New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-01-11
THE EYcySE BTLL


The chief merit of the new Excise bill, which
a majority OF the Revision Commission recon-
mends to the Legislature for enactment, is
that it substitutes for the confused discon-
nected and incoherent mass Of laws upon this
subject a single consistent measure capable OF
being understood and enforced. This alone
would be a great gain. The various Excise
laws Of the State now in force extend over o
period OF more than thirty years, and by dint
of frequent amendment have been made In
some particulars difficult of construction. The
new bill is in its arrangement and wording a
model of directness and clearness. 1t not only
reduces the existing laws, so far as they were
found worthy of preservation. to a harmonious
measure, but in many details it effects inn
provements in them. This the Commission
not only had the right, but 1t was bid to do
by the act of the Legislature. which directed
it, in case the Commissioners found the exist
ing statutes could not be =" so revised altered.
amended or repealed as TO provide for clear.
harmonious and positive Excise system" to
submit bill providing for IAN improved sys-
temp Governor Hill seems to have overlooked
this fact when he scolded the Commissioners
The bill is more than a codiication. and, as
far as il goes, will, we believe, command gen.
eral approval among those who favor proper
regulation Of the liquor traffic. 1t is not its
only merit, however, that it brings order out
Of the chaos Of the existing laws. The adj
vance in the scale of license fees while by no
means 30 great as it should have been, in our
Judgment, is still considerable, and would un-
doubtedly, II properly enforoed. effect marked
reduction in the number of saloons. The recog-
milton Of difference In grade between alco-
holic and fermented liquors is a wise step, based
upon the experience Of number OF States in
which High License has been adopted. The
liquor dealers, while they are doubtless dis
satisfied with the bill. cannot allege that the
Commission has dealt with them in any spirit
Of harshncss. They are held to reasonably
strict accountability, but the Commission EVIL
IDENTIFY sought to mako sure at the same time
that the rights Of these men. both as dealers
and as citizens, should be properly protected.
We have already shown why we regret that
so good a bill should not have been much bet
ter. The concessions which were made in the
hope of securing a unanimous report have no.
borne the looked-for fruit. The irreconcilaOl.
differences in such body, which should have
been apparent from the outset, came clearly
into view at the last. One member urges that
the Legislature should greatly reduce the Ii
cense fees another denounces them as being
entirely too low. A majority Of the Commits
sion would probably have approved bill equal
ly mefitonous ns ystem o. law with scale
of fees equal to that adopted by the last Legis-
lature. In that case. the representatives of
the liquor and brewing interests who have
joined in this report would doubtless have
withdrawn. but Mr.. Krise who now dissents,
would have been brought in. and there would
have been a majority for consistent measure
fully abreast of the spirit Of the time. 1t is
true that Governor Hin would not have signed
such bill but there is as little reason to sup
pose that he will sign this. unlsss he has aban-
doned the frame of mind in which he wrote
his annual message.
II may be that the Legislature will yet deem
10 wise 10 adopt this BILL because OF its many
excellent features. But another dealing di-
rcctly with the license fees. and raising them
to the level Of the attempted legislation of
last winter. is a first and pressing necessity.
The Republican party cannot afford TO rest con-
tent with the scale proposed in the Comm ,sion
A -