New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-03-20
Sunday Liquor Selling.

The truth is that we have 70 be better
in New York City than anywhere else in
order 20 escape condemnation. Take the
matter Of liquor saloons on Sunday. NV
Long Island. a sort of half prohibition
cOUaty right by the city. II is true that
the shades Of the barrOOm windows are
kept up all day Sunday there. as required
by law. so as TO expose the room % every
passerby and show that no one is there
But the side or family door swings back
quiet comfort In some inner room. and no
one. crusader, canon or sensatiOnalist. SAYS
word. or hardly word.
And that Is true all over the state out
side OF New York City. But there the mat
ter is one Of ever recurring crusade. spy
Ing and summary and arbitrary aTTesting.
ton and blackmail. right and left. great
AMI dangerous evil being thus substituted
for much smaller one
i have now IN consideration the way Of
a systematic, safe and orderly adminstra-
tlon OF the liquor law, so that II viii be
observed I'm the city Of New York even
better than In the rest Of the state. AMI
at the same time this eating cankeT OF eN-
tOTtiOn and blackmail shall be destroyed.
Whether I could favor an amendment Of
the law 70 allow saloons 70 be open GER
tain hours on sunday. as In Great Britain
and Ireland. and as some of our clergy
men and others advocate. i cannot say.
! was brought up the other way UP here
IN the country. and our prejudices are very
lasting. ON the Continent OF Europe there
never was any such difficult police prob
lem. as there Is no restriction on the sale
OF wines and liquors on Sunday In any
country there. That is the reason why
those who come here from those countries
DO not understand our laws on the subject
Not through the lOins of their ancestry 90
they inherit any such notion.
we have as fine a body Of men on our
police force in New York city as is 70 be
found anywhere. only small percentage
Of them are unfit. What trouble there Is In
the force arises out Of the way in which Il
has been ruled for a long time. Those put
IN rulershtp over II have for a long time re-
CURED the men to do lawless things. There
IS no way 70 enforce the law efficiently eN-
cept the way prescribed by the law itself
Those nj no .nf0ree che Is,r r,,1ss trsrr,s.IVres
first of all keep within the law. You cannot
rule a free people in lawless manner
Those in executive Office must themselves
first obey the law prescribing and limiting
their powers and conduct before they are In
a position TO enforce the laws prescribing
the conduct OF others The declaration OF
Cicero that those who make the laws
should first observe them in order that they
shall be observed by others applies as well
70 those whose duty IL is TO carry out the
laws. When those who rule the police are
permitted 10 override the law and do as
they please. arrest as they pIease ami break
INTO houses without warrant in defiance OF
necessary legal safeguards the inevitable
result Is eStortiOn BY them throughout the
community.
men, The laWless raid in New York City
was long used to collect eXtOrtiOn. The
raid on one house OF hotel because IL was in
arrears OF eNtOrtiOn money levied on 10 was
notice 70 all others in arrears TO paw up;
and all the while jealous people were en-
cOuraging and praising such acts OF law
lessness, not perCeiving what was being
done by means OF them. BY such means
one high officer OF the police after enOther
retired a millionaire. and there IS now quite
long list Of them with their Cs,1ntry and
city houses. yachts and evidences OF wealth
some of them recently had the e0frOnteTy
10 advise through the newspapers how the
Police Department should he run. I cannot
too strongly reiterate that a police force
should be carefully kept within the law and
constitutional safeguards which prescribe
and limit its powers and duties. In no
other way can % be kept efficient and hon
est. once let K become q law unto itself
and the law and safeguards OF individual
right and liberty are generally trampled on.
and that = made Uso Of for the general eN-
tOrtiOn Of money.
a large number in New York City are