The sun., 1895-03-01
The New Bill for the Liquor Trade.

The Republican leaders in New York have
been singularly unfortunate in the excise
legislation for which they have made the
Republican party responsible. After each
controversy over the regulation of the
liquor traffic there has been return to
power of the Democratic party The disas-
trous high license controversy of 1888, how
ever, now seems likely to be duplicated in a
| political way by the RAINEs bill or the Dow
bill, as it is differently styled now pending.
This is a Republican measure which pro-
poses radical revision of the Excise law.
! At the present time the sale of liquor in
New York city is regulated by law. No
person can sell or expose for sale whiskey,
wine, beer, or spirits, at retail, without
a license, which it is in the discretion of
the Excise Commissioners to grant or
withhold. The applicant must be man
| of good character; he must furnish
sureties for his faithful observance of
the law; the requirements of the neigh
borhood must justify the granting of
license; the hours Of opening and
closing are fixed, and q fee must be
paid for the privilege Of engaging in this
traffic. The New York Boards of Excise
have established certain regulations which
have the force of law. No new license is
granted or can be granted. A man desiring
to engage in the retail liquor business must
buy license which is about to expire, and
secure the permission of the Commissioners
for its transfer to him. BY this method the
proportion Of liquor saloons to the popula-
tion is steadily reduced year by year. The
number of inhabitants of New York
is steadily increasing. New houses are
constantly built and old ones en-
larged. But the number of licensed sa-
looms remains the same. Under this rule
there are actually fewer saloons in this
town than there were ten years ago. Be
sides this, no license is granted TO "a saloon
within two hundred feet of the main en-
trance of church; no license is granted at
the fourth corner of a street running at right
angles, where three corners are already
lccnsed no license is granted where the
property holders OF the neighborhood main
tain valid objection to it,
We state these restrictions in order TO
show what tho law now Is which the RAINEs
bill proposes to abolish.
The RAINES bill, of Ohio origin, a sinister
sign, does away with all restrictions. Any
man who wishes to open q saloon can do SO
in any locality selected by him by paying
$500 to the City Chamberlain. He secures
certificate of payment, and that ends the
transaction There may he, under this law,
one saloon on block or there may be
twenty. All regulation of the liquor traffic
is to he done away with; the Excise Board
and all Excise Boards are to be abolished
Liquor may be sold as ice or coffee or clans
or dry goods are sold; and the State is to
have one half the revenue received.
The objections to this law are numerous
and they ought to be conclusive. II there
are Objectionable features in the business of
liquor and beer selling as 1t is now CON
Quoted, how much more serious these
abuses would become IL the trade in in
toxicants should DO unrestrained. Again,
many residential streets, from which liquor
shops are now excluded, would be injured
by the establishment OF basement grog-
gerics; and all control OF the liquor traffic
by the people OF the city would be surren-
dered and abandoned
At the present time about 3 800, 900
yearly is collected in this city from excise
licenses. or this sum 100000 pays the
expenses OF the Excise Board, $500. 900 is
sppllsd toward payment OF the running