The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-04-19
The People Mako tho Laws.


Perhaps moro liquor saloons than usual
were really closed last Sunday. and the
number Of arrests for violation Of the Sun
day closing law was somewhat greater than
tho average.
II such was the case. the experience OF the
past has simply been repeated. When Mr..
HEWITT was Mayor the law was enforced
for several successive Sundays with even
moro rigor. and under every municipal
have been comparatively dry Sundays
when the station houses received many
barkeepers who had been caught In dis
pensing beer or whiskey. or decoyed by de-
tectives into violation Of the law. For years
past tho Grand Jury has spent large part
OF its time in Investigating these cases. and
thousands OF indictments have been brought
against the accused.
Meanwhile the business Of Sunday liquor
selling and liquor drinking has gone on tho
same as ever. The spasmodic efforts to
enforce the prohibition occur at intervals
which seem to follow a law Of petodicity.
and tho number OF dry and Of wet Sundays
is about the same from year to year. From
year to year. too. the consumption OF alco-
holic stimulants averages about the Same
proportionately to the population. though
there seems to be o hopeful tendency
toward tho lighter beverages In preference
to distilled and fiery liquors. II the sa-
looms arc shut up on Sunday to larger
extent than usual. tho consumption In pri-
vate houses increases. Of course. for the
time being. II u saloon keeper discovers
signs OF q spasmodic closing movement
which make 1t prudent for him to shut up
oven his side door. 1t is reasonable to suppose
that no notifies his customers beforehand.
so that the old topers more especially may
lay In their Sunday supply to guzzle In the
privacy OF their own homes. dry Sunday.
In the police phraseology. accordingly. Is
not distinguishAble as sober Sunday.
Hence the Prohibitionists are reasonable
when they say that the only WY to have
sober Sunday is to mako all days sober by
an amendment to tho Federal Constitution
forbidding the manufacture. sale. and I'm
portaton of oil alcoholic liquors. 80 that 1t
will be impossible for anybody anywhere In
the Union to get drink ct any tmo. But
that would bo effective as to only one
kind OF stimulsnts. The desire for slim
ulation would remain. and 1t would get
its satisfaction more dangerously. When
liquor drinking was stamped out OF certain
districts In ireland the far moro terrible
vice Of othor drinking succeeded. A further
constitutional provision would thus become
even moro necessary than tho first: until
It was demonstrated finally that the only
way OF controlling the appetites OF tho peo-
pic by rigorous law Is TO treat them as luna
tics. and shut tholn all up as incapable of
taking caro- OF themselves. Even that
method OF constraint would fail In practice,
because who would constrain the keepers
Tho only thing to do. them is to fall back
on tho old way OF letting the people govern
themselves. The theory OF our political
system is that the people are capable OF this
self-government In tho fullest measure.
Tho system provides. accordingly. that the
town. which Is the centre of oil. shall gov
orn Its own affairs In its own way; that the
State shall attend only to tho business OF
tho whole which cannot be done by the
towns. and TINT the Union shall do only
what cannot DO done by the States.
Tho regulation Of the liquor traffic Ia
plainly q matter within the power OF the
town. and Its sole concern. It is not q
business which tho town is compelled to
delegate to the State. and the State to the
Federal Government. The town can attend
to tho matter itself. aud. as experience
proves In New York. it does attend to 1t In
it's own way. The State makes excise laws,
but they are enforced only so far as the
sentiment OF the community approves
them. They cannot be enforced any fur
Their. The vast majority OF the people
Of this town. including the most Or
DERBY and law-abiding. have NO re-
speCt whatever, Tor the States laws for the