The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1895-08-28
A Remarkable Victory,

The cause of law and order has
achieved signal victory in the city of
New York. For several weeks the
new board of police commissioners APP
pointed by Mayor Strong has been max
ing systematic and resolute effort to
enforce the law requiring the closing Of
the saloons on Sunday. The commits
sioners have been supported by the
courts, and breakers of the law have
been prosecuted and punished. When
it came to be matter of obeying the
law or paying fines and going to Jail,
when it was found that no saloon
keeper had "pull," but that the law
would be enforced with remorseless
impartiality, by executive and judge,
the organized liquor interest threw up
its hands, promised faithfully to obey
the law and asked for mercy for those
who were under arrest
The Wine, Liquor and Beer Dealers
Association of New York appeared in
court by it's attorney last week, and de-
clared that its excise committee had
adopted resolution that after Septem-
Der l all it's members should close their
saloons on Sunday, under penalty of
forfeiture of membership. This action
commits to faithful obedience to law
about one-half the saloon keepers of
the city, and enlists them as power
full auxiliary in enforcing the law
against the other half. This ends the
battle and covers with confusion those
truculent newspapers and people who
had been strenuously averring that the
Sunday-closing law never could and
never would be enforced, and visiting
with ridicule and derision the conscien-
tious and patriotic efforts of Commits
sioner Roosevelt and his associates.
The victory is splendid one for the
commissioners and most satisfactory
and reassuring one for the friends of
good government everywhere. Dis
tinguished consideration is also due
and freely rendered 10 the members of
the liquor association. They displayed
the discretion and good judgment of
Crockett's coon. They pay high
tribute to the honest and impartial en-
forcement of law. As matter of pref
erence they desire to close their places
of business on Sunday, but so long as
one kept open the others felt compelled
to keep open also as matter of self
protection. When all close, and re-
main closed, one obtains no advantage
over the other.
1t comes out in this connection that
the retail liquor dealers are many of
them insolvent, or on the verge of in
solvency, and the plea was made in
their behalf that they were keeping
open on Sunday, defying the law and
exposing themselves to its penalties, in
order to catch every dollar that might
come, or might be inveigled to come,
within their portals. Contrary to the
popular understanding, the demand for
Sunday opening comes less from the
consumers of beer and liquor than from
a class of tradesmen whose business is
80 overdone and unremunerative that
to save themselves from bankruptcy
they demand privilege that is &C.
corded to no other department of trade,
and ask that in their behalf the law re-
fusing them that privilege shall be an.
nulled by those who have taken sol.
emn oath to enforce the law. Newspa.
pers which had been defending the
right of the people to their Sunday
drinks, and justifying the saloons in
their violation of law to crafty this
Sunday thirst, are turning summer
saults and coming up on the side OF
Sunday laws and their rigid enforce.
ment. The result in New York has a
very practical bearing upon the en-
forcement of liquor laws in other local.
ties. 1t sheds food OF light upon the
whole question of regulating the traffic
in liquor and explodes many theories
that have been very strenuously main
tanned.