Evening star., 1902-03-08
SALOONS WIDE OPEN
Sunday Closing in New York
Fails Utterly.
PROTEST OF REFORMERS
PRESENT ADMINISTRATION UN-
ABLE TO KEEP PROMISES.
Great Contrast in Conditions Compared
With Those When Roosevelt
Was Commissioner.
PROTEST OF REFORMERS
pecial Correspondence Of The Evening Star.


that certain eminent American gentle
man whom New York used to caricature for
his molar display, and whom New York
declined to take seriously until his depart
ure for higher fields, was in reality eX
traordinarily puissant citizen when he Ia
bored in this vineyard. Perhaps Theodore
Roosevelt, the police commissioner of New
York that used to be, was never SO pro-
foundly appreciated by the better element
or the New York citizenry as he has been
in recollection during the past few weeks.
The hopelessly futile and almost pathetic
endeavors Of the present administration to
| enforce the Sunday excise law has pro-
voked this quite universal reversion Of the
New York memory to thoughts OF the really
able and effective things that Police Com
missioner Roosevelt did In that line when
he got his fighting clothes and actually
set out to do it. During the past few weeks
the wiser heads Of this municipal admins
tration have got together and formed the
conclusion that the policy Of initiating
Tammany in its handling Of the Sunday ex-
else enforcement-that Is to say, Of wink
Ing most prodigiously at an almost univer-
sal violation of the 1aw-was one which
could not be further followed with impunity
If the goodwill Of the class Of voters that
brought the administration into power was
to be retained. There Is no use In trying
to dodge the manifest fact that the reform
administration Of New York has thus far
done scarcely enough reforming to be per-
ceptible to the naked eye. and there has
been rising tide of protest against it's OBJ
vious straddling tactics, not alone from
those who make a business Of holding poll
t1cians strictly to their promises. but from
the large decent element which really is
the dominant factor Of New York life.
Ante-Election Promises.
II there was any one chord of its political
harp that the ante-electon reformers struck
upon with unvarying persistence it was the
fact that they intended to close the saloons
Of New York up tighter than that over
worked drum in the event Of their winning
out at the polls. 1t is not too much 10
say that this promise had at least 80 per
cent to do with their victory over Tam
many In November. A lot Of the more
Jealous Sabbatarians were surprised that
every saloon in New York was not closed
on the very first Sunday following the re-
formers induction into power, but the calm
er minds that had helped to swell the re-
form vote took the view that plenty of
time should be given to the new men to get
used to their harness, and these sat tight
without q word and waited for the broom
to get into action. Meantime, the saloons
went right on dong the biggest business OF
the week on Sundays, and the only sign that
there was any such thing as a Sunday ex-
else law on the New York statute books
was the fact that the police made an aver
age OF about fifteen excise arrests In New
York city and Brooklyn-with several thou
sands Of saloons almost as wide open as
on week days. and drunken men reeling
about the streets In greater numbers
Sunday than on week days.
About the 1St Of February the commu-
nifty began to awaken to the fact that the
reform administration was calmly but de-
terminedly permitting the Sunday excise
law to lapse. 1t was seen that the ad-
ministration regarded 1t as good politics to
quietly let the Sunday excise law rest in
the books, as Tammany had always DONE
and thus gain at the municipal elections to
come the enthusiastic support of the huge
saloon element.
Leaders Become Uneasy.
It was when this unquestionable and un-
dodgeable fact became almost absurdly
manifest that the current Of wrath began
to sweep in the direction Of the admins
tration leaders and warned them that
change Of policy was absolutely and i'm
mediately essential-that the friendship Of
the element that had put them in power
was much more necessary to retain than
the friendship Of the saloon element which
might, after all, prove treacherous at the
polls.
...a1e Then the administration started in to
enforce the Sunday excise law The
saloon men were warned that they had bet
ter close up on Sundays in future. Plain
clothes policemen almost by the thousand
A
as many as twenty arrests, out of thousands
almost Wlde-open saloons. We're made. This
went on for couple of weeks. Finally the
young district attorney told the police cap
talns-th1s was last SundaE-that he would
hold them personally responsible to the
point of indicting them for every saloon
open last Sunday in thair districts Well
virtually all of the saloons of Greater Neu
York We're open for business, ard doing a
rushing business, on Sunday last. and IL
there is to be any indicting done, 1t Will
have to be done on a colossal scale, and
will involve every police captain In Greater
New York
Thus has the excise situation absolutely
got away with the present administration
so soon in the game. The powerlessness of
the municipal government of New York 10
enforce a law that was almost the means of
bringing into power the present heads of
the municipal government is almost unbe-
lievable.
Mr.. Roosevelt's Record.
Theodore Roosevelt. the man whom New
York regarded simply as man Of abnormal
molar development, who was execrated as
dude by the tough and tolerated as mere
ly wellmeanng young man by even the
substantial citzenry-Mr. Roosevelt as po-
lice commissioner with a hostile Tamnlany
police force behind him, and with the sneers
of the unlicensed element of the town in
his ears. calmly announced that he in
tended to close up the New York saloons on
Sunday. The sardonic laugh that greeted
this declaration extended from the Battery
to High bridge
On the Sunday following his declaration
every saloon in New York city was closed
tight. 1t would make too long a story here
to tell just how the thing was DONE but that
it was done, and that it was done every Sun
day thereafter until Mr.. Roosevelt gave up
his police commiss:onerShip.. New Workers
Well remember today and marvel over
Perhaps never before on Il Sunday was
there such a carnival of drunkenness in
New York as there was on Sunday last the
very day on which it was announced that
the captains were to close the saloons OH
pain of criminal Indictment for neglect of
duty. Men with what are known as left
over intoxica tions from the previous night
and many with the same thing eating back
to the Prince Henry exercises, fourdercd
around the streets Of New York, not cnly
in the business, but in the high -sra lie r. 81
dental districts. in numbers beyond the
memory of Old-timers. Not only We're the
side doors of nearly all the saloons in New
v.>r1r ,,f