The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-04-24
LOCAL OPTION IN THIS TOWN.
ASSEMBLY BILL Much MILDER
THAN SENATE BILL

Are Not Exempt From the Risk
The bill introduced In the Assembly by
AssemblyInan Wainwright Of Wostches ter.
providing for local option In what the bill
defines as residence districts 10 the cities
towns and villages Of this State. will come
UP for discussion in the Senate this week
Its fate is still In doubt
The blu passed. the Assembly Inst week
Its companion in tho senate, introduced
by Senator Amber has been changed
considerably IN committee through the
influence Of Senator Rhines- The senate
bill Is now even more revolutionary in its
character than the bill that passed the
Assembly. The Assembly bin Ia said to
be on the program for passage
This bill, Assemblyman Wainwright said
yesterday, has for its object the oOncen-
tration Of saloons in business districts
Mr. Wainwright and others who have
studied the problem believe that any purely
residence district Of this city would vote
to keep out saloons II il had the chance
The question arises at once, especially
IN this city, What Is a residence DISTRICT"
In the Wainwright bill this IL defined as
amy clearly described, contiguous, oom-
pact section or territory in a city or moor
porated village bounded by street, corpora
ton or other well recognized lines or bounda-
ries and containing not fewer than 800
nor more than 5000 qualified eleotors-'
In tho hill. which Ia now before the Sen
ate this definition still stands, aooordin z
to Mr.. Wainwright but certain very i'm
portart exceptions made in the main bill
have teen taken out.
'In the first place, said Mr.. Wainwright,
sit was my idea to do away with the isolated
saloons in purely residences blocks, and
not TO prohibit saloons along well recog-
niDed business thoroughfares no matter
whether these business thoroughfares cut
through residence districts OF not. For
that reason my bill contains a provision
excepting business streets, which are de-
fined as a portion Of any street, between
two cross streets, or 500 feet long, rs per
cent. Of the abutting property on which 10
used for business purposes There is in
the Vain wright bill the further provision
that in the case Of such block both sides
Of the street shall be included in the eI-
Osption.
Z 'In other words, II one side Of a street
was used for business purposes. and the
other side for residences the business side
was 20 control, 30 that one side Of such
street couldn't be dry and the other side
wet A street coming within this de-
suiption anywhere in a district laid out by
request Of 40 per can't. Of the electors, con-
hrmed by a vote Of the resident electors
as a district in which liquor was to bo pre-
hibited, would be excepted on account Of
It's character as a business street. SEN
ator Rainee and his colleagues have re-
tanned the definition Of residence district
but have eliminated the provision for ex-
cepting business streets. the result being,
should the Senate bill pass, that up in
the West Side whole blocks Of Columbus
avenue OF Broadway might be restricted,
that Is, IL the residents Of the cross streets
and Of the apartment houses along those
avenues joined together and voted for no
license as provided In the bill.
AS the bill passed the Assembly, II also
provided for exceptions in the case of
hotels having fifty or more rooms and in the
case Of clubs. These exceptions have also
been eliminated by the Senate committee.
BY striking out these provisions the bill
has been made mu Oh more radical and is
not az good a measure in my opinion. The
bill was all right as It stood. The. amend
ments W ne made in Difference to the views
Of Senator Raines.
He took the view that II a so-called resi-
dence district voted no license. il ought not
to have saloons anywhere. He also took
the view that to exempt hotels and clubs
would give them an unfair monopoly.
To carry out his view might prevent the
large apartment hotels from serving liquor
and seems TO make the measure come near
to being prohibition measure. IL was not
introduced as a prohibition measure, only
q protective measure. In that respect a
great deal Of misunderstanding has arisen.
The bill as il passed the Asse mbly,
il much more reasonable than any Of the
local option measures for towns and vii
lagos. IL II modelled almost word for
word after the Bra mock law, which has
been in operation in Ohio for two years
and which has worked splendidly, with the
res Ilt that there are now something like
800 eco people in the State living In dis
tricts which have voted TO have no liquor
like siXty-two elections called on the pc
tition Of the inhabitants Of districts. All
Of the big cities in Ohio have such dist riots
now, The bill | have drawn s a triie
more moderate than this measure In that
It excerpts hotels and clubs.
That the sentiment Of district must
be Overwhelmingly against saloons be
fore such a district can be closed TO them
by the operation Of the law is provided !
for, no 40 per cent. Of the voters must first
sign a petition before any election can take /
place. That is nearly hRlf the number
Of men in a district. The women and
children do not count. To get such a
district will require a we'll organized move |
ment begun first either by meetings Of the |
residents or by house 10 house canvasses. /
1t would naturally be for the organizers |
to put down on paper the boundaries Of |
the prop d district. They would prob
ably be streets although political boundary
lines would do. Until the proposed bound |
aries met with pretty general approval
Il would not be possible 70 get the required
names on the petition.
The law says that such a district must
Include at least 900 voters and not more
than 900. At the most that means a section
containing a population Of not mut more
than 3 COO In New York city such dis
tict does not take in many blocks.
ANY fear that a section like the Tender +
loin light b. included in some dry dis
tHot' with great hardship 70 its business
interests, strikes me as being needless.
II would be impossible 20 get The required
number Of resident voters TO sign the petit
ton the moment n Part Of any district
Ike the Tenderloin or business district,
for that matter, was included in a pro-
posed dry district OF course | should /
suppose that In the construction OF the
law II would be held that even ii a street |
was lined with stores there might be
enough people living above these stores.
As in the large APARTMENT houses on the 4
West Side. 20 maze he street a residence 4