New-York tribune., 1909-04-26
THE RAINES Law EVIL
DRJP PETERS PRE4CHES
Courts. Municipal administration
and Police Corrupted, He Says.

an avraadfu-lE attentive EtiLe- telh''
Al souls. Church. st. Nicholas avenue ana il1l'
-. 1ge+ ,,sa,t that listened the sermon OF Di
r,r7, p Peters on the proposed chahee III 'i.o
liouor law His text was from 81. MalIie"' 80,
4 -.Fror they bind heavy burdens ana sIIe'O-s "
De borne, and lay them on men : siiou.u'i9' -
they themselves viii not 4I4oFS A4S1i- 'i'-
their fingers .
AFTER describing tie evils Of the present haliles
law hotels he told OF the work OF the 1oiiiii'leo
81 Fourteen in Manhattan and The Bronx "Hei g
1e said fourteen hundred OF these resorts existed
He said that the Excise Department or the STATE
used -l,e SUNDAY closing clause means OF levy
ing an extra legal license on infamous resorts p"'
did not seek close these places Inc poiice' e
declared also levied blackma. charging saloons 50
much for permission 10 keep open sundays ou'
The Raines law places did not have TO pay they
could sell TO guests in their rooms
Decent young fellows go into the police force
honest and clean said he. They find themselves
faced by system that it is almost impossible for
-hem 10 contend against Our whole Tnunlclpai
government is affected by this evil"
Continuing, Dr. Peters said:
OR administration Of justice is scoffed at Our
yor6 The peopie have been rendered awless and
the courts corrupted by the existence on our
books Of laws which are unenforceable' because sc
they are contrary TO common sense ana belleI ol
the people The Judges seeh & NAYS Tefse 0 to ndict
petty juries refuse convict The ORDINARY e
he comes to hate and despise such laws as @ IdIs
liquor law. Allow one law on any lls1, ~ us i
4
enforcement into which this law mas come gnu
you are corrslpting. we have corrupted III
York not onlE the courts, the municipal admins
f-afion and the police but the whole pcoS o1
,-fffzens You breed hopeless lawlesSneSs -.
VIlar we propose bill Is 10 cIlaIge llts
l;,,,o- tax law so as make II easy OF enforce
,renl 50 as 10 make il conform TO the PTt41Stles
gnd beliefs OF the community al large Allloso .G
ez-erzfliny We propose is approved oi-i4le
~ -lea number Of licenses. the penalty on lile -
~ better definition OF hotel ana lhe iiicee,S
- ,S17r,,her of sscial agents Of the EXCISE Delt
repf rl.ttiaE burden Of the enforcement %
iaT 5Irtor that departuent il the first pace hut a.
hines o.
nos make The conform 70 the use o t-S o.
Cone Island is open all day every SGldt-S- / .
ts,s three hundred thousand people go theIe CIt d
,od5 sunday No attempt Is ever IIlide by li4e HA
eise Tlersrrment Of the state or bE ute PoIO -
ao-, - sala Of li0llOr there II Il We're l.e
+l7ree hundred thousand would pIopsDlH ~ -
inns L ,au will 20 out from tflls emu ca 10y 10y
zotlT Hvav home stop Rn0 examine 80
saioon you pass you viii ind that Ia Amos
rbe selling Of liquor Is gong On oll'H u
.--,-tal,- IN \ hack room. behind screens = up
van were the arrest oI '51lS!!--tt
,a5lse the arrest. OF one Of these men Nno - ia
- Ii,,,,r zoI1 would find probably that You could
Is - an indictment II you got an indictment
ION @ouId not get conviction The srahd JutH i :
ana pettv Jurors would feel that ne was ho' Di--7
hua-n ,-oiir magistrates and judges ana 'g5 a.
5--rTs faji 10 see faT there is anything WoISS IN
,osn selling LIQUOR a Sunday than IN seillilS
in man stlllle ilqItI N
-, S,n6qz than in his selling il in d hotel ana IE
,oot or crook they viii circumyent the Jaw " .
r7-oroSe frankly face the sltu&ioh, IeCoSliiL
conditions as they stand and egallze Inc Sie 81
1io,7rr between the hours ~ and Il o CLOCK o"
Sunday.