The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-02-02
NEW YORK TOPICS.
.,r 1EApERs" ON THE EXCISE
I'M QUESTION.

.yau street Happenings
YORK Jan. 31.-If ever there was
,,+,fplly complicated mix-up, 1t is
.oise question in its present status.
-, - time an authoritative mouth
rs the tangle becomes a little more
ya,aIess. First. there's District At
torney Jerome.
10 .Tvcise law?" says he. "All wrong.
-. got a moral right to drink on
sunday. Down with the hayseed re
strictions. -
Partridge.
oning?" he inquiries. We'll, forget
- I've forgotten it."
1ist now to the words of wisdom-or
- ,oast of caution-from Mayor Low.
o,,r laws are made to be enforced.
0',+ II the law is wrong and unpopular,
pu' enforce it would be-er-that is
eVS.m-it is sound political economy to
IN fact we all understand that-ex-
cuse me, l think hear the telephone
ringing. , -,
dent of the Down-With-Crime Society,
~ hIrns a severe but melancholy eye
upon the Mayor!
II hate to do it," he murmurs, be
,onsa YOU are a reformer and one of
NV gang, but l now feel it encumbent
,,non me to swat you in the neck with
nv little ak. Why don't you close the
saloons on Sunday"
Answers the foxy Mayor: Il will ex-
srcise the same endeavor to suppress
excise law-breaking as in the case of
any other form of crime" and so
sneaking, thrusts his hands deep into
his rockets lest the surplus of mirth
escape prematurely from his sleeves.
Then in a chorus they all chant:
"But the Raines law hotel is sink
of iniduity and blot on the 'scutch-
con.
And from the district where the hair
is worn pompadour with hayseed trim
mings come the faint, far, antiphonal
voice of Senator John Raines:
Don't you dast tech my hotels CT
III hev the law on vel"
So there you are. What's the poor
citizen to do? . If he wants to take a
drink on Sunday triple chances loom
before him. 1t presents itself in this
wise: ~ he can get drink on any
corner, but (2) he is likely to become
involved III lUG IdiQ llldI 10 always iii
pendng. in which case, however, he
can 80 comfort himself with the
thought that the district attorney and
Mayor regard him with sympathy, the
notice commissioner without animOsi-
ty, and even that apostle of civic fury,
DR.. Parkhurst, with a sort of stern
pity. s
What a strange sight, by the way
IT is to see DIR. Parkhurst, arch enemy
of Tammany and Tammany's methods,
playing Tammany's game. And how
the battered but hopeful Tiger must
hug himself in contemplation thereof.
Just after election l outlined Tam
many's intentions regarding the excise
question The organization purposed
to compel Mayor Lows administration
to carry out a bitterly unpopular en-
forcement of the law, or to come down
upon him for dereliction OF, duty, If
many, demanding Sunday closing of
the saloons, would be a thing to make
man with the toothache laugh.
Therefore, the Han ought to be very
grateful to DIR. Parkhurst for relieving
it of the necessity of making itself
ridiculous As long as he flaunts his
banner and demands literal interpretd-
ton of the excise law--so long can
Tammany sit back and laugh at the
embarrassment of the administrator
through the efforts of those who should
be it's friends. l think that if sub
scription were started to outfit DR..
4 Parkhurst for a Polar expedition the
name of Seth Low would be found
Near the top of the list, and opposite
conspicuously handsome donation.
Periodically there goes up a high
cry to the municipal gods for the rec
lamation of Fifth avenue. Exile the
4 trucks" is the burden of the appeal.
1t is said and with some justice, that
the show street of New York. Fifth
avenue ought to be closed against all
but light and what one might almost
call ornamental traffic: that the cab,
the carriage, the stage coach Can ad-
mitted convenience), the automobile,
and the bicycle ought to possess it for
their own. A bill IL to be presented
to the Board of Aldermen banishing
trucks and delivery wagons from the
avenue, and possibly there will be
ADDED to the bill a proviso that empty
cabs and carriages must seek other
thoroughfares. A recent analysis of
traffic at Thirty-fifth street and Fifth
avenue showed that in the most crowd
Cd hour, 8 to p. M. 1859 vehicles
passed in both directions, of which
number only 121 were trucks, express
or delivery wagons. Therefore it is to
De doubted whether this class of traffic
Is TO be blamed for the frequent block
ades' as is claimed by the advocates
ol the reformed Fifth avenue" One
uing Is certain, however, the heavier
Nehlcles tend to reduce the general
idte OF speed. and from the point of
view OF the man in the street. this Is
d GOOD thing. Barring the Paris bou-
,eydrds, there is no street in the world
"nere the average driver is so reckless
human life, as Fifth avenue, and
ms Is particularly true at night when
t tle trucks and delivery wagons are in
, .Ie stables and the asphalt is left to
iedsure craft alone. 1t would hardly
Dc too much to say that the average
ee OF speed, in the after-theater
'ouIs' Is above that prescribed by law.
,.,.1 man needs to be agile and quick
ecu TO get from curb to curb in
ICY, and he must suffer profanity
tt nu ABUSE from the drivers all the
a. m, ne Is lodging. There used to be
~, Washington an aged military man
~ ~ would find a wide field of useful
NJ on Fifth avenue. He carried in
+ cr ro neart ana Unborn hatred of en-
Il bi D ents upon his rights; in his
4 W. W. pocket revolver. There was in
Il pboaal gton at that time a cabman
n t,iane delight IT. was to chase pedes-
q cbaaI az the cross walk. One day he
\ me ,,sga the general" and cursed him
Il rltnrn.y when he lodged. BY way of
n pstai me aged soldier produced his
q cabb,. ana shot cabby's right ear off.
4 leasey mad him arrested; he was re-
n iba as irresponsible-Tve no doubt
fto yuuse winked. Two months later,
t tre altman, failing to recognize him,