New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-04-06
FIRST RAINES LAW SUNDAY
e. nRouTH SURPRISING ALL THE
RECORDS.
WITHOUT HOTEL LICENSES AND
TABLE DHoTE PLACES ALMOST DESERTED
ONE SCHEME FOR EvADING
THE LAW.

=. ,s safe 10 say that yesterday was the driest
.a.a.v ever seen in New-York. Some time ago
x.r commissioner Roosevelt made known his
,.,ont,on Of enforcing the excise law to the
80 there was wall over the difficulty In
..,s drink on Sunday. The conditions then
g.. not nearly so rigorous as they were yester-
,.. The Raines bill. affecting the sale Of
u'' IN Sunday went into effect at midnight
sa.aov and the conditions We're OF the severest
, vore but a regularly licensed hotel could
" ~ uouors Yesterday. and tie result was that
~ n,aces which under the former law were
ru.d N sell LIQUOR on Sunday with food
..,a M, alspose OF anything to drink yesterday.
r,a r,aces most affected were restaurants and
table dh6te dinng-rooms.
with the stroke Of midnight Saturday the new
condition OF affairs went into effect and at once
all bars we're tightly closed Saturday has al
vavs been gala night for the all-nght res
.aurants and This ere saw no falling off in the
crowds Few people understood or realized
what was 10 take place and were almost to-
tally unprepared for the sweeping refusal OF
.h4 restaurant men to sell any drinks after
the clock struck twelve.
HARD on PATRONS OF RESTAURANTS.
The first clash between the and the pa irons
o, the cafes came in the all-night restaurants.
For years the men about town have been in
.he habit of dropping in at the all-night restaur
ants and ordering a Welsh rabbit and mug Of
ale or something else TO eat and drink along in
the small hours Of morning. Early yesterday
morning they attempted TO follow out the same
rrogramme but we're net with a courteous ex-
panation and a refusal to serve drinks. Cur
tains drawn back from the bars leaving
the mahogany counters bare and open. Some
Of the disappointed ones took ginger ale others
arose In towering passion and left the restaur-
ants
While all hotels are allowed under the law
TO sell drinks to guests with food, the great ma
jority Of the hotel cafes close at midnight and
no relief was afforded there. 1t was a boon TO
the thirsty citizen TO be known TO the keeper Of
a restaurant for then he could get drink. but
In such a roundabout. uneerhand way, that it
almoet made a man blush to receive it. The
edifying spectacle Of party of dill ers demurely
drinking brandy out Of tea cups was witnessed in
several all-night restaurants. while the pro-
pr,etor Of the places watched them in fear and
trembling. The proprietor. a rule did not
wish to serve drinks under cover in this manner,
but the pressure so hard that he gave way.
Three men sat in the corner Of an uptown
restaurant after the closing hour Saturday night
end sent for the proprietor. I'VE want drink.
they said. I'VE don't cara what 1t comes In.
but we want IT," The proprietor said decidedly,
Il cannot sell II 70 you The waiter interjected.
But these men have been coming in here regu-
larly. They all right" The proprietor
navered and said finally, We'll / will try and
hx IT.. In few moments the waiter brought
three teacups back to the party and strong
odor Of whisiley manifest the men slipped
the contents Of the cups The extent to which
men will go to get drink when they want II
badly was manifested in another restaurant.
Behind the curtain a number Of champagne
bottles were opened and the contents poured
into large coffee pot. This was delivered to a
party. who poured the liquid into coffee cups
and drank 1t.
HOTEL MEN DENOuNCE THE LAW.
The hotel men have bitterly denounced the Law
as unjust and continue TO do So although many
admit that 1t will help their business. The res
taurants that have no hotel licenses. but have
been allowed to sell drinks with food heretofore
on Sunday had no such privilege yesterday. The
result was that the men who formerly patron
lied these places Sunday yesterday went 10
hotels. The small table dh0te restaurant-keeper
was in despair His greatest attraction was the
small bottle of clare. he offered with dinner. and
yesterday he was not allowed to give this to his
patrons The result was that the man with a
thirs, for wine went where he could get it.
While the law is being denounced roundly.
lis nevertheless being generally obeyed. Yester-
day curtains were up and the bars could be
plainly seen. The restaurant men. except in
cases Of such evasons as the teacup scheme,
were conforming closely to the law. The hotel
cais did good business all day. but the res
Mu,ats stood practically deserted. Perhaps
me best explanation OF the situation was given
ga citizen from the far West who. when asked
s. Ts friend if II was dry in New-York. said dis
ssstedly: Dry? Why, It's so dry they won't let
carpenter work on Sunday with spirit level.
an uptown pharmacist, who said that he
a nad been ordered by the police TO close his
s'ore. as under the Raines law pharmacists
~ho mad liquor licenses were prohibited from
keeping open on Sunday. applied for an opinion
rom rom Assistant District-Attorney Henry ".
Snger yesterday. Mr. Unger said that the pro-
.oltion from selling or exposing on Sunday
ooes not apply 10 licensed pharmacist. who, by
exception ], OF the Subdivision !, OF Section 81
10 10 expressly exempted from the operation OF the
iew and authorized "to sell liquor upon the
prescription OF physician" Hence, having
te ,ae t1wer IN proper case to SELL the mere
iact tnat ne has liquors on his premises. when
mere 10 no suggestion that ne has II other ihan
ior the iawlui purposes authorized by the act.
rs.., .n warrant for interfering with him. or ar
dssuns nim or closing his place on Sunday
or any other time
-. The chemist said that he had been informed
that orders had been issued from Police Head
quarters which resulted in his being ordered
70 close, AT Police Headquarters 1t was said
iast night that such order was known TO
nave been issued there
Inc number Of excise arrests yesterday
Jumped from eleven the previous Sunday to
,,orty-ei3ht or this number the majority were
neepers OK small restaurants. who from ignor-
a"ce OF the law. rather than any refusal TO obey
~ served meals In rooms from which the bars
s aa hot been removed. or these arrests seven
~ IN were made In the Fourteenth Precinct by
ae fith-st. station police. district largely
populated by Foreigners Other arrests were
a. taoe as follows: Oakst. station, l: Elizabet
81 O. Madison-st.. ]; Mulberry-st. 2: Eldridge-
Ts, Z; Fifth-st., II: West Twentieth-st.. 2: West
rs,rueth-st, !; West Thirty-seventh-st., : East
cc,nIty-nrst-st.. /; West Sixty-eghth-st L. East
rr,Aty-seventh-st 1: West One -hundredth-st, ]:
ast Eighty-eghth-st.. g. East One-hundred-
s,hu,,iourth-st. /: East One-hundred- nd-twenty-