New-York tribune., 1895-10-26
will have world Of serious work to do pcrore
they are concluded.
THEY FEEL INSULTED.

AS well as the people euIaStu !" '"' "i"''
business in one Of its resolutions. ~ leaS'
that was what the Executive Committee OF the
Wine, Liquor and Beer Dealers Association oi
the State Of NewYork. at special meeting
held nj Terra, Garden on Thursday. said Dy
resolution with dclibcration, seriousness ana
solemnty And on that account the committee
sneoking for this large and influential business
interest. rs well as for "ihe working people OF
the State" for whose welfare this business III
tcrcst has always been ready to make almost
any sacrifice. solcmnly resolved to support the
entire Democratic State ticket at the coming
election. This appears. on the face OF H. 10 DO
a serious blow to the Republican party anu
very damaging 10 the prospects OF the hepuo'
lcan State ticket. For there are several thou-
sand wine. liqnor and beer dealers In the STATE.
and among them fair proportion though by ho
means majority. who have been counted rs
Republicans and who usually vote the Repup-
lcan ticket If they all go over TO the Democ-
racy pursuant 10 the acton OF the Executive
Committee Of their State association, IL Is
Dossible that they may elect the Democratic
State ticket If they take with them all tine
working people Of the State" who, they say. nave
been insultcd there can be 10 question as to the
result The party which insulted them will stand
no chance whatever And IL they have really
been insultcd the defeat will be deserved
But have they been insulted? How? Why,
this committee says that the resolution of the
Saratoga Convention which read. That we be-
"lieye in the maintenance of the Sunday laws
Sin the interest of labor and morality" was IAN
Insult to the working people Of the State, as
well as to the people engaged in the liquor
business" Is that so? Do the working people,
nav. does any one intelligent workingman con-
slider himself insulted by the passage Of reso-
luton favoring the maintenance of any law on
the statute books; especially Of law which has
existed from time immcmorial and stood I'M
questioned the repeal Of which has never been
sought by any party any class in the com
munty; law, too, whose special purpose IS 10
afford a weekly rest for workingmcn: He must
be a queer sort Of workingman. very sensitive
Workngman, a workingman with very singular
notions Of his relations to the community ana
the community's relations TO him, who would
conceive himself insulted by proposition to
maintain laws which the whole community nave
always assented to and been governed by. The
committee Of liquor-dealers may have meant
well in resenting on behalf of 1.-The working peo-
ple Of the State" what they construed as IAN
insult" We suspect, though, that they not only
misreprescnted. in the excitement OF the mo-
ment. the intent of the resolution Of the Repub-
lican Convention but, under the same spell,
that they rather oyerestimated their relations
with 1.-THE working people" In other words, 1t
seems to us quite unlikely either that "the work
ing people consider themselves insulted, or that
they have delegated the authority TO resent in
suits on their behalf to this Executive Commit
tee Of Liquor-Deaers.
And as for "tle people engaged In the liquor
business" who, according TO this Executive
Committee feel that they have been insulted by
the passage of resolution favoring the main
tenance of Sunday laws, we must be permitted
10 nterpose small and respectful doubt II
the respectable portion Of 'the people engaged
in the liquor business" do consider themselves
insuted. Respectable persons engaged In the
business are law-abiding and decent. They have
no desire 10 violate law or Overlurn established
usage They do not, and cannot. consider them
selves insulted by resolution favoring the
maintenance OF law, and we suspect that they
would Indignantly spurn the suggestion that
they nigh. be Influenced in their political action
bv the resolutions OF an Executive Committee
OF the association of which they are members.
The committee II seems TO us, exceeded us
movers when 1t put forth the statement that
reputable lquordealers felt insulted by the ke-
publican declaration in favor of the maintenance
| Of the Sunday laws, and would consequently
vote the Democratic ticket 1t had no authority
| IN sneok for them. That some quordealers
feel insuted by that declaration we nave no
doubt. But they are the class OF hqlordeaiers
who are habitual lawbreakers and the class OF
lawbreakers who always feel insulted when any
thing is said in favor Of the enforcement OF the
| narticular law which they are In the habit OF
hrooEinc. The action Of this Executive Com
m;ttcc tends 10 bring down all the people en-
Gagged in the business Of liquor-selllng to the low
level Of the lawbreaking divekeepers and saloon
owners, who feel insulted by any reference 10
,ow or its enforcement and instinctlvely re-
sent it,
Thanks however. ale due this Executive Com
mittee for making the excise issue sharper ana
clearer than ever As representatives, OF n large
and by no means uninfluential class IN ihe coih-
munity. they have put themselves on record by
the public announcement that the declaration
Of the Republican party in favor OF the MAIN
tenance Of the Sunday laws is an insult to them,
| and that they will consequently vote the Demo
cratic ticket Very well; the question then goes
TO the people whether they consider the propo-
sition TO maintain long-establlshed ana time
honored law an insult TO be resented by the dP-
feat Of the party proposing IT. The vote VIII tel
whether the majority Of the people OF this State
feel insuted by proposition to maintain ana
enforce laws OF their own creation.