The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-01-24


1icn Of Crime reply to the letter writ
ten to him a few days ago by Charles H.
psrkhurst, president, and r. d. Kennison.
secretary OF that society.
The mayor writes as follows:
"Gentlemen--Your letter OF Jan Z is at
hand Brushing aside sli minor questions.
81 alleges, in effect, that no attempt has
been made since Jan. I 20 enforce the
Excise law SO far as II relates 10 sunday
selling, IL admits that the law Is quite
ainenforoeable, and yet IL argues that the
foundations OF civic morality are threat
ened because IL is not enforced. l think
Il will clear the air II We try 10 arrive at
some common meaning for the word en-
forced for as YOU use IL. you give the
impression that the law is treated by the
edininistrHtion as a dead letter,
This is very FAR from being the case.
by virtue OF Nhis law the public sale OF
liquor has been stopped and peaceahle
and orderly Sunday has been already y
more perfectly secured, since the nrst OF
January as ! Judge from the public
press. than certainly at any time for
-four years past.
Because, however ~ may have been
possible. as you imply. To- buy liquor in
many saloons behind closed doors on
Sunday, IL pleases YOU To say, In effect.
that the law IL treated by the admins
tration as IL Il did not exist
Coming from any one less familiar
with the problem than yourselves, this
assumption would suggest one Of the easy
and sweeping differences often made by
those who speak without knowledge.
Read. however, In the light OF the inter-
view of the honored president Of your So
ciety, which appeared on the 2oth inst; IL
bears very different aspect.
I'm that interview Or. Parkhurst said:
IT impresses me that the present Excise
law will be exceedingly hard 10 enforce.
Roosevelt bent al his wonderful energy TO
attain this end. aud we had three dry
Sundays as result. That does not seem
10 predict success for any effort the pres
ent administrator may make The whole
police force was used i'm carrying out
Roosevelts determination, and there ~as
practically an open Held for the perpetrs-
tion OF other crimes
EXCISE LAW ENFORCED.
Those who realize that Mr.. Roosevelt.
when In full control OF the situation,
could only prevent the result You com
plain or for three sundays, though using
the entire power OF the police force for
that object 10 the neglect OF all other
laws should be slow rather than quick 10
say Of this administration that the nrst
two weeks OF the present regime have
against the legislature because the ad-
ministration has treated the Excise law
as one Of many laws which IL is bound 10
enforce and shas not neglected all other
mandates OF the legislature in order TO
look after this one.
THE fact is that the Excise law has
been enforced up TO the very limit OF
what Is practicable. with the means at
command, and, substantially as well. 1
believe as Il was enforced by Mr. Roose-
veIt unless you except the three Sundays
on. which Or. Psrkhurst SAYS every other
law was disregsrded in order the better
10 enforce this one.
But you argue that the Excise law,
being a Law, should be enforced to the
uttermost come what will, just because
It is Law. That position begs the very
question which YOU yourselves raise.
when YOU say that II is quite likely un-
enforceable
That question Is whether the legisls-
ture has not in fact enacted law That
contains clauses which cannot be en-
forced in the city OF New York | asked
the presiding Justice Of the Court OF
Special Sessions few weeks ago 10 fur
niSh me with list OF misdemeanors a.
deaned by the legislature. lie replied
that he was unable tn do so, for IL would
take an able lawyer three months TO
compile IL.
Does anybody suppose that all these
penalties are enforced or that the sd-
ministration is derelict because IL does
not GO out OF its way 90 hnd out wha I
laws thus 70 by default?
EXPERIENCE WILL SHOW.
"rhs legislature has said that there
shall he no drinking on Sunday except
In homes, I'm hotels and In clubs. but
there must come time when expert
ence shall demonstrate. in every iocali-
~, whether this mandate can be lit
orally executed or,not. In my judgment,
our experience In New York upon this
point Is already ample.
'In my letter accepting the various
nominations that We're offered to me last
autumn, said. In speaking Of the evils
tracesble to thes clauses: All ths- would
be bad enough II the clauses accom-
plished their object of actually prevent
ing the sale OF liquor OH Sunday; but
they do not do even this 1t may be con-
sidered certain, after much experience.
that in this community these clauses Of
the excise law that forbid the sale of
liquor on Sunday I'm saloons are not com
petent 20 accomplish more than 10 pre-
vent the public sale OF liquor on that day,
they never have stopped. and they never
can stop. drinking on sunday
II ash YOU 20 consider that this csnvic-
tion on my part. which was fairly stated
to the citizens when my canvass began,
Is the result OF ~ wears OF observation,
four years OF which we're passed In the
mayors Office OF Brooklyn. ! submit
therefore. that IL IL entitled TO some re-
spect This conviction Of my own u
strikingly borne out not only by Dr
Psrkhursts interview, already quoted
hut also by the remarks Of District At
tornsy Jerome at the Reform club. onls
few dsys ago. Speskins of this very
law Mr.. Jerome is reported 20 have ssid
WHAT JEROME SAID.
AT first Gid not .es that in which
the unenforceability consisted had
read In tho wrsines of those who were
supposed 10 b. learned la political phil
osphy that certain classes of laws coulc
not he enforced unless they had public
sentiment hack Of them. did not believe
A. But there came a time when Roose
Welt was president ~ the police hoard
when C;off yaS presiding In Part I. O