New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-03-20
HEARING ON THE SCHAAFF BILL
THE LIQCOR-DEALERS ADVOCATE OFFERS
AMENDMENTS TO THEIR MEASURE.
THE BILL EFFECTIVELY ATTACKED BY W.
HARRIS RooME, OF THIS C1TY-FLIMSI-
NESS OF THE PROPOSED AMEND
AlENTS.
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MENTS
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Albany March 1O-The Assembly Excise Committee
gave hearing this afternoon on the schaah EAciSc
bill The hearing was held in the committee rooms
which we've crowded with ministers, lawyers, members
of the Assembly and men Interested IN the hPuor
business Recorder Iessbcrg of Albany who had been
employed by the lquOrdeacrs to look out fr the inter-
ests OF introducer OF the bill occupied most q lhe
time Of the hearing in explaining amendments 10 IL
which he presented. lie first took up section OF te
BILL and offered an amendment to tins dangerous Clause
THIS section is the one which allowed boards OF excise
OF towns to meet only year for any other pur-
nose than the granting OF licenses but he put IN these
words, which. thought, would ovcccomc any OBJ
lection 10 And at other times a. they shai! deem
necessary" Then he jumped TO the eleventh Section
which as il stood gave the power Of issuing ubpocnas
TO the boards Of excise applicants ana licensees Ills
amendment extends the privilege to obIcctors,
compainants, or any party in interest iii a hearing
regarding The granting Of license
From this point he went 10 Section IS. Under The
provisions OF this section, as the hquordealers bill
has IT, any one who could set out piece OF cheese ana
a cracker could get license called IAN eating house
license This was amended so that the license could
he revoked il the possessor OF such license failed to
provide food as ordered. section 20 refers only to
the license as property right, in OF removal OF
death; and Mr.. Hessberg wanted 1t 30 changed ta'
the heirs OF having license could use the license
one of the worst features OF the bill as 1t was miro
duced was the reduction Of the age at which minors
could procure liquor, either on their own account OF
ON a warrant from their parents or guardians. Ihls
was found i'm Section 80. 1t allowed any rumseer To
sell 10 minor liquors the written order OF 'le
parent, guardian employer. without regard 10 'c
age of the minor. The amendment simply mahe'
the are which this can be zone fourteen !ca'9'
Another portion OF the section reduces TO SNleeh
years the age at which liquors be sold to minors
Mr. HesSbcrg made an ingenious argument In laNor.
OF the BILL lie defended the spy section WHICH
prevents officers going into saloons ana aSNhs ~.
drinks to determine whether or not the keeper VIII
sell them out OF the legal hours He SAID that the
conrts looked with suspicion on testimony obtained
by Sncals." and lie read the decision ol a Judge OH
case presented by game-procctinG association Ill
which case testimony had been procured by mlsfcp-
rescntation. The decision ended with the remark that
honesty was worth more than quail Members vi
the committee who had heard the Grand Jur! nc
termination on the failure to obtain conviction on OK
cses cases prevetcd his reading that document again.
II had been read to them in the Assembly Chamber
under the orders OF the speaker. who held 1t to be
privileged communication. although. in the same
breath he decided that the petition OF the 'ahohc
clergy of Ncw.York was not a privileged communica-
ton Mr. Hcssberg also referred to the letters OF tc
Rev. DR.. Howard Crosby, who was in favor OF open
ing the saloons on sunday, IN support Of the sunday
onepinc clause Of the bill To this the speaker added
the statement that by making liquor free, and destroy
ING the desire of young men 10 obtain what they
were prohibited from obtaining, the greater portion VI
the temptation to drink would be taken away
W. Harris Roome the representative Of the CITY
Reform Club Of New York, took the floor against inc
bill, and in fifteen minutes demolished compie'eN an
the arguments that had been made IN favor
Of IT. lie Started out by saying that under
tho provisions of the bill ii was a crime
to be temperate The bill. as it Stood he continued,
was not in the direction of egiSlatlng against thc
UquOrdealers but against those VINO were hot pc>'
The liquor dealers the real hackers OF the Dill
1t was supported by them, and them alone. Regard
ing the town laws, he thought that they were good
enough as they stood The only amendment the Bill
really needed. as far as he could was TO strike
out the enacting clause. "Why' he ASKED " mas
not some provision crcpt into this bill preventing the
sale of liquor! Everything in 1t extends the sale
On the point OF serving subpOcnas. Mr.. Roome said
that the excise boards could be trusted to allow
only such subpocnas to be served as would benefit
the lQuordealer not the persons opposed to him.
Now ! know a good deal about the Excise Board OF
The city Of New York. and know that the Excise Board
of that city will do everything % get man license,
he added.
Then he took up the eating house license clause,
and declared that if it were enacted into law few
saloon licenses would be taken out. The provision
that called for the serving Of food vas absurdity,
falsity. Has any restaurant owner come here ana
asked for this section ?" he asked In case these
licenses are granted, every saloonkceper Will get an
eating house license and election days their saloons
will be in full blast. 1t only aet year that the
saloons were closed on election day, IN accordance
with the law and if you return to the old practice
the lower part of the city of New-York on that day
| will again be the scene Of disorder
Ex-Aldcrman Oliver, the Paradise Park statesman.
also represented the lQuordeacrs objected to this
asperson OH that part Of the city, and tried to speak to
| ol,ia he cha
| some pretty strong words to silence him.
The police spy" provision, the liquor dealers cal
il, was next taken up by Mr.. ROolnc. He SAID mat
ii should DC enacted into law would IN future be
impossible TO get evidence against saloonkccpeIs VINO
| violated the law. The quail case 10 which the Re
cOlder Lad referred In which man obtained
| a quail out by saying that he wanted IT for
sick mother. lie did not think that any men would
try to get whiskey for sick mothers by lying about It,
lie then attacked the administration OF the New iGr
Excise Board, and declared That Mayor Grant had not
he said that he would dismiss every officer not dong
his duty or proceed against nm in the courts. INC
Mayor had not done 81 N ne case OIL tile indicted
| This made the Tammany representative Mr.. Foley,
attack on the Mayor. lie declared that the Excise
Board did not deserve TINS treatment at The hands Of
MI koome and innocentiy asked Tor what they had
MIR. Roome told him so quickly that he almost fell
| out OF his chair, and every one else In the
cept the indignant Oliver laughed. MI. Roomc then
asked If any poor men were here. ASKING that the
saloons be kept ope1 sunday, that they could
| have their beer or If any parents or employers
asking that minors be allowed 10 so into saloons after
| lqnor for them. lie closed his argument by ap
peaing 10 the sense Of fair play on The part Of the
members of the committee and asked them not to
| report the BILL
| secretary Knowles, Of the American Sabbath Union
! presented petition against the bill signed by more
than 600 ministers from every county IN the State
lie said that there powerful sentiment at work
against the measure. \ petition from Buffalo signed
by large number Of clcrGymen, against the bill,
| also handed up
The chairman gave Oliver the floor a minute. but
was sorry for IL atcrward, for this taave TanInany
took the opportunity, not to speak the bill but
Oh the grandeur and beauty Of Ncw-YOrk City as a
whole He was choked off as quickly possible, and
! The hearing ended.
The amendments which Recorder Hessberg offered
behalf OF the lquOrdeales will be printed In the
bill, and in this shape il will probably be reported by
! the Democratic majority on The committee