherein kitchen. dining room, and
at least twenty guest chambers, properly furnished
for the occupation OF guests. Second, an inn shall
be the same hotel except that the number OF
furnished CUES tchambers shall be at least ten, and,
thrd, a tavern the same as hotel or Inn, except
that the number of shall not be less
than five and in addition good and sufficient stabng
for travellers horses shall be provided Having
thus defined the words, Mr. Tanning urged that the
law should provide that any person holding license
as a hotel, inn tavern keeper should have right
at all times TO spirttuous and malt liquors and
wines to actual travellers and guests.
Mr.. Garrison argued in the same line, saying that
hotel keepers only wanted the right to guests
with liquor with their meals or In their rooms but
did not want their bars open Sunday. They were
all anxious to obey the law and would do so, and
only wanted the law to be explicit that they
would not be liable to be brought up before the
Grand Jury for doing what they had a right to do.
He also favored law similar TO that of England.
which provides that If hotel keeper sells 10 man
whom he ought not TO he shall not be punished II
Oh examination II shall be found that the man
deceived him By pretending to be traveller or
person TO whom liquor might be legally sold, but
that the person SO decevins shall be the one to be
punished Mr.. Garrison made rather humorous
speech in opposition 10 any law prohibiting the sun
day sale of liquors to regular guests with their meals
in their rooms, and said that the three sundays
the summer of 1887 when the hotel keepers stopped
the sale of liquor entirely there was more drunk
in his hotel than In any other three days In
his experience. Those who wanted liquor laid in
stock Saturday night went out and got II else
where and drank much more than they were in the
habit of doing when they could have 1t at the table
with their meals He thought that II the old laws
ball and chain attached to his feet in force
there would not be so many young men who thought
1t a smart thing TO paint the town red as now,
The last argument made by William II. Stein
Ramp, of the Retail Grocefs' Union. who argued in
favor of graded licenses that grocers who had small
shelf trade" In bottles only, and amounting TO
about $1,000 year, should pay lower license than
the large stores the places which sold by the glass
10 he drunk the premises. The commission meets
again this forenoon and will be addressed By Pres
dent Gerry, Of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty
to Children, and by John B. Atheron of Louisville
president of the National Lquordealers' Protective