The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1909-02-08
Farce, Declares Steinert, and
He Believes People Don't
Want Present Rule.
OTHERS SUPPORT HIM.
Law Not Good or Helpful, Is
Comment of KernOchan
on Excise.

Magistrate Steirert. sitting on the
bench in Harlem Court to-day declared
bluntly that, So far as he and most OF
his fellow members Of the Board OF City
Magistrates Were concerned, the work
Ing OF tho law prohibiting the sale OF
liquor on Sunday in this city is a farce
and that lie had no time OF patience for
such trivial excuses tor prosecution as
the police sought to twist the law into.
stephen Des,ritz, saloonkeeper, OF
No lj4g Second avenue. was the twelfth
excise prisoner arraisned before Magis-
trate Steinert this morning. The others
had been discharged without comment.
you fellows must have a lot TO do"
said the MAGISTRATE to Detectives Foy
and Snedeker, who had brought Des-
tritz In. enforcing a law that Is the
biggest farce in this town. OF course.
] don't blame you
Your orders come from down below.
But 1t ia about time that It was under.
stood that the people OF this city don't
want this law enforced and won't stand
FOR its enforcement. and that. SO long
as a liquor dealer conducts his business
In decent, orderly way, he Is not going
TO be moested
IT'S waste ot your time and OF
NINA Of bo
bring cases as trivial as these to me"
Arrests Absurd, krotel Says.
Magistrate krote. when asked by an
Evening World reporter how far Mayis-
trate Stelnert's announcement repre
sented the feeling by which other men,
bers OF the board would be guided,
said.
In my opinion, nearly all Of the ex.
else arrests for Sunday selling are alb
surd. But the law compels me 10 hold
the accused man II prlma facle case Is
made against him. Such cases are very
seldom made out.
i would rather be excused from ex-
pressing my opinion OF the merits OF the
law, as l have observed Its workings in
my experience In the District ttorney's
office and the two months | have bean
on the bench"
The Justices OF Special Sessions altar
conference. said that they could only
say they considered each excise case on
It's merits. separately from every other
case, and that II was not becoming for
them to comment on the value of the
law as II stood.
mot Good or Helpful Law"
Magistrate Kernochan, sitting in the
West Side Court, had fifteen prisoners
before him this morning. charged with
violations of the excise law by Sunday
selling. He held most Of them for
trial.
MY personal opinion Of the law"
he SAID rs that 1t is not a good or a
helpful law. 1t is perfectly true that
the people Of this city do not want II |
enforced and that there Is no real rem.
resentative public sentiment for its on.
forcement. Sentimentally, there are a |
so vs. s"oa peopiO wiz llk6 10 know |
that such a law is on the books. but |
mighty few Of these same people pay
any attention to It,
We should have q law, perhaps,
that restricted certain hours on Sunday.
But closed season from midnight
Saturday until five o'clock Monday
morning is an absurdity In a city like
this. Ia like to see a law allowing
places to open In quiet way after noon
on Sunday. have no complaint to mako
as to the police enforcement. The law
Is the law, and they have to make mr..
rests, Just as I have to hold their pris.
oners."
Bingham MAS No Opinion"
When Commissioner Bingham was
told what the Magistrates were saying
about the efforts OF the police to en-.
force tho law against Sunday liquor
selling, he said
Il haven't any chance to have an
opinion I'm nothing but a poor Police
Ali I've got to do Ia TO
try to make my men enforce The law
ms II is written In the statute books"
What Is your opinion Of the law, I'm.
CONTINUED on Second Pags.)