New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-01-22
TIE EXCISE CoMMISSIoN BILL.

The Excise Committee of the Assembly will
give public hearing to-day upon the Commits
sion bill. It is officially announced that the
Joint High-License Committee, under the
auspices Of which the High-License bill OF last
year was prepared, will be represented at this
hearing to urge the passage. of the new bill
This creates situation Of some difficulty for
the Republican majority Of the Legislature
Heretofore they and the Joint High-License
Committee have worked heartily together for
High-Lcense legislation. There has been as
little question of the sincerity of one side as Of
the other The Republicans have naturally
and properly allowed themselves to be infiu-
enced to large extent by the Joint High
License Committee because Of the peculiar
character of that organization. Ii is made up
of three ub-commttees-one consisting OF
Bishop Doane, General Wager Syayne and
Colonel b. F. Watson, representing the Church
Temperance Society; another OF the Rev. DIR.
Crosby, the Hon. w. II. Arnoux and the Rev.
DIR. McCracken, representing the Society for
the Prevention of Crime; and another OF the
Hon. Dorman b. Eaton, the Rev. DIR. Donald
and the Hon. Walter Howe, representing the
Citizens Committee on High License. We
have represented here one association. COM
prising many good citizens, which has been
especially organized to bring about High Lii
cense, and two other permanent societies for
reformatory work, which have joined in this
movement because they believe High License
will give powerful aid in that direction.
Up to this time, as we have said. the com
mittee and the Republican majority at Albany
have been in complete accord, not only in spirit
but in opinion, even upon matters OF detail.
But the committees present attitude involves
change of policy, at least for the time being.
Last year the Republicans at Albany fixed the
license fees On q scale much higher than those
proposed in the Commission bill. The COM
mittee now, after q careful examination OF the
Commission bill, earnestly favors its passage
on the ground that while the fees are NOT so
high as they should be, they still show de-
cided increase over the existing fees, and that
the bill itself will replace our present tumble
of Excise laws with simple, consistent and
well-drawn measure. The question for the
Republicans of the Legislature to decide is
whether they will follow the lead Of the High
License Committee in this matter and accept
the Commission bill for the sake Of the good
there is in it, although it is not without faults
If they should do So the responsibility Of the
step would rest largely upon the High-License
Committee.
But there are questions Of party policy which
it is not only expedient but just and necessary
to take into account. The Republicans, hav-
ing taken their stand on the advanced ground
of last years bill, made their campaign upon
that issue, and aroused the bitter hostility of
the saloon-keepers who raised enormous sums
Of money to bride voters, and bought MIR.
Hills reelection. If the Republicans come
forward now with bill representing con-
siderably lower scale Of license fees what will
be the result VIII not the enemies of the
Republican party charge that it has retreated?
Will not the Prohibition newspapers and orators
say that the Hight License bill Of last year was
only trick to catch the votes Of temperance
men in Presidential year, who might other
wise have voted the Prohibition ticket Would
not this create distrust Of Republican sincerity
among temperance men A? The Republican
party has not only right to consider these
questions, but it is its duty TO do so, because
Il is the only organization existing to-day from
which temperance legislation can be expected.
The Prohibition papers assail 1t at every step
more bitterly than the Democratic papers them
selves. Papers like The Evening Post' make
wholesale charges against it of insincerity and
tricxery il a single member in either house
waivers in the line-whereas we all know that
no party possesses omnipotent control over all
its supporters.
The Republicans ef the Legislature should
consider carefully whether they might not bet
ter first pass as pledge of their sincerity a
bill reiterating the scale Of license fees pro-
posed last year. II that should be vetoed by
the Governor, it would then be time enough to
consider whether, having failed to get what
they ought to get, they will try for something
less. With the assistance Of few public
spirited Democrats High-Lieense bill could
be passed over his veto, or the High-License
feature could be Incorporated into the Com
mission bill and the result would be an ex-
oellent body of law abreast Of the spirit OF the
times. II both fail, the Republican party will
at least have shown that ii. stands on temper