New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-04-07
A HIGH-LICENSE CAUCUS.
REPUBLICAN SENATORS HOLDING BACK
FEARS THAT THE BILL NAY BE ISJuMousLy
AMENDED UNLESS II Is MADE A PARTy
(pr TELEGRAPH TO rHs TRIBUNE. !

| lpr TELEGRAPH rHs Tribunal
| ALBANY. April Ex-senator vedder, the chairman
OF the Republican Senate Caucus Committee, an.
| nounced to-day IN the Senate that there would b1
a caucus Of the Republican Senators on Monday
night. lie did not announce publicly the object
of the caucus, but it may be stated autborita-
lively that it is called for the purpose Of making
the High License bill, recently passed by the As-
sembly, party measure. Senators Sloan, Robert
son, Hendricks, and other Republican Senators
think there is danger that unless q caucus is held
on the High License bill it may bc amended in
! juriousy when it comes up for consideration In
| the Senate on Tuesday next There has been
| good deal Of talk by Republican Senators repro.
scnting city constituencies, notably by Senator
Worth, Of brooklyn; Senator Van Cott, OF New.
| York, and Senator Laughlin, OF Buffalo, In favor
! Of reducing the minimum and the max mum censi
for selling beer, ale and other malt beverages.
This suggestion has met with considerable support
from Senator Russell Of Albany; Senator Coggcs-
hall, Of Utica and Senator Sweet who has tho
| City of Auburn in his district.
Senator Coggeshall's district comprises the Coln.
ty Of Oneida, one OF the largest hopgrowing c0un.
ties in the State. As hops are largely used by tho
brewers Mr. Coggcshall thinks that the business
Of the hOp-growers would be seriously affected IL
| the beer license is maintained at n high plane.
He said to-day " think the minimum license foe
| beer should be $50 and the maximum only Sl00.,
| Du3 he nlso is OK tho opinion that as the bill
now Is framed many country hotels would bs
unable to take out license, owing 70 the high
|
said to-day, would be unable TO pay the license
| fee"
FEARFUL OF THE BARLEY GROWERS RESENT.
! MENT.
AS for Senator Sweet. he represents the counties
| of Cayuga, Seneca, Tompltins and TiogA,
in which great deal Of barley
The raisers of barley. he feared. would suffer il
| the beer license remains where 1t is. Yet Mr..
Sweets district is also centre Of temperance az.
itation, and there is a loud public demand in
fho .,f fbo tIiObI
| Senator Russell said to-day: H. seems TO me
| that there is a great inequality between tho
licenses to be paid for the sale of sPirtuous liquors
and those to be paid for the sale Of malt bev-
erages Assemblyman Bagley's amendment ere
ated this inequality and it should be corrected
| II 1t is not to be corrected 1t would have been
| the bill just as 1t came from the Assembly Tx
| else Committee. Then there was an equality
between the licenses for the sale of the two
| kinds of liquors. IL seems TO me the leaders
of the Republican party in this State are not recog-
nzing sufficiently the growth of a foreign popu-
| aton in the cities of the State OF IA population
| that has different ideas from those prevailing
in rural communities as TO the right way OF
dealing with the liquor traffic. The vote OF
the Republican party Is in the rural counties
where population is stationary Is diminishing,
| while in the cities it is increasing These facts
should be considered in preparing excise laws IL
| | had my way l would not permit the sale OF
| liqior but as a lawma<er have 10 consider the
differing types of population in this State, and
what excise law will have their support
1t will be remembered that the five Assembly,
men from Erie County, two Republicans and
| three Democrats, all voted against the High
License bill 1t was, therefore, TO be expected
that Senator Laughlin should also be opposed
to the bill, representing as he does all thsss ,i
uency," be said to-day, must vote to reduce
| the beer license 1t would be political death fos
| any who should not do so.'
TWO SENATORS WHO "MIsUNDERsTooD'
Senator Laughn swerved from the line of his
| Ii 20 la,v
that the leaders of the Republican party wero
misapprchcnding the desires of the Republicans
who live in the cities in their recent advice re-
| specting temperance legislation. Mr. Laughlin
also informed the Senate that he voted under .
misrepresentation of its character, on Tuesday, for
Senator Lewis's bill limit ng the number OF saloons
| in every city town TO one Tor every 30 OF
topa pUpu'"ssUd said Senator Laughn to The Tribune
| correspondent, that such n bill, II 1t became
law, would vastly diminish the number of saloons
| in that city"
Senator Laughln stated to the Senate that he
misunderstood the character Of the bill and de-
| sired to have that fact recorded on the journal
Senator Coggcshall then informed the Senate
that he also had misunderstood the bill OF
| Senator Lewis, or he would not have voted for
! it, The bill was passed with nineteen Affirmative
Senator's Laughlin and Coggeshall and the bill
would have received only seventeen votes, Just
sufficient to pass 1t.
|
passed in House Of the Legislature:
IL that Lewis bill becomes a law" said Senator
| Cantor, Democrat, Of New-York, yesterday, " It
will reduce the number of saloons in New-York
| from O, 600 to 5000"
Senator Robertson said to-day: am in favor
of passing the High License bill just as IL came
| from the Assembly. If people wish to lower the
beer license after the bill becomes law they can
introduce supplemental bill We should not IN n
| any case return the Dill 10 the Assembly, ~
would be peril0us TO do so'
| Senator Sloan, of Oswcgo County, and Senator
| Hendricks expressed precisely the same views.
ONE CITY SENATOR FRANKLY FOR HIGH LIcENsR
One city Senator is frankly for the bill. This
is Eugene +. O'Connor, one Of the Republican
Senators from Brooklyn. 1t is my opinion he
said this afternoon that should pass the High
License bill as it came from the Assembly without
an amendment The bill is an excellent one az
it stands and should be accepted by the Senate.
1t will have my hearty support and shall vote
against amending 1T in any way" -,
There is some hope among the irlends OF tne
High License bill that two Democrats, Senator
Linson, of Kingston and Senator McNaughton, OF
Rochester, will vote for It, Senator Llnson was
the only Democrat who voted for Senator Lewis's
bill limiting the number OF saloons while oehasoe
McNaughton owed his election TO the votes OF
large number Of temperance Republicans VINO
boited the nomination of a Republican iosr
Senator who had formerly been IN tne
liquor business. But If the Democrats Den All,
as it is now expected they will. and six Re
publican Senators vote with them, majority
will be obtained for the change. ~ Is clear rom
the talk of the lobbyists who are working against
the High License bill that they hope to s persuade %
six Republican Senators TO vote 70 n6,, amenS sno
Senators from whom these votes are expected are
Senator Worth of Brooklyn Senator Van Cott,
Of New-York Senator Russell Of Albany senator
and senator Laughlin, of Buffalo. Two Of the
Republican Senators, Mr.. Worth and Mr. Laughlin,
IL Is believed will not vote for the BILL no matter
ubst amendments are made to it, The following
fourteen Republican Senators, It Is thought Will
onpose any amendment Of the bill and vote for
IL as il stands: Senators Hawkins, OConnor,
son, Lewis Hendricks Vedder, Walker and Ranes.
Under the circumstances, the caucus OF the ne.
publican Senators on Monday night on the higp
License bill will be looked upon with great IN
terest by the public.