New-York tribune., 1903-03-12
VOCAL OPINION DITIDED
Jerome Fears "Speak Easys'-No
Reduction, Says HilLiard.

--r o,-onrcen,ent OF the caucus bill favored by
Governor OdeIl to increase the liquor tax 5o per
cent created CONSERVATION among liquor dealers In
.bis city YESTERDAY. Many of them said that with
.be ncrea sed severity of the Sunday law enforce
,nent BY the police at present they were having
hard time to pay the annual tax OF SS"' ano tney
would be driven out Of business by a tax OF $l2o-
ONLY the hotels and large dealers could stand the
increase they declared. ard the small Saloons
would have to close.
The Controllers books show that the net re-
GENTS of the city from excise taxes IN 1902 were
eg follows: New-York County, $,497,15 81; Kings.
aE0I7a n; Queens. Se7, ,391 G.; Richmond. S2ssS 81
'total. s531S.27Sa6
On April 90 the end of the fiscal year, license
certificates were outstanding in this city as fol-
aovs: New-York County. 7,254 Kings S.769; Queens,
! ala HI, hrnond 444: total. I66 The license fees
vary in the counties making up the city In New
York they cost ss0 500 and $780, Kings. $3.50, $500
$3.50: Queens SS50. 500, 500; Richmond, $3.50, 1900
The CITY under the present law gets two-thirds OF
Mi the license fees and the bulk of this revenue
Is applied to the general fund for the reduction Of
taxation There are. however, appropriations MADE
from the gross follows: Police pension
fund 5000 iremen's pension fund. $4,000;
school teachers pension fund. per cent, amount
.ng last year TO SESSION.: College Of the City Of
New-York. per cent amounting TO $4,000
Under the present system the city receives about
S533 and tie State $3.50 from license of the first
class. Under the proposed new law the city and
State would divide 800 equally, thus slightly in
cressing the citys revenue and more than doubling
the States share.
Charles F. Murphy. leader Of Tamr1anv Hail.
vhies at the probability of the saloonkeepers pay
EnF anv higher liquor license tax Mr. Murphy
still is or was Until recently. interested In two or
three saloons in this city. His district ciuo the
Anawanda, at Second-ave. and Twentieth-st, Is
over saloon that Mr.. Murphy used TO run. His
closest friends in Tammany are men who have
made money in the saloon business
OF the bill which proposes to increase first class
saloon licenses from $50 to 81 200 Mr.. Murphy said
yesterday: This Bill and other tax measures which
the Republicans at Albany are trying to put
Through are designed to raise money in New
York City to pay the taxes Of the farmers up the
State They are in line with the Governors fixed
expenses OF the State government. The policy
@ as W shown GP 1hf by he
Che Bronx but 1t didn't seem to YORK as wen IN IN
taxing this city for the beneht Of the up State
people. there won't be many Republicans left
here in the future
JEROME AGAINST INCREASE.
District Attorney Jerome last evening expressed
approval OF Governor OdelI's plan to increase
the cost OF liquor tax certificates per cent. He
raid:
believe it would work evil in this city. because
and give additional incentive for police blackmail
J believe that moderately high license Is q good
and regulations OF kind that can be enforced,
1bs IS sne gent believe qRef the present. taS Of oo
= wear on a saloon is near the limit. To increase
fhe fsx 50 per cent probably would compel such a
decrease in the number of licensed places that the
increase in the revenue would not be per cent mt
the sale Of liquor without license ana we would
be confronted with new set of evils.
There are no worse dives than 'Speak-easyS' and
shiind tigers" such abound in Philadelphis
report made to the Committee of Fifty by John
Koran declares that the number or unlicensed
rIares in Philadelphia exceeds the number oi
fIresed nIaces ny quite number There are said
tc he ''speak-easys' in almost every olock IN ms
n5rfs Of the city where people in moderate cir.
cIIInstarces live The police are SAID 10 protec'
such places and get revenue from theln. We
have A eoad many unlicensed places here now ailo
some are the worst dens of vice II we were tc
have the same conditions in New-York that seem
10 aho,Ipd In Phjadephia the temptation for police
blackmaii would be even worse tnan al present
LINDINGER's OPINION
Fritz Lindiager. president of the NeW-York City
Wire Beer ano Liquor Dealers Association, salc
that Governor odeH had promised him that ne
YestsIa ton would be enacted At present meddlinl
with the liquor license.
There will be no increase in the license" he
femnfed even IL the tax were raised II WouIc
drive many snail dealers out or business as y a.
the case when the license was increased DeIoIe" -
The proposed increase OF 80 per cent IN I tLh'
charge for q liquor lax cettincste is uo1 nAot
to decrease the number Of places selling liquor,
missioner Tor this district. some OF tne PoTs ..sx
dealers may be forced out, ne ccnCInuSC, Hv ~
there are always many people who tnink tne$ -
make money rrnins saloon. ana some I4 81 1SngIs
be 9taef as ID was when the Raines !aW WeiI 1nts
aAect Then the charge was TAtsed tom SSOV -