The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-01-15
ENEMIES AFTER THE ST. REGIS
MOTIVES BACK OF THE FIGHT
TO TAKE Away ITS LICENSE.
Proprietor Hams Friends Say That Prop
erty Holders Near BY seek to Force
Him TO Buy Them Out-Liquor Tax Law
Strained to Ruin the Hotcl's Business.


erty Holders Near BY seek TO Force
Him 10 Duy Them Out-Liquor Tax Law
Strained to Ruin the Hotel's Business.
The kindly interest which some neigh
bors of the Hotel st. Regis are taking in
the effort to deprive Mr.. Haan, the
manager OF the place, Of all possible
profits in bis great enterprise is founded
upon motives which are more or less of
a puzzle to him. The latest step which
the neighbors OF the st. Regis have taken
il TO apply for the annulment Of his liquor
license.
The grounds on which the annulment
of Mr.. Hams license is asked for are two:
First, that his hotel is nearer the Fifth
Avenue Presbyterian Church than the
law allows and second. that he did not.
before getting the license, get the consent
OF the proper number OF property holders
in the mel ghborhood. Edward Lauter-
bach is the counsel for the enemies OF Mr..
Hams business He has represented 10
the Excise Department at Albany that the
distance from the westerly entrance OF the
ST. Regis 10 the nearest entrance OF the flith
Avenue PRESBYTERIAN Church la two or
three feet under 200 feet. The law says
Traffic In liquor shall not be permitted
in any building, yard. booth or other
place which shall be on the same street
occupied exclusively IA q church or school
house: the measurement TO be taken from
the centre Of the nearest entrance oil tne
building used for such church or school 20
the centre OF tho nearest entrance OF tine
place in which such liquor trnfiic is desired
to be carried on
Mr. HAN says that Mr.. Lauterhach's
measurements were not taken from the
centre Of the entrance in either case. He
holds. and believes that the courts will hold
with him. that the entrance to building
is the door and not the outer edge OF the
recess in which the door is. He observes
that when one vs. said TO enter house 1t
means that one has gone through the door.
From the centre of the door of the church
to the centre Of the door Of the st. Regis.
Mr. Hams surveyors say, is distance OF
several inches over 200 feet. Even were
this not so, very slight changes in the en-
trance of the st. Regis would put 1t outside
the prescribed limit.
Again the law says that consents must
be obtained from two-thirds OF the owners
Of buildings occupied exclusively as dwell
ings within 200 feet of the entrance of the
building in which liquor Is to be sold.
According 70 Mr.. Hams way of measur-
ing there are just eleven suoh pieces OF
property within 200 feet OF his entrances.
His opponents say that there are twenty
three. Mr.. Haan measures up and down
Fifty-fifth street in a straight line His
opponents hold that houses back OF him
in Fifty-fourth street measuring along
nm air line, are within 20 feet, even though
a man travelling from the hotel TO one of
them would have to walk around the block.
No student of the Liquor Tax law could
be found yesterday who believed that the
area in which consents must be obtained
was circle with the entrance OF the st.
Regis az centre and radius of 200 feet.
Mir Ham, who has put his whole heart
and all his money into the effort 10 give New
York the best hotel in the world, is thor
oughy dishearte ned by this effort to put
him ont Of business. he is quite confident
that legally he can beat his opponents.
but he cannot view with equanimity the
motives which he believes are behind the
Pctions Of some OF MIR. Lauterbach's clients.
Ii has been represented to him that two
of the most active Of those clients are very
anxious to sell their Fifty-ffth street prop
erty. Mr. Haan does not want 70 buy
more real estate; he has his hands full now
But he says that 1t is quite apparent that
he is not to DO permitted to carry on his
business quietly and in a dignifled way
until he secures a purchaser for those two