New-York tribune., 1905-02-10
RAINES LAW HOTELS.
Mr.. VeilLer Tells HoU Their Per-
njcious Influence Mag Be Checked.

The Raines law hotels have been the cause of
more women being led astray and adopting a life
OF shame than any other one factor in the city"
said Lawrence WELLER, secretary Of the City Club
IN the course OF an address before the Woman's
Municipal League yesterday, in which he ex-
plained just how it Is that the Raines law has had
the effect Of making vice easy. and outlined the
legislation with which It is proposed to replace It.
At the beginning WELLER reminded his hearers
Of the distinction between Vice which is an Of
fence against the moral law, and crime which
Is offence against the law Of the country, State
city. "It is only the latter which the law can
take cognizance OF, in gambling" he said "a
can play games of chance in his house
his club without the Interference of the law,
this affects only his individual moral
fty, but 70 conduct games Of chance in public is
crime which the law intervenes to stop, because
being public and open TO any one, they affect the
public morals.
The Of morality has much to fear from
its too ardent champions who bring discredit
the cause. II Is not the duty Of the law to ferret
out individual vice. but to check crime whenever it
nsunts itself TO the injury Of public morals"
Mr.. WELLER told the women that social vice
nothing new; It had existed everywhere and at ali
tines where artificial conditions existed, in
modern large cities. 1T Is because the Raines
law hotel is so important an adjunct in the cadet
systen-which is again coming TO the front and
obtruding itsels-that it is necessary We should
get nd Of it, he added
''New-York provides places of designation at
has been to offer uneXampled opportunities for
social vice BY legalizing hotels TO sell liquor
Sunday opened the door to the conditions ex-
listing.
When this new excise law was passed liquor
dealers found they could get the Sunday trade by
stating in their application that they wanted 10
carry hotel business. Then they studied the
Raines law TO how they could run hotel in
connection with their saloon. and they found they
would have to have so many bedrooms and facih-
ties for serving so many meals. Now saloons often
occupy & corner store. with fats over them. The
liquor dealer generally took an upper fat and
fixed it over into cubbyhoes Of bedrooms. 1t being
necessary to file plans with the tenement house
department showing that his hotel had ten bed
rooms.
The tenement law required that any building
over thirty-ive feet high must be made hreproof,
but If that had been done. these hotels could not
have gone on, for it would have been necessary to
pull most OF them down altogether and build them
W again.
The tenement house department found it diff
cult 10 know whether such places came under the
head of tene1nents hotels 1t was finally estab-
ushed by the courts that they were hotes-in ac-
SerosnSe VIII tae -e1oI ~ the tenement DEPART
rnent laws Freed by this decision from obedience
OF about thousand in the greater city
Not every man who KEEP one OF tneTn oeIIDerate-
~ paadered to vice. but the fact that there was
great and constant demand for his rooms IoE I'M I'M
eRsF 6eR nstsTg esss g' opened the door to
o% ~ can we & 60 Be d@ay law Win that Authorities them
We Droyyese 10 make il compulsory upon the Ex-
COMMISSIONER before granting nquor nesHse tt.
20 demand from the applicant for the license uhtty
days in advance q statement as 10 "ESAeF ho
wishes 10 keep a hotel or not . ,,+,,,
''TF he does the Excise Commissioner must OBTAIN
from Buildings Department WITHIN Ten; zen Gays .a q
report giving the date when the premises WeTe ger
made into hotel height OF the motel IL Ieel
and whether the property is hreproot or not not, 900
This. you see. places the onus on the BUILDINGS
Department and under the most corrupt admin
1stration Of that department DO not DeneEe ZIG
most hardened official would dare TO report falseIy
the height of property for the reason LIZ tiae
the big Insurance companies have maps by whlcR n
any could disprove his statement I2esGes
ne should report that building was 4n'y o Sy one
could tell by looking at il from the street ma
exceeded the 35-foot limit, or. II they Couldn't