Arizona daily citizen., 1901-12-07
OPEN SALOONS ON SUNDAY.

In Tucson where We have saloons
that have not been closed in a quarter
of century and where the pursuit OF
happiness is always unrestricted, the
agitation now going on in New York
must seem strange, barbarous and in
comprehensive. A cetrain element of
New York reformers who were sup
portcrs of the VICTORIOUS party at the
recent election have organized move
ment in favor of permitting the sa-
looms of that town to do business ON
Sundays Mr., Croker has been prop
erly shocked at the suggestion ana
wonders what people would have said
If a Tammany government bad even
the open Sunday movement continues
to come from the most unexpected
quarters DR. Parkhurst. the distin-
gushcd Presbyterian minister who
has been regarded as the personltiCa-
ton OF the very opposite theory, gives
Sunday opening his unqualified APPROX
al Sunday opening, he says, is in
reality Sunday closing. so long as
We pretend to be uoing more than we
can do, he adds. I'VE shall not sue
ceed in doing so much as we might
/ do DR.. Savage, another distinguish
ed minister, has also advocated the
proposed change from his pulpit, and
more recently the Bishop OF Albany
has resigned the chair of the Church
mans Temperance Society because that
society has decided to oppose any
change in the present law. The Bish-
op declares that the men who have
been elected to conduct the govern
ernment of the city are men OF eX-
perience in municipal affairs men of
good Judgment and good morals, in
whom the people have confidence. and
they ought TO be free to work out
this question. Bishop DOane argues.
Of Sunday sales cannot be put into
execution; secondly that it leads to
underhandedness and the corruption
Of the police; thirdly, that there is
really no protection to the sacredness
Of the Lords Day, and. fourthly. that
the operation of the Raines law Is ac
companied with evils more serious
than those which it is intended to pre-
vent
The Raines Liquor law, which n
large proportion OF the religious people
If New York seem TO be determined to
uphold. Is regarded by those who al
yocate its repeal as a sham and n
fraud. 1t is full of politics. and there
is millions in it, financially. 1t was
enacted by the Legislature against t!e
wishes OF the city to please the
religious sentiment up the State. "
1t requires every saloonkeeper to
give bond, and the son of Tom
Platt the political boss Is in the bond
ing business Under it's provisions any
| saloon in the city can sell liquor on
Sunday provided he has hotel Ii
cense and serves a meal with a drink
In practice the meal consists in most
cases of sandwich which goes with
the drink. but as a rule it Is not eaten.
So one sandwich can be used to sell
barrel OF whisky.
Those saloons. it is charged, which
10 not choose to buy a hotel license
or cannot afford to do so use a side
! door on Sunday and pay the police
captain a fee. Be this as it may. not
even the strongest advocate of the
Raines law contends that any man
need go thirsty over Sunday In New
York If he has the price of drink.
The Sunday law has never been
strictly enforced in that great city ex-
ept during the brief period when Mr.
Theodore Roosevelt was Police Com
missioner The reward for his sire
nuous efforts to enforce the law was an
overwhelming Tammany victory at the
next election. There are thousands OF
men in New York like the Judge in a
Texas city who feared not God, neith-
er regarded man. But they all have
votes. Conditions in New York are
different from those in any other city
in the land. Its population is more dt-
verse and less willing to submit to res
;rictionS which are insisted upon in
people as necessary. III the repeal
Of the Raines law could be effected by
The vote of the city it is believed that
It would be speedily repealed. But
the repeating can only be done by the
Legislature of the State, and in that
Legislature the city has not a control
ling voice even in those affairs which
concern the city exclusively There
are thousands upon thousands of peo-
pie all over the State and all over the
United States who believe that to pass
any law permitting the sale Of liquor
on Sunday would be crime compa-
rable with that of AChan, the son of
Carmi the son of Zabdi, the son of Ze-
rah who took of the accursed thing.
There are thousands of others who