The Savannah morning news., 1902-01-30
LOCAL OPTION IN NEW YORK.


The discussion of the liquor question
that is going on in New York City is
OF great interest in this state where
practically the same question is a
leading one in the campaign for the
Democratic nomination for Governor.
In New York City at the present time,
the law permits intoxicating beverages
to be sold in the hotels on Sunday.
The law is evaded, however, because a
great number of places for selling beer
and whisky have been established sim
ply by means of taking out hotel
hotels. .Ah
1t has been found impossible to pre-
vent the sale of liquors on Sunday, and
the opinion is expressed that the evils
which arise from the effort
to suppress the Sunday liquor
traffic are greater than those
which flow from open saloons under
certain restrictions.
A committee of leading citizens has
had the matter under consideration,
and it seems favors submitting two
propositions to the people. The first
is to extend to all restaurants the
same right which hotels now have,
that is, the right to sell liquor on Sun
day, and the second is to permit the
saloons to keep open doors on that
day from II noon to 10 p. m. In COM
menting upon the report of the COM
OIL
things, that he thinks it would
be advisable to submit the liquor ques-
tion to the voters every two or three
years, in order to learn their wishes
in regard to it. by this means" the
Mayor says, 'the city would soon
learn what was practicable and what
was not, and would before long solve
the question in some form likely to
be accepted by everybody. Nothing
but discussion and experience under
our American conditions can solve
problem of this kind, and the advan-
tage of local option is that it commits
the solution of the question in it's local
aspect to the discussion and expert
ence of those who are most nearly af-
fected by it,
1t is clear from the foregoing that
the Mayor is of the opinion
that local option is the only way that
the liquor question can be settled. 1t
is calculated to make the people think
about it, and to form an opinion as
to the way they want it settled. He
practically admits that it is not ques-
tion which can be settled by a minority
of a community in the way 1t would
like. That admission is a step to-
wards the settlement of the question.
In this state there are people, and
the number of them is very large, who
take the position that ii is only neces-
sary to enact general prohibition law
in order to put a stop to the sale of
intoxicating beverages within the
states limits. The results which have
followed the enactment of a prohibi-
tion law in other states have no weight
with them. 1t almost seems as if they
did not care whether a law prohibiting
the sale of intoxicants could be in
forced or not, their aim being to carry
their point. that is, to secure prohib-
itive legislation.
Judging from what the Mayor of
New York says he is sincere in his
efforts to find out the best way to re-
duce the evils flowing from the liquor
traffic to the least possible number.
He thinks that this can be accom-
plished by means of local option.
1t seems a little. strange that while
a great community like the city of
New York is going to try local option
there should be a strong sentiment in
this state. where so much has been
accomplished by means of local option,
in favor of abandoning that method of
dealing with the liquor question.