The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-22
Sunday and the Legislature.

On the 9th OF October, 1887, there was
organized in this State what was then
called the personal Liberty" party, sub
feet to the declaration following:
Whereas. in many parts Of the state. under pre-.
eenoe Of aiding I'm the prevention OF crime and OF
diminishing tho causes of pauperism. attempts are
multiplying to encroach upon the rights OF person
and Of property guaranteed by those principles OF
rational liberty upon which the whole structure OF
our republican system and Of the Federal and State
Government 10 based. and our foreign-born citizens,
especially those Of German descent, are. according to
authentic statistical reports. considered to be asa,du-
Qua, temperate. and law. abiding citizens;
"Resolvcd. That we will support only such cnndi-
aates for the Legislature Of this state. irrespective Of
eheir political Affiliations. who will accert the views
expressed In these resolutions and pledge the mselvcs
% adopt them for their rule Of oficial action when
ever and wherever applicable. and all legitimate
means In our power will DO used to secure their
election"
In compliance with these and other reso-
buttons of a similar character, there was
appointed O Central Executive Committee
90 agitate what was then called the qucs-
tion Of personal liberty" The Democrats
nominated for the head of their State
ticket that year n Rochester brewer, FRED
ERIoK Cook, or KOCH, and the State fight
was made largely by the Democrats upon
the issue of "personal liberty" and OF OPP
position to what the Democratic platform
called laws "needlessly interfering with
the personal liberties and reasonable habits
n customs of any portion of our citizens"
The bringing in of this question had the
effect OF increasing the Democratic vote for
Cook and his associates in all the large
cities of the State where the German vot-
ing population Is large, and of stimulating
the activity of the Prohibitionists IN the
interior districts 10 such an extent that the
nominee of the Prohibition party for Sccre-
tary of State polled AZ, 900 votes. All the
large cities, particularly in the interior,
were carried by the Democrats, Albany
giving a Democratic majority Of 1000,
Rochester, $500, Troy $500, Utica 800,
Kingston 800, and Elmira 700.
The Personal Liberty party, as such,
made no separate nominations in 1887, or
In any OF the years succeeding, which were
years of Democratic success in all State
SELECTIONS until 1892, when the excise law,
now supe by the Raines law, was
enacted by the Democratic Legislature and
approved by the Governor. The adoption
of this law put an end to the agitation of
che Personal Liberty men, for IL was ar-
copied by them generally as in part, at
least, In accordance with their demand,
but to many it was not satisfactory.
In the State Mt large IT was not
popular, and the divisions and dis
Aonsions to which 1t gave rise side
tracked the excise question until the
Republicans, wearied with the unreason-
able demands of the representatives of
Democratic constituencies, took the liquor
question firmly In hand and adopted
the present law, which is yielding to
tho State more than "a, 900. 900 net
revenue a year, and fulfilling all the
promises a by those who advocated its
adoption, by reducing the number OF arrests
for intoxication. promoting good order,
sweeping away useless mt unnecessary
officers. and actually licking the saloon
out OF politics."
There has been a recrudescence of " per-
ponal liberty" agitation in the Legislature
this year, but 1t has taken a new form. 1t
differs from the agitation of ten years ago
In not applying particularly to liquor sell
ing on Sunday, but to amusements not as
ISOLATED with the consumption of eXhila-
rating beverages on that day. Since 1887
there has been no material increase in the
percentage OF Gernian.American voters In
New York. 1t is substantially the same
now as 1t was ten years ago, having been
little Increased through immigration
during the decade intervening since
the Personal Liberty party appealed to
authentic statistics in proof of their as
0ertion that the foreign-born citizens of
German descent In New York "were as
slduous, temperate and law-abidingpeople."
Though the German immigration has fallen
on materially since 1887, there has been an
enormous increase since that time of Inn
migration from Russia, Hungary, Austrian
Poland. and Roumania. The Hebrew voting
population of New York is much larger than
It was ten years ago, and the present Sun
DAY laws OF the State, so TAR Us they affect