The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-05-03
Passed by State Legislatures
for Government OF
Large Cities, Mayor Harrison
Believes Are Bad.
CITES RAINES LAW.
Respect for Law Preserved Only
by Enforcement.
Belittle One Law by Evasion
and All Others Suffer.

New York, May 3.-Carter H. Harri-
son, mayor of Chicago, has written a
letter to the Journal embodying his
views on the government of cities IN
general and on prohibitive liquor laws
in particular. He says:
Prohibitive or restrictive legislation
(Which results in measures like the
Raines law is bad in principle, and the
effect, especially in large cities is harm
full.
It is impossible to legislate people in
TO being better than they really are,and
all attempts to do so must end in fall
ure. In other words, you cannot re-
form morals or improve manners by
statutory enactment.
1t is possible, for instance, to pass
law which provides for the closing OF
all saloons in a certain district on sun
day. If he authorities are Vigilant and
strictly enforce the law the open sale
of liquor will be suppressed, but this
does not mean that the quantity sold
and drunk will be lessened. Attainment
of the actual results sought for rests en-
tirely with the inhabitants of the dis
trict or city affected
If there be preponderance of local
sentiment in favor of such a law it Will
be easy 10 effectually suppress the traf-
fic, but if on the other hand, a majority
of the people, or even respectable mi
nority, oppose it, nothing the authOri-
ties may do will have any lasting eff
feet.
Men who crave liquor viii obtain it in
some way and the enforcement of strin-
gent restrictions only impels them to
harder effort.
1t is undeniable that a large proper
zion of the population Of cities like New
York and Chicago favor liberal license
laws, and are opposed to anything APP
preaching prohibition. The opposite is
true of many smaller towns in the
country districts In the one public SEN
timent faVOrs a large degree of liberty
in the ifC7I1T ffiP in the other the
people Oppose it. This being the case,
it is idle for legislature, composed
mainly of members from country dis
tricts. to attempt to dictate the terms
under which large cities shall conduct
the details of the business.
Unless am mistaken, the Raines law
was especially framed for New York
city, of Itself bad thing. 1 am a firm
believer in home rule, and unalterably
opposed to the idea of permitting the
state at large to legISlate for such Cit
les as New York and Chicago, against
the will of their citizens. It is upon this
idea principally that Chicago opposes
the Humphrey bills.
am opposed to anything that tends
to degrade or belitte the law. Respect
for the law can be preserved by en-
forcement alone. The minute a statute
is evaded-as it is by the so-caIled
"Raines NOTES.-The law suffers a loss
of its dignity.
The moral force behind a law avails
as much in the enforcement as the pen
atty attached to its violation. Belittle
one law today by evasion and all law
suffers a. loss in public esteem. 1t
would be happy state of affairs if our
statute books could be cleared of every
law that is today either a dead letter
or customarily evaded or ignored.
Thinking men can find interesting
material for discussion in this cOnnec-
ton in the difference between the Eng
fish and continental Sabbath. In Eng
land there is a strong restrictive liquor
law, principal feature in which is a
provision for Sunday closing, which is
rigidly enforced. After the morning
church services are over, the pothOuses
may open for one hour, and are then
locked up again for the rest of the day.
One would naturally think that this
curtailment of the Sunday traffic would
lessen the amount of liquor consumed
and tend to promote quiet and order.
My observation, however, shows a rad
ically different state of affairs. I have
seen more drunken men in London and
other English cities on a Sunday than
on any other day in the week.
In continental Europe the opposite
condition exists, especially in France
and Germany, where there is no special
Sunday restriction In these countries
the people appear to have full personal
liberty in the mater of drinking, and
the sight of an intoxicated person is a
rarity. This may result in some meas
ure from the character of the liquors
drunk. However that may be, the fact
is notorious that drunkenness is far
more prevalent in England and Scot
land than on the continent. Nowhere
are Sunday laws more strictly enforced
than in England and Scotland. If such
laws reform mankind, why do not these
countries show less inebriety.
In regard to municipal affairs in gen
eral I can only say that the admins
tration should have always in view the
securing of good government for all the
people. Corporations should be made
to give adequate compensation for
franchises and deals should be made
openly. so that every taxpayer may
know what is being done. Civil serv-
ice-that is, real civil services a good
thing and I believe in it heartily. There
is too much nonsense, however, in the
manner of it's ordinary application, and
too frequently a tendency to use the
machinery for the advancement of po-
liticaI favorites. Examinations should
be conducted upon practicah lines, and
the questions framed with view to as
certaining an applicants fitness for
some specific position.