New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-01-09
THE EXCISE REPORT.

THE EXCISE REPORT
The refusal of three of the Excise Revision
Commission to sign the report to the Legis-
lature illustrates the nature Of the mistake d
majority of the members have been making.
One of the dissentients is strong temperance
Republican another is representative Oh 'he
whiskey- sellers; and the third, Mr.. u Brlen' IS
Democratic politician of the Hill school, who
showed his true colors at last by refusing on the
ground that to sign the bill making $500 the
minimum fee for a saloon-keepeTs license might
embarrass'' the Governor, he having vetoed
bill containing that provision last year They
do not and can not agree and if any one OF
them should sign the report after all. it will
doubtless be with the explanation that there
are many provisions of the bill which he does
not approve. That is exactly the position OF
the four members who have already signed
and if one or more of the minority should come
in to- day, the significance OF the Commissions
action will hardly be altered. 1t is distinctly
stated in the report that the bill does nos repre-
sent as whole the views of any one OF me
Commission ers A measure which does NOT
represent any distinctive policy, but series OF
compromises, containing good things and bad,
runs the risk of not being really satisfactory to
anybody This is precisely the fate that has
oyertaken the Commissions work. The scale
of license fees is too low to be acceptable to the
advocates of High License, and yet too high to
suit the liquor dealers. The bill contains
number of provisions so distasteful to the latter
class that Governor Hill, doubtless acting under
orders, has practically announced in advance
that he will veto it. But. on the other hand,
il is not sufficiently advanced to serve as
rallying platform for the advocates OF High
License.
It undoubtedly true that the adoption of
the scale of fees provided for by this bill would
be an Improvement upon the present system,
though far below what the best opinion de-
mands. The minimum license fee for liquor
saloons in cities $500, would be larger than
the present maximum, $3.50, and no doubt this
would effect a considerable reduction in the
number of saloons. But the maximum pro-
posed $500, is far below the figure proposed
in the last High-License bill, and far below
also those fixed in number of High-Llcense
States 1t has been hoped however, that the
Deficiencies of this branch of the Commissions
work would be made up, in part, at least, by
the value Of restrictions as to number OF ga
looms. bonds, etc. Here again we fear eXpecta-
ton is doomed to disappointment 1t was
thought decided gain when provision was
adopted that licenses should not be granted so
as to give more than one saloon to 800 OF pop
ulation. As amended, however. ON motion OF
Mr. Thomann, the brewing representative, this
seems to be reduced to provision that no new
saloons shall be licensed in excess OF that num-
ber but that the old saloons can continue to be
licensed without regard to their proportion to
the population. The liquor representatives
seem to have been more willy than their col
leagues. The Brooks law of Pennsylvania re-
quires that the bondsmen of a licensee shall
hold real estate to a certain amount in the ward
where the proposed saloon is situated. This
has had great effect in reducing the number
of saloons But the Commissions bill simply
requires that the bondsmen shall be residents
Of the city. This would, OF course, have no
restraining effect whatever.
1t would have been far better if the Com
mission had presented two or even more re-
| ports, each enbodying a distinct policy, the
| High License members uniting in one, tho
representatives of the liquor and beer interests
in another Then the issue would have been
clearly presented to the Legislature, and it
could have easily made its choice. 1t is not
doubtful what that would have been. In the
strenuous efforts to bring about union upon
many points upon which union was practical
impossibity, the party of progress has, Of
course, suffered, as it always does in compro-
misses, far more than the party of reaction. The
temperance people have gone down further to
meet the saloon-keepers than the saloon-keep-
ers have come up to meet them And the sum
total of all these compromises is an agreement
to which only bare majority will assent, and
under protest at that