The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-23
HARBURGER ON THE RAINEs LAW
ne Declares That II Entails Upon This City =
Loss or ee. 900. 900 or 81, o 900 y Year.

ne Declares That II Entails Upon This City =
Loss OF 90. o 900 or % 600 - Year.
Former Excise Commissioner Julius Har-
burger addressed the members Of the Albemarlo
Association yesterday afternoon at Odd Fellows
Hall in opposition to the Raines law. Hesaid:
ANY law which violates the rights and In
vades tho personal liberty Of the citizen 10. on
that ground, open to objection enough. but the
Raines law goes even further. and imposes upon
the people of New York a financial burden and
injury so large that the more It is considered In
detail the larger II seems to become. have no
hesitation In saying. and can furnish facts
to moro than prove this claim, that the
Raines law, or excise tax, since 1t became
q l ", has entniled q loss each year
to the citizens OF New York Of from SO. 200. 600
to g. 1000. 900. How IL this figure reached I
will tell you by reciting a few Of the items:
There are now several thousand vacant stores
In New York-a larger number Of untenanted
stores In this city than there have been at any
time since tho financial panic Of 1873. More
than two thousand saloons have been closed,
and nearly all the saloons so closed have been
places OF tho better character. frequented by
workingmen and law.abiding persons. whilc tho
business Of the dives, under tho name Of Raines
hotels. has been most unblushingly revived.
Added to the loss Of places closed. of rent sacri-
eSSNt " ~ ehe oNhSA VIM
ployecs being thrown out Of work. there 10 tho
important item of business diverted from the
city Of New York on Sundays to other places.
Then there are the table d'h6te restaurants, at
which wine is sold with meals. and the orderly
character Of which 10 very well known. Under
the former Excise law they were no. interfered
with, but now. unless q table d'h6te restaurant
has a hotel annex, and very many Of them have
not, and cannot, they nre closed on Sunday, a
day upon which many housewives are anxious
to be relieved Of domestic cares. and those who
formerly patronized these places on Sunday. the
PEELED to leave the city Of New York, and, in.
deed, the State, and seek In Jersey towns what
the Raings law denies them here, with great
loss of revenue attending.
"Hundreds of men In New York have been
thrown out of employment in various capacities
In the saloons and restaurants, while the work
OF the dives has been resumed. Nor am I for.
getting the direct burden of more than one mil.
lion and q half dollars a year taken from tho
over to the Albany authorities for use up the
State. There are about three hundred thousand
voters In an ordinary election in New York city,
and IL you will stop for q moment to consider
what the sending OF one million and q half dol
lars up the state means you will find 1t clearly
In this: II Is at the rate OF $5 for each elector,
S5 apiece taken from the pocket OF each citizen
Of New York. each voter In New York city, TO
help nay tho expenses Of the rural counties, and
from the city Of New York each year to help
and assist the hayseede up the State. The
Raines law is AN intolerable and unjust inter
ference with the personal liberties Of the people,
and a monstrous fraud upon those who live in
larger cities as we'll"