The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-03-23
RAluES REIGNS. !
The Hayseed Satrap Of Platt
Has His Foot on the
Neck Of New York.
MORTON SIGNS THE Rum BILL
The Doadering Old Presidential.
Humbng Truekles to the
Boss OF the g. o. r.

Flatlss $ i'Old Dog Tray commonly cali
ed Levi F. Morton. Governor Of New
York by the idiecy Of the people and
the wicked folly Of Charles III. Park
hurst, signed the Raines Ku-Klux Liquor
Bin today.
/ In doing SO, the aged would-be Presi-
dential candidate filed memorandum
based on Platts recent interview, extol-
ling the iniquitous measure The first
part Ct this is devoted to Constitutional
techniealities affecting the status and
validity of the bill. all of which the Ell
derly Governor brushes aside with the
aid Of some of Platt's poodle lawyers
He then goes on.-
While it is not free from objection in
some ol lis details i have no hesitation
II marks the beginning of new era
"a legislation in this State regulating the
liquor traffic.
II is radical departure from the ira
SqltlclAl policy of The State which has
heretofore considered the regulation and
purely local jurisdiction. The subject has
been under the general supervision and
control Of local officers chosen by the
Years curing the early history of the
State, the Commissioner of Excise for
Ines CITY OF New York was appointed by
This bill changes the entire scheme;
aaipoa.lshes All local boards having juris-
liquor, and place the whole subject un-
der State supervision. Whether this is
wise or rot, experience can only demon
strate but It is an experiment worth
trying, and I believe that if the design Of
this bill Is fairly worked out by. com
9etsns eea Sas,t and faithful eieers it viii rr0
Will not be likely to wish to resume the
system of local, supervision with which
we are SO familiar, and which in many
= respects. is so unSatfSfantOry
Probably the most sanguine advocates
oi the present measure do not hope that
moved by 1t, but | think that it may
reasonably be expected that the number
Of places where Intoxicating liquors may
d1ced, especially in the large cities.
In opposition to this measure it is
urged thai It is not equal in its applica-
throughout the State, butS equality and
exact application in legislation Of this
measure of this Importance, which con-
Germs directly or indirectly more than six
millions Of people, differing widely in
ana in their social and industrial rela
tions, can hardly be expected to exactly
# every community and every interest,
affected by it. Only. general lines of ae-
tion, can be indicated in such a law and
there must be an adjust stment, so far as
possible, to these generaE conditions
From Magma Charta until now, English
speaking people have mad almost CON
stant occasion for legislation regulating
Various experiments have been tried with
more or less success, and our own State
is no exception to the halting and f1uc-
tuating efforts that have been made to
suppress intemperance The evils result
ing from the traffic are universally ad-
mitted, and the power of the State to
MED. The wiseset statesmen and philan-
tlrropists have given the subject the most
careful attention, but the problem is
not. yet solved. Absolute prohibition is
probably not attainable, and we can only
hope for legislation embodying such rea-
sonable regulation as may tend to re-
press as far as possible the inherent
It should be noted that, except in New
York and Brooklyn where the~tax is re-
spectivelly, $500 and $3.50, and in a ferry few
large. villages. the tax imposed by this
cense fees now allowed by law. The IL
cense fees in cities may now be fixed at
not les than $50, nor more than $500, and
m other places at not less than $50 and
by this bill the tax in Buffalo and in
al the cities of the second class, namely
will be $500. In the other cities, except |
Hudsons the 1 tax will be $3.50 as against
u9eon The So ax under Mi bs eTsng sad
also a few large villages where the tax
viii be $3.50, several where it viii be $780,
tax will be $100, as against
q q possible $3.50 under the present law. The
as that term is originally understood but |
hxes the tax at an average and moderate |
rate. rate although probability somewhat higher |
The principal of local option in towns is |
retained, with the additional provision |
that Il g town determines either for or
that >res1llt cannot be changed within
Two years. It may be desirable to ex-
tend ta j., the local option features of the law
wards. If the people Of any city should
desire an opportunity to vote upon this |
question the Legislature will doubtless
accord 1t that right, and public opinion |
may soon warrant a general amendment
to the bill providing for local option in
all cities. On principle there seems to
be no reason why local option should not |
be applet to cities as well as to rural
districts
aThe. bin imposes severe penalties for
Certificate and it also contains stringent
Whom. and the places lsss in ii which, iI iquogr og
may be sold. 1t also contains a provis-
ion, new In our legislation, authorizing
LIQUOR without a certificate. and making |
thesy violation of an order of the court a /
s',Two-thirds Of the amount Of such tax
are to be paid to the municipality where |
the business is carried on. Objection is
1{ldle 10 tHe DIN LndI all OF the tax should /
be paid into the municipal treasury for /
local purposes, and that it is purely a |
matter of local legislation but as all
ready suggested. the State has an inter-
est in the enforcement Of the law, and [
has a right to some portion or even T
all Of the tax to be imposed upon a 4
business authorized by it, If the /
number of certificates issued under the 7
law should equal the number of licenses /
now in force, the revenues Of the munich |
palities in most cases would be very |
largely increased because the tax is high I
er than the rate now generally charged /
for license. If allowances be made for /
material reduction In the number of GER i
the rate this increase is so considerable /
in most cities that the revenue of the city 1
would probably still be as large as or T
even larger than under the, existing con-
dit0Ma
THE bill seeks 10 accomplish complete
revision of all the excise laws of the |
State, repeating existing statutes, but re- /
tanning most of their provisions, except +
as necessarily modified by. the change Of I
licenses. Provisions of law upon this sub T
jeet more than a century old which have /
been salutary as well as necessary re-
straints upon the liquor traffic are con-
tinued in force.
1T will not be practical here to enter
into consideration of the details of the i
bill. 1t IS plain, concise and eonaprehelr
sive, and will, I think, easily establish
rs right to stand as a statute calculated
to sfmpl ifyi If not at once to SETTLE the +
yexed question for the regulation of the +
liquor ira ff1cs tt is entitled to a fair
trial and am firmly convinced that
many ef the. evils incidentalIt to the liquor