New-York tribune., 1910-03-30
WILL CURB POLICE
NO MORE EXCISE 1R-
RESTS BY FORCE.
Officers Must Oct Evidence u
IfOldtiOpS for District 1T
forney's Office.

Mayor GayEoT. in n letter to Comr1is-
sioner Baker last night. ord.:e.i q: radical .
change in tho enforcement o. he excise (
law by the police. In tie future they .
are 10 make no arrests put are to turn /
/ over To the District Attorney any cvi- |
dence they may Obtain OF excise viola
tions- District Attorney Whitman is IN |
thorough accord with the Mayor and IS /
prepared % take up the additional bur !
den Ihat K viii place on his office. The |
Board of Estimate is 10 give three more |
assistants To handle the excise prose
cutions.
In his letter which is nearly two
! thousand words In length. the Mayor |
quotes the law 10 show shat the way in !
which the police have attempted 70 en-
! force the excise Law in this city has !
been illegal Ee says that the burden !
Of enforcing the law falls on the state
/ Excise Department. and that the police
way Of going around In plain clothes. /
getting drink. and then arresting the !
proprietor is responsible for much Of !
the corruption in the department.
/ In closing the Mayor attacks tho Park !
hurst societ.-. which is said . have been
behind the excise arrests of Patrolmen
Keenan, and Cunningham
/ In opening his letter The Mayor says
/ After a careful examination Of I'll OF the !
conditions am now ready To consider with |
/ That waS Is the way prescribed by the
said Law itself. and which has been fol '
4 loved throughout the state outside of Til, !
! city. where it has been ignored from ihe
/ beg1nini;. The way adopted aud follow =
here was we'll adapted for the collection
1 Of eNtortion and even blaCkrnail rf tho
| liquor dealers, and tnat result inevitably
/ followed.
! The Mayor speaks of his conferences
with the heads Of tha district liquor
dealers associations early in January.
when he told them TO stop collecting so
called monthly dues and paying the
money over ''to persons of supposed in
I iuence and police officials for protec-
ton
He understands. he says. that such
/ collections and payments have been
stopped. But he adds: The hotels and
saloonkeepers especially the two thou
sand which do not belong to organiza-
tions. have also been paying money
weekly and monthly 10 policemen in
plain clothes, and also 10 the agents II
private societies. who called regularly
for it
/ The letter continues.
This was not only made possible but
! foStered hy the irregular methods adopted
for enforcing the liqucr tax law. here. which
/ I have already mentioned, and the action
Z Of some good people who know nothing OF
/ tho difficulties ~ government in the
/ ods on.
The provisions If the liquor tax law were
carefully drawn to prevent all Of this. and
/ they have been followed al over the state
outside of this city. resulting in the re-
ducuon Of extortiou 70 the minimum and
: a safe orderly and effective administration
Of the liquor tax law
The Mayor then goes on to poirt out
that the law says there shall ba no
screens. curtains. opaque glass or other
I covering in the windows Of barroom
during the prohibited hours. He orders
! that policemen shall inspect every bar
room from the outside 10 SEQ that this
provision Of the law is not violated. and
shall report any violations i'm detail on
their return from their tours of duty.
Proper Enforcement of Law.
Next the Mayor discusses the provi-
siors for enforcement of the excise law
through the state authorities. sayirg:
The liquor tax law provides for a sys-
TEN of enforcement thereof throughout the
missioner and Corps Of deputy COmmiS
sioners and special state agents appointed
by him and acting under him. This is
separate and apart from the local police.
II provides for deputy commissioner for
each Of the hOroughs OF this cit". and for
special state agents 10 visit hotels and
liquor saloons under their guidance and
direction 10 discover violations of the liquor
II carefully provides that such agents
are To make written complaints on oath
OF any violation they discover; and turn the
same over To the commissioner. who is
therelpon required 10 examine them. and
turu them over 10 the District Attorney.
obtaining warrants thereon of a magistrate
Tor tho arres: of the offenders
The state agent or officer is not per
mitted II reveal his identity In the hlCor
place az al. The same rule must be pre-
I scribed for the city detectives or plain
clothes men, with the penalty Of dismissal
II tnev reveal their official character or
Z identity while on such duty. I'm that way
thc possibility Of their e%tortinG money is
greatly reduced. II not wholly taken away.
The LIQUOR tax law also provides for the
enfor thereof by the local police
method To be pursued. namely. that pre-
| scribed FOR the states own officers and
agents. a | have already set forth. This
provision has been set at nauEht. and in
I stead the arbitrary and disorderly method
which have described adopted arG fol-
loved ina this city.
SONS would rather see the tree sale of
liquor than 10 have this eating Cankcr of
eXtortion continued Tho policeman not
only makes the arrest the spot I'm this
! city. hat II ieft to prosecute the case a
best ne c,ui before Tire magistrate.
FiuaHy the Mayor takes = sho: at
those who are said 10 be behind the
raidinG COPS" as follows:
u might Well 80 disheartenjug 20 you
( and ." ne that. while have been col
lectlEs tha factS and preparing 10 act i'm
this matter. certain persons who profess
IT, pc good ami Just and anxious To have
. pUnlc officials succeed in dOinE their du.v
have gone behind our backs time and again
80 try 10 cmbaTrasS rs. While we Lavc
been planning legal and effective enforce
/ meut OF the Law. such persons have not
even hc~itated 10 encourage two patrol
men IN acts ~ plain INSTRUMENTATION.
When seen last night the Rev Dr.
John =. Peters said that as he had not
yet read the Mayors letter tie would
not care or dare 10 speak ii he had"
without very careful study 90 the mat
ter.
George Haven Putnam, a member Of
;hc Committee of Fourteen. had this 20
say.