New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-07-08
LITTLE RELIEF FOR THIRST.
A DESERT WITH FEW GASES.
THE SANDWICH sUBTERFUGE NOT USED
BY THE HOTELS


NESS DONE IN NUMBER OF SALOONS
UNDER CLOSE GRANDDAUGHTER
IT WAS DRIER SUNDAY THAN
THE PREVIOUS ONE AND WAS
ONE OF THE MOST ARID
ON RECORD.
II yesterday wnJ not the drest Sunday that
New-York has ever seen. 1t Is because the old
est inhabitant has forgotten the other time
| and history fails to record the date The police
manifested their earnestness by vigilance even
| more pronounced than that which has marked
| their crusade Of the two previous Sundays
| and the result was that 1t was about impossible
| to get drink anywhere In the city yesterday
without the accompanying meal which the
| law provides for. Deducing conclusion from
the practical working Of the system, an on
| locker would have said yesterday that Com
missioner Roosevelt's definition of the words
guest" and meal" which have been a matter
| of debate between the police and hotel men dur
| ing the last week. was accepted. For the first
| time within the recollection Of hotel men. the
| leather and buffet rooms were either tightly
closed or their handicapped tables were COW
| cred with a tablecloth and the room converted
| into a regular restaurant. The bars stood open
| to public view. but they looked dim and spec
| tral without the usual accompanying blaze OF
| lights In not single hotel during the day
and evening yesterday was drink sold unless
| II accompanied meal In the restaurant. The
usual quota Of Sunday tipplers called at the
| hotels during the day to get drinks. They were
| told that drinks would be served In the restau-
| rant with meals. In rooms. Some hired
| room. others ordered food, but some went away
| not caring to indulge in the extra cost for the
| luxury of a cooling drink.
WAR ON THE CAFES.
| The police have practically secured an organiza-
| ton and system whereby It is an almost imposs-
] bty for the keeper Of a regular saloon to evade
| the law. The hotel cafe. however. has been
| stumbling block heretofore and they simply
| waited for orders. When Police Commissioners
| Roosevelt said that the hotel cafes must close.
and warned the police to keep an eye upon them,
the police in enforcing the Excise law, gave
marked attention to these leather and buffet
rooms Almost all OF the interest that was mani
tested in the efforts Of the police to stop the
sale OF liquor yesterday was centred in the war
on these cafes which In the past have always
| remained open. even when the provisions OF the
Excise law called for the closing Of the bar. The
| hotel men hardly looked upon the sale Of drinks
| in this buffet-room as violation Of the law. and
|
sioncr Roosevelt that these rooms must be closed
| an argument was at once preciptated
THE MEAL ION THE SIDE"
| The hotel men. upon receiving this order. at
! once began to look up the law. The Hotel Mems
| Association took up the matter. They interpret
| ed the law to mean that drink could be served
| to guest with meal. Then some of the hotel
men. In order TO conform with this law. had a
| f,r With dvyic hes at a
nominal figure. and then compelled a patron to
pay five cents for a sandwich before drink
could be served That was the order of things a
| week ago Yesterday This system did not suit
| Commissioner Roosevelt. who said that sand
wch was not meal. This led to another de-
| bate as to the exact meaning of the words
| guest ard meal" The hotel men contended
| that a sandwich was a meal. and the Commits
sioner said that he looked upon a sandwich SIM
ply as a subterfuge to evade the law and would
| act upon this Interpretation Of the statute.
| AS the result of an interview held with Acting
| Chief Conlin by committee from the Hotel
| Mems Association word was quietly sent
around to the proprietor Of each hotel who Is
member of the association that Mr.. Roosevelt
intended to make 1t an Issue, and it was wisest
| to defer to his Interpretation. The committee
| consisted of James II. Bresn, Of the Gilsey
| House, Lawrence Mccormick. OF the Waldorf;
f. l.. Merriield of the Continental; Horace II.
| Brockway, OF the Ashland House; George c.
| Green, Of the Metropole; Mr. Blakely, Of the
| Windsor and Gustav Baumann, Of the Holland
| House. This warning received Saturday
| evening late. and every proprietor. so far as
| could be learned yesterday, needed IT, and no
| trouble resulted.
| THE SPECIAL BILL OF FARE GOES.
| In many of the hotels-in fact. In all but one
or two-this special bill OF fare with sandwiches
listed at five cents fourished a week ago Com
missioner Roosevelt, In speaking Of these sand
wiches. in his announcement concerning the en-
| fOrcement Of the law, said
| Under the innkeeper's license liquor cannot
be sold on Sunday except with a meal served to
a guest OF the hotel and this meal must be a
| bona fide meal A fake meal. taken for an ex-
| cuse to get drink is not bona fde meal A
guest Is a person who has room or orders
| meal"
| This statement plainly outlined Commissioner
| Roosevet's policy, and without exception the
nominal rate bill OF fare died early death
| Not a single hotel had these bits of pasteboard
| in use Yesterday and any cne had to take reg
| ular restaurant bill OF fare and order from II.
| 1t was interesting to make tour Of the big
| hotels OF the city Yesterday. The three hotels
at Central Park-the Savoy the Plaza and the
| Netherand-are not much troubled by the new
order OF things Their patrons are not. In the
main transients. These bars do not do much
business outside Of the houses, and so no oppos-
ton was encountered. The Windsor Is pract-
cay the same.
A POLICEMAN's EXPERIENCE AT THE WAL
| DORF.
An odd incident too place in the Waldorf dur
ing the day. Two police officers dressed In plain
clothes walked into TIE cafe and sat down.
| They ordered drinks. but the walter said that
he could not serve them unless they purchased a
| meal One OF them said: I'VE don't want to eat:
| Just get US a drink" The waiter Arm. and
the policeman sad "Oh. well then. bring us