New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-05-02
POLICE CALLED OFF.
EXCISE LAWS VIOLATED OPENLY.
| SUPERINTENDENT BYRNEs's PLANS INTERPRETED
WITH BY TAMMANY HALL.

| suuGen relaxation OF the police 10 enforce the
Excise law was noticeable in all parts Of the city
yesterday Liquor dealers who showed great
caution in violating the law the Sunday fol-
lowing the appointment of Thomas Byrnes as
Superintendent Of Police, and who kept their
places Of business closed on the Sunday follow
ing the shaSe-up" Of the police captains showed
ny their behavior yesterday that they thought the
police had received orders NOT TO harm them
The front doors OF the liquor stores were closed.
as they usually are on Sundays. but side doors
were unlocked, and strangers were allowed to
enter. Although the shades were drawn so
tightly at most places that people could not look
into the barrooms from the sidewalks and wit
ness the crowds of men drinking at the bars the
clinking Of glasses and the sounds of revelry
could he heard plainly here and there, and the
passing Of men in and ont of the side doors was
80 frequent as to attract attention. At one place
in Thirdave partly raised shade permitted
view Of several men drinking and another man
playing banjo, while the sound Of the instrument
could be heard by persons on the sidewalk. Along
Third and Sixth .avcs.. and in the BOwcry and
| in Park Row people who rode in the elevated
trains could look through open fanights of liquor
stors and see plenty of evidence that the sale
Of liquor going on.
| The undisturbcd liquor traffic was not the only
evidence Of police inactivity. Policemen in uni
form walked carclcssly past liquor stores in which
| the law being violated with small prctcncc
OF concealment, and made no attempt to enter
| the sidcdoors, although on two previous Sun
days they had made such efforts No detectives
or policemen in plain clothes could be seen on the
! hunt for evidence of Illegal liquor selling, al
though such evidence plentiful then as it
had been scarce a week earlier. The neglect Of
the police and the bodncss Of the lquor-dcalcrs
/ the NJ n ont ra room
| by the Tammany leaders TO stop the enforcement
OF the Excise law President Martin, Of the
Police Board who is the Tammany mouthpiece at
Police IIcadquartcrs undertook to apply the brake
on Saturday afternoon. when Superintendent
| Byrncs was absent from his Office and Chief In
spcctor Steers acting temporarily as the
| executive officer Of the force. The Tammany COM
mand was delivered somewhat in this fashion:
| Il want you TO call the captains together and
| instruct them to observe the rule which the
Police Commissioners adopted last fall, forbiddng
the sending of policemen in plain clothes 10 get
| evidence of the violation OF the Excise law.
Mr. Steers sent out general alarm which
| caused the captains to assemble at Police Head
quarters soon after D. m. They wem calicd
before the Chief Inspector in the museum.
Mr. Steers only said to them:
Il am instructed to remind you OF a resolution
di.approycd sending men in plain clothes TO act
as -p.cs in getting evidence of Violation OF the
Excise law
Many of the captains understood the message
10 mean that the iquor-dcalers must not tc
| molcstcd in the selling Of rum on Sunday. In
| .pector Williams who in the Central Once
when the message was delivered pnzHlcd some
Of the captains in his district by telling them
before they left the building that they must not
| relax their efforts 70 prevent the sale oil iqnor
during prohibited hours. Aftcrward he was called
| before President Martin. who asked him why he
| had given such orders, and he replied: re-
ceived instructions from the Superintendent thls
morning and | am trying to carry them ont.
| I'm the evening there were signs OF an attempt
lac Superintcnccnt Byrncs 10 counteract the effect
~ thc Tammany interference. He returned 10 the
| Central Office soon after p. m. and remained
| ,here for three hours consulting with inspectors
contains and trusted detective scrgcants Some OF
! ,hcm .oid Yesterday that Mr.. Iyrncs was III
| dignont because his orders tor the Increment
| of the law had been practically countfrmandcd
| h, Police Commissioner The resolution when
Nr Martin forced upon the attention oi IN" cap
t,ins was passed by the votes of three members
| Of the Police Board in the absence oi 'ohl'his-
,oncr MacIcan. 1t WAS offered 10y Mr. N'orh''
Al the request Of an association oi liquor-d'h''S'
, and il attracted little attention at the th'' pc-
oa,.o !, v,s not understood TO De a rule OF the
Department but merely an expression OF 'e
| wishes of the three Commissioners VINO Notcd ior
II II read as follows: Resolved, mat the COM
muncation from the Executive Committee oil thc
Ncw-York Citizens Alliance he received ana paccu
| on file and "A copy referred 10 the ac'ihS SUPER
intcndcnt with expression or opinion OH '"c
,r, If the BOARD of Police thai, while IT, on all
tIn unlir tpFpp
| occasions expects and requires 'hc pohoc 'oioc
20 DISCHARGE its full duties, it disapprovcs in
General of any action on the part 0i the iorcc
rart,l,inc of the character Of sncaks or spies, or
If acting in IA surreptitous manner IN the as
charcc Of its duties and utterly condemns the
,onn,i,o or inducing by the police force oi per-
cong IN yioIae the law, or Of the force soliciting
49, rcccvino bribcs of any kind or character for
any purpose whatever
Probably neither Commissioner McClaVc nor
Commissioner MacLcan would vote Tor rue which
would absolutely prohibit this practical way OF
nrocurinc evidence Of the violation oil the ENcise
i,w Mr. Voorhis has ceased to be Il Commits
sioner since the resolution was passed !
Superintcndcnt ByrncS went to Police lead
quarters soon after p. M yesterday, ana re-
NAMED there several hours. talking with captains
and detective ergeants who evidently had met
him there by appointment When reporters asked
for an explanation Of the message which Cher
INSPECTOR Steers had given to the captains on
Saturday. Mr. Byrncs replied that he had none TO
rive "I did not know that such an order was
oiyen, he said. "On Saturday morning gave
instructions the inspectors to see that the law
WAS enforced uniformly to-day. About o'clock
in the afternoon ! called away from here
ON some special business and | did not get back
hcrc until after D. N. / did not know that the
captains were to be called together
Mr. Byrncs refused to admit that he had since
learned anything of the action Of President Mar;
rim and Inspector Steers, but his manner betrayed
impotence 80 . AIM. .,;oo
men from going to liquor stores In PLAN clothes
cNiI of