New-York tribune., 1903-07-22
DID NOT INTEND INTIMATIoN.
Declares Law Enforcement Society Secretary
of Coney Island Excise Letters.

Some more pungent letters have passed between
the Law Enforcement Society of Brooklyn and the
State Commissioner of Excise on the subject of the
alleged abuses in enforcing the excise laws at Coney
Island The correspondence repeats the charge that
in not out of eighty-ve suits for violation was
the liquor tax certificate revoked.
1t is also suggested that liquor tax certificates
are not revoked at the island because some persons
or influence" are interested in the company which
is doing all the bonding business for that district
1t IS more than intmated that the law is being
used as a weapon to give this company an excuse
for raising the price of the bonds.
A letter TO Governor Odell from the society,"
dated June T. says the price of bonds has been ad-
vanced 800 per cent. The letter continues:
We have good reasons to believe that some per-
sons closely connected with the administration of
I, nol an a IarSe number OF cases brought by the
Excise Commissioner have been kept in the hands
OF referees for months. and then settled" by the
payment of money as forfetures. fees and costs by
the saloonkeeper. or his bond company. which
Withdrawn SO thst the recnrd in the excise U ae %
might be clear on May I and a new certificate
could be issued.
The letter arrived at Albany during the Gov
ernOr's absence and was referred 10 the State Ex-
else Commissioner. In his reply the Commissioner
declared the society was in error in stating that
the State Excise Commissioner had not prosecuted
the bonds of any particular surety company; in
stating that actions for the revocation of liquor
tax certificates had been discontinued in violation
of the provisions of the Stranahan amendment TO
Liquor Tax Law. and in stating that the public
was robbed of all protection from law breaking on
the part of the saloonkeeper because the penalties
of the liquor not enforced.
The Law Enforcement Society at present has the
last word 1t sent TO the Governor letter charg-
ing that its allegations had not been answered or
denied. and saying:
The Commissioner does not deny allega-
tions that cases were held up in the hands Of ref
erees, and then settled by the payment of money.
thus preventing revocation of the certificate and
clearing the bond from liability Of forfeiture. He
pended settled. compromised discOn .1nued with
out an express order of the court" That is true
knew all about that. We know also that no
such order of the court would ever have beel made
without the consent of the State Commissioner Of
Excise.
The letter gives the name Of the surety company
the Empire State Surety Company.
T. J. Whitaker. the chairman of the executive
committee, could not be seen by Tribune reporter
last night At No 800 East Ninth-st., which is
given as the headquarters of the Law Enforce ement
, Society. was found the urban home of T. De
Quincy TuIy. the secretary of the organization.
He denied emphaticaly that the society intended
intimate in its letters to the State Excise De-
partment that the reason that none of the bonds
of the Raines law hotels at Coney Island had been
forfeited because Of political influence. brought
TO bear on behalf of the bonding company. which
almost all that class of business at the island
J. G.. Jenkins is president and ex-Congressnan
Edmund H. briggs manager of the Empire State