New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-04-20
BREWERS JOIN
REF0RMERS In
CITY CLEANUP
Makers of Beer Attempt
to Beat Billy Sunday in
His Own Line.
SALOONKEEPERS
AT THEIR MERCY
Order for Dry Sabbath Due to
Fear of Public Opinion Di-
rected Against Traffic.

Billy Sunday may not have to come
here 70 clean up the city after all. The
New YorE brewers may get there first
And the brewers, who hold a large
percentage Of the saloonkeepers Of the
greater city in the hollow Of their
hands, can put into operation more
powerful machinery of distinctly hu-
man origin that the Rev. William
could organize.
The New York brewers, from all in
dications, have seen the writing on the
wall at last, and it Is for the sake Of
efficiency rather than morals that they
have allied themselves with those So
cieties whose purpose it is to per-
petuate law and order. Their decree
that last Sunday must be absolutely
dry is taken as a final proof that they
have decided to cooperate with the
forces at work to clean up the city.
As n few leading brewers hold chat
tel mortgages on 85 per cent of the
saloons in New York City, they CON
troll the great majority of the liquor
dealers. IF any saloonkeeper dares
protest against orders it is only neces-
sary 10 remind him that the mortgage
on his fixtures might suddenly termi-
nate. He takes the hint
The friendly brewer who offered to
nav all but 500 of the struggling
ijouor dealers 81 ZOO license fec. ac-
cept;ng in return his bond and a mort
gage on all his fixtures, was getting
at the same time a stranGle hold on
the license holder
Thus it happens that when the brew
crs say Remember the coming Sab
bath day TO keep it dry" the saloon
keepers can wiring their hands and
muttcr deeply, but they cannot disobey.
for better to be dry on Sunday than
evcted on Monday.
But it is for good and sound busi-
ress reasons that New Workers are
treated to the unusual spectacle OF
veritable reform movement, headed by
the brewers. The apparent union OF
, the LIQUOR and reform interests has
rot come without a long fight. 1t has
apparently taken place now, and the
reason Is that the brewers have seen
that organizations like the Committee
of Fourteen have been making good.
As the old Haymarket, Sharkey's, the
German Village and other notorious
resorts were gradually put out of busi-
ness. the brewers, who were the powers
behind all OF those tottering thrones,
found they were losing. Slowly they
were forced to yield to an awakened
public conscience.
The brewers logic is comparatively
simple. A long and losing fight has
proved that some sort of censorship OF
the saloonkeepers has come to stay
If there must be q censorhip, as vol
untary one would work the least hard
ship in the end. Therefore" says the
brewers, "let us submit to the newt
able. We will help our reforming
friends to maintain their censorship
over those very saloonkeepers whom
we own. II the poor devils kick, we
should agitate ourselves, because. af-
ter all, they can do nothing. Q. +. d."
So it is that if the Rev. William
Sunday comes to New York, a delega-
tion of brewers will no doubt meet him
et the station and earnestly take coun-
sci with him as to how he can best
help them rid their city of its beset-
ting sins.