The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-12-05
A G00DLAW YETABADLAW
ESSENCE OF THE TESTIMONY ON
 THE HAYNES LIQUOR STATUTE.

| O~" | Decrease In Arrests for Drunkeneess-Ex- President of Liquor Dealers Association Says Dealers Can do More Than Police to Enforce the Law-words "Guests' and
 "Meals" Should be More Clearly Defined. ! New York, Dec. 4.-General Emmons | Clark, secretary of the board of health, was the first witness called before the Raines investigation commission, to- day. He testified to receiving com plaints about several Raines hotels vio- lating the health laws. Some of the complaints, he said, were unfounded William E. Johnson said that by conn- pairing the number of arrests for drunk enness made during four months in | 1896 with a similar number of months in the year 1895 he found that the ar- rests had decreased 16 per cent | Police Justice Teale of Brooklyn tas- tified that from April to December, 1895, there were 1861 arrests for intoxica- ton in his district and only 1,08O in the I same period of 1S96
 1 Morris Tekulsky, ex-president of the Liquor Dealers association, declared that the policy of the Raines law was a correct one, but that some of its pro- visions were defective. One of the ex- captions he took to the law was that it allowed anyone to obtain license. He referred to the outcry made by some witnesses against the saloon and l said that not one-quarter of the liquor drank in this city or state was sold in saloons. He declared that there was more liquor sold to-day in groceries, drug stores. big dry goods stores and clubs than in the saloons. | There were plenty of unlicensed dea1- CTS selling liquor, He believed that an open saloon on Sunday would decrease intoxication. Witness further said the dryest Sunday night ever experienced was September 1, 1895, which was the day the Liquor Dealers association gave It's members instructions to close under threat of expulsion. He asserted that the liquor dealers could do more | to enforce the law than all the police departments ever organized. l Senator Raines looked astounded at this statement. He asked if it was not bad state of affairs when any organ ized body of men, whether anarchists or liquor dealers, could control the l operations of the law.
 Il think that's unfair; the liquor dealers are a law-aibiding association,'' replied MT. Tekulsky.
 We'll, when<we have to depend up-
 on the liquor dealers to enforce the law, I want to move out of the state.', said Senator Raines.
 City Magistrate Wentworth, the next witness, thought the term 'hoteln should be re-defined. He said, when 1 asked about discharging a man ar rested for violation of the excise law 1 that he was not there to argue the case with MT. Roosevelt, who made charges on exparte statements. Wit ness said he exercised his discretion in l dealing with excise violations 1 Lawyer H. Digby Johnson said he would substitute the word "guest'' for the word "hotel," and have the mean- ing of the word "guest'' strictly defin- | ed.
 Lawyer Frank Moss, one of the df- rectors of the Society for the Preven- ton of Crime, said that the Raines law
 was 8 good law and bad law. He
 thought that the election districts should have something to say about the granting of licenses. MT. Moss said that he was strongly of the opin- ion that liquor selling should be pro- hibited on Sunday. He also suggested that no Raines law hotels should be a1- lowed In tenement houses. The witt ness was of opinion that drunkenness on Sunday had increased under tho
 Raines law.
 l Superintendent Dennett of the Park
 hurst society said there were more
 street walkers in this city at present I than ever he knew before. ''Nine-
 tenths of the street walkers want to take you into Raines law hotels" said
 witness MT. Dennett produced 8 number of photographs of Raines law hotels A great number of these ho- | tels, he said, were merely assignation houses. At this juncture the committee adjourned.
 The next session will be held in Buf- falo.
 New York, Dec 4.--Mayor Strong to- day received a long communication from the Society for the Prevention of Crime, complaining of the fragrant vio-
 lation of the excise, building and other
 laws by keeprs of alleged Raines "ho- teIs.', The communication says that these hotels are not only evasions of the law and palpab1e frauds on the state, but in many instances centers of crime The society calls attention to the duties incumbent on the mayor as
 the chief magistrate of the city, to en-
 force the laws, and says 1t is unfortu-, nate that the Raines law does not more
 clearly and closely define a hotel and
 meal.
 Copies of the letter have been sent to
 the excise, police and other depart
 ments.