Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-03-30
DRY ON SUNDAYS
Mayor Gaynor Proposes Plan
to Govern New York
Liquor Selling.
AND ELIMINATE GRATING
Places Responsibility for Law En-
forcement Outside of Police
Department

New York, March 3O.-William J.
Gaynor, mayor of Greater New York,
made public last night his promised
plan of action for making New York
a "dry" city on Sunday and at the
same time to eradicate the "eating
| canker of extortion" by the police,
which he characterized as far worse
than Sunday liquor selling.
Opposes Plain Clothes Men.
! Since he assumed office the mayor
has vigorously combated the police
| custom of allowing plain clothes
men" to seek Sunday law violations,
| condemning It as a system Offering
fruitful opportunity for graft. Op-
posing it, he promised a practical
substitute, and last night he came
forth with his suggestions. They are
embodied in a letter to William H.
Baker, commissioner of police, in
which the mayor not only outlines
his plan of action but describes the
extorfi6n to witch liquor dealers
have voluntarily submitted.
Places Responsibility.
In short, the mayor places the en-
tire responsibility in the bands Of the
state excise department and the dis
trict attorneys office. The police
are practically forbidden to make ar
rests.
Must Stay Inside Pale of Law.
The letter says in part:
"The only way to enforce effectively |
the laws is the way prescribed by law. !
If public officials are suffered to go /
outside of the law and do as they like
in the ostensible enforcement thereof, |
the inevitable result is oppression, and /
hence extortion and blackmail.
"As you know, 1 began in January /
by notifying the district associations |
of liquor dealers throughout the city, /
which contain about 5000 members, /
that they must cease collecting money /
from their members by means of so |
called monthly dues, averaging about 1
$40 a month. and paying the same to |
persons of supposed influence and to
called.
Made to Understand.
81 had the leaders of these organiza-
tions come here in order to make them
understand that such a system could
no longer be permitted to continue if
we could stop it, and that we thought
we could. | am informed that all OF
these associations have voted to dis
continue such collections of money and
l believe they have done so.
THE hotel men and saloonkeepers,
especially the 1000 which do not be-
long to such organizations, have also
been paying money weekly and month
ly to policemen in plain clothes, and
also to the agents of private societies
who called regularly for It.
Hindered by ''RefOrmers.,
This was not only made possible
but fostered by the irregular methods
adopted for enforcing the liquor tax
here, and by the action of some good
persons who know nothing of the diff
culties of government 'rging on such
methods
''The result was extortion of money
from the proprietors of saloons and
hotels all over the city. The provis-
ions of the liquor tax law were care
fully drawn to prevent all of this. as
shall point out presently. and they
have been followed all over the state
outside of this city, resulting in the
reduction of extortion to the minimum.
and a safe, orderly, and effective ad-
ministration of the liquor tax law. 1t
is now time we enforce the law as well
as or even better than it is enforced
the rest of the state"
Must Inspect BarrOOms.
Here the mayor, reciting a provision
of the law prohibiting bar screens, sug-
gests his first remedy, as follows:
Let every policeman inspect every
bar room from the outside continually
during prohibitive hours to see that
this provision of the law is complied
with to the letter The captains and
inspectors must make similar inspec-
ton and see that the patrolmen do
their duty. Let any neglect of duty
on this head by patrolmen. captain. in !
spector or other be cause for dismis- {
SAL"