Evening journal., 1900-03-08
NEWS FROM GOTHAM
a LETTER FROM TIE NATIONS
METROPOLIS.
Another Attempt to Reform-Two
Views Of the saIoon--Enormous In
crease Of City saIaries-A conun-
drum-Mlnor Notes.
New York Correspondence

New York Correspondence
If there is an other city in the world
] that has more liquor saloons TO the
/ square rod than New York, | don't
know what one il is, and yet the cru
Eade of the sO-called Anti-Saloon
League now going on here is not hav-
ing much effect. Six years ago the
League began the first crusade in
Ohio. 1t swept the state, and its prog
ress alarmed the politicians. Since
| that time It has established its crusade
In thirty-two other states. II began
! its work in this state up in Pough
keepsie last May and met with en-
couraging success. The fight is car
ried on on interdenominational lines.
Through the churches the League
hopes to reach the lawmakers and the
voters. Meetings are frequent. and
every man nominated for an elective
Office must pledge his support to the
cause of the Leagues work or have
the stamp Of its disapproval set upon
him.
We get one evil from the saloon
in this city that you do not have in
your own locality. There the saloon
lis usually satisfied to exist without
i interfering much with politics, but
here in New York the saloon is the
recruiting place and stamping ground
for political parties. T0 seek Office
in this city without the sanction of the
corner saloon is practically useless,
and although the liquor interest is
largely represented among the Office
holders, its members are good enough
to allow an outsider to hold a minor
office. provided he contributes liber-
ally and promises to stand by them.
But with the Anti-Saloon League
crying that the saloon must go, and
that Raines law hotels are chambers
of horrors, and Rev. DR.. Parkhurst
advocating more freedom to saloons,
1t is but fair to assume that King AL
cohol will have about the same hold
on the people next year as he has this.
/ When good reformers differ so widely
as to measures results are always in
J significant.
I Meantime Tammany is reaching out
\ like Oliver Twist for more" and
there is general complaint at the enor-
nous rise in salaries in the various
city departments. At the present time
the amount paid by the city in sal
aries and wages amounts to SAL ,995,
$50, or more than SO per cent. of the
total budget. This is an increase in
:
which is so large as to excite unfavor-
able criticism. A large part of this
increase however, is due to laws
passed by the state, increasing the sal
= aries of teachers and other public SER
wants The increase in the Depart
5 ment of Education is S3,352,395, and
= few will offer any objection to this
item. But there has been a whole
t sale increase of salaries paid to politi-
= cal office holders, and a marked in
= crease in the number of confidential
clerks" and positions that appear to
be sinecures. Tammany has discov-
cred a gold mineNin the government
of the city, and having at least two
years more of power, Is working il for
= all it is worth. The increase in sal
: aries are in nearly every department,
and include S33.699 in the Mayors
~ Office. S2S,S40 in the Law Department,
: S459, ,121 in the Finance Department,
, S36,0O4 in the in the Police Depart
ment, $265.5S3 in the Highway De
= partment s444.2S9 in the Sewer De-
i partment, S1,14S,774 In the Street
: Cleaning Department in Manhattan
:, and Bronx, and $547, ,712 In the Park
u Department.
e The bill introduced in Albany by
d Senator Treat to tax all savings bank
Q accounts Of 81 900 or more, is meeting
o with a good deal of opposition by the
h bankers of this city on the ground
t that 1t strikes a blow at wage earners.
y One banker says: 1T is blow at the
= wage earner-at the industrious and
thrifty poor who are stinting them
s selves in order to put by a pittance
:, ont Of their daily wages" Without
e discussing the merits of the question
Il at all / would like to call attention
, to a singular Psychological. social or
!. mental phenomenon. namely: Why is
It it that the bankers are so very solic-
II itous for the welfare of the workers.
" while the workers don't care a rap
Ol for the welfare of the bankers?
e Rev. Madison G. Peters, formerly
s pastor OF a Presbyterian Church in
M Philadelphia but for the past nine
n years pastor of the Bloomingdale re-
II formed Church in this city has occa-
! stoned surprise by announcing his In
n tention of resigning, in order TO join
n the Baptist Church, and, If possible,
) the Baptist ministry, although he has
now no particular charge in view.
4, He says that he believes that baptism
20 should be by immersion only. and that
- il should be extended only to adult be
levers. He does not hold to infant
a baptism With these opinions he be
:, lieves it to be his duty 10 join the Bap-
y tist denomination. His resignation
I. Will take effect March 1. He says this
n is no hasty decision.
J. The old story has been revived, sans
names, about John Brisben Walker
of the Cosmopolitan Magazine, and
n William Dean Howells. Walker en-
s, gagged the latter asieditor at $4,000 a
= year, some time ago, and could not
Ie see why a "littery feller" should not
e sit down at his desk and do his work
" in regular fashion, just as his book
keepers and engineer do. He looked
> askance at Mr. Howells as he came
TO his editorial den at all sorts OF
hours, whenever the mood seized him
d and left in the same unceremonius
e. way, and finally HATED TO him that il
: would be much better were he to keeT
, more regular hours. II ever there was
4 a man thoroughly mad II was Howells
4 and he resigned at once. Mr.. Walker
n thinks Mr.. Howeils is erratic. Mr.
= Howells does not cay what he thinks
y of Mr.. Walker.