New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-04-06
HILLS NEW LIQUOR BILL.
WHAT THE GOvERNORSENAToR' SECRET
COMMITTEE HAS BEEN DOING
CHANGES MADE IN THE INTEREST OF THE
LIQUOR DEALERs-oBJECTIoNADL AMEND
MENTs-A BILL THAT NEEDS CEITI-
CAL, EXAMINATION.


Albany, Aprll 5.-Whcn tho bill permitting the
sale OF liquor upon Sunday and relaxing the EXCISE
laws of the State In hundred other pad respects
which was prepared by the retail liquor dealers ana
brewers Of the State and then submitted 10 inc AS
sembly BY Mr.. SchaaR, Democrat OF Brooklyn, is SUD-
mttod TO the Assembly once more by the Assembly
Excise Committee as It will be this week. there are
only four persons who Will be able to recognize IT,
They Professor Collin, Senator-Governor HIPS
legal adviser Albert Hessberger, the Albany Recorder
Galus Thoman tie representative Of the brewers, and
senator-Governor Hill himself
The recent criticisms which have been made upon
Governor Hill by the liquor dealers in their
newspapers, in which he is charged with not treating
the liquor men in good faith this year, seems 10 have
stirred up the SenatoI-Governor TO an effort In The d
rcctiOn Of doing something for them. What he has
made mp his mind TO do for them Will be seen In the
bill after the four men named have finished their
manipulation Of IL and I'LL has allowed his offspring
to reach the public eye vigorous effort has been
made by Hill to keep secret all knowledge as to the
condition of the bill when IT shall again come in to the
Assembly Tho meetings which have been held by
the men already named, and at which the bill was
discussed and amended, have all been In secret ana
every one who has attended has been sworn not TO
reveal anything of what has been done and agreed
upon at these meetings. But naturally the agents OF
the liquor dealers here have been told OF what Mr.
Hill has done, and they have talked about It,
The bill, as it will presented to the Assembly
through the Excise Committee VIII not resemble tne
liquor dealers dream,' the measure originally in
troduced by Schaaf was called, in any particular.
While Schaaf Insists that 1t shall bear his name, the
mehsure ought to be called after its principal progen
itor Governor HILL When the original SchaaH
bill was presented to him by the committee Of the
liquor dealers he expressed himself as being we'll
pleased with n. lie did not anticipate that the re-
gous and the moral elements in the community would
arise in such strength and numbers as to endanger the
+ha NJ
q mind TO indorse as he ndorsed both the Schaaf ana
Stadler bills Contrary TO his expectations, such an
| amount OF pressure brought to bear upon tIe
members Of the Assembly that he found 1t 70 be aD-
solutey impossible for him TO keep his word Win inc
| liquor dealers and pass the bill that they desired
| Mr.. Ill., therefore, has been driven TO attempting
| to satisfy them with much milder Dill.
| He could swallow Sunday liquor selling, 0ut
tho rural Democratic Assembymen cOuld not
To satisfy the quordealers has not been an easy S
and there is trouble between Hill and the brewers
as to the amount of the license fee that this bill shall
| demand of beer-seers. On this point Hill and the
brewers have had serious difference, and it is under
stood that this is about the only thing that remains to
be settled before the bill is fixed TO HIPS satisfaction
When David B. Hill, Gaus Thoman, Professor Collin
and Recorder csberger began 10 go over the schaau
bill the first changed asked for by the rural Democrats
was the striking cut Of the Sunday clause altogether.
Mr. Thoman and the Governor hated to give up this
| idea. The rural Democrats insisted. however, and
argued that IL would be absolute death to the Demo
cratic party this fall II the Sunday clause were left In
the bill. As much therefore as Mr. Hill wanted 70
please the brewers who have been giving him $25OOOo
for each political campaign in which he has been
candidate he felt compelled to accede TO this demand
| This section therefore, was stricken out bodily.
The next cladse OF the bill which has brought out
the strong opposition of oil moral people to the measure
was that which reduced the at which liquor can De
sold TO minors. In the schaaf bill this age was re-
duced to sixteen, but any child 10 matter how ola OF
young could be sent to saloon by parent, guardian
or employer for liquor providing the ch5ld carried
| written order from such parent or guardian. This
was one Of the most dangerous clauses Of the BILL 1t
has been changed in the new that the pres
emf law as TO the age at which liquor can be sold
without an order to minor as we'll with an order,
| has been made to correspond TO the existing law.
The trainers Of the new bill will not give up another
part of the bi and that is the eatinghouse license
An effort has been made however, to amend TINS sec
| ton so that 1t will not displease those who opposed
II in the old bill The modification has been made In
a statutory declaration and designation Of what
| an eating-house is 1t must be place where
food can be ordered from a boffae, and there must
he utensils for cooking In it, 1t has been made quite
easy to get around this part Of the bill. Annight
licenses for balls, parties and entertainments Of
| moral and respectable sort have been provided for
much after the style Of the Stadler bill Of last year.
which has been incorporated in the bill. This meas
ure II will be remembered only extended the time or
selling LIQUORS until O'Clock of the morning for
| which the license was asked. Further amendments
have been made which allow the Boards of Excise In
the country to meet as often as their members deem
III In the Schaaf bill 1t was ingeniOusly arranged
80 that meetings Of the Boards of Excise could be held
only once year. and then TO receive applications 1or
licenses In it there were no provisions whlch alo"eu
the meeting of the Board for the purpose OF revoknS
| licenses. Under this old provision the Excise laws
1 mill nd he
could do nothing until the end Of the year. when they
couh refuse TO issue licenses. This section has been
Mrtber amended so that not only the man VINO holds
license en51ocna %mu wtnesses, but those who oppose
renewal Of license, as well as lLoSe % ihn lSbt
d pSnbpoe1a witnesses This too radical change
rom he bin as it came from the liquor men ana MI: MI
ali on one side on the side of the liquor dealer ,,
There has been another Important change III te OH ~
ExtiSo ee potvely refused TO grant an applicant
license The establishing OF that fact ia conit Ui rccV %
TO ToaTd tn grant the license sought. Under such
nroyislon Il readily will be seen that no matter matter
NIo how eT hton anu license simply by going Into court
and establishing the fact that the Soau n rn 70 him
| icenSe lice This has been changed so that applicants
for license have only the odnay egai snt' TSdH , %,
WORTHY to be entrusted With license: !, o.ou,od
Down to the question Of the amounts TO & be 6nsge 6reS
for beer license the representatives, o: the Ge"S S
and of the senat6rGovernor l r are sgffeG laWs @
nus IN be various cities of this and other states & 70,
Seher with the amounts called iGr IN herotntGre tnT
nS tSe tees called for in the bill which s Excise
Revision Commission contained an nave nave cense Se sS @
OYER oyer IN dnd tmg be- satisfactory all concerned Il Is
expected that some agreement nc on stSnad t b by to-
%SrrSw 80 that it can be reported from TT the Excise
Committee for rprlntlng in IT, neW form 3y h caIsd
for By THURSDAY which the new %ea1rf U b T soP @e
s1io ~ nsie4on ia Tac liquor are becoming ANXIOUS
at the delay They Uw tSt ADT fSf passes the
9V haro will be only ten legislative days dt
that time they hey s.sa%by T aons be t0 ssS noS
| ~ I1 ~. ~ Senate which he depended upon 10
ssnne s Th T n carefully and critically before it Is acted
The upholders Of temperance viii undoubtedly ma