Law vs. Order
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Law vs. Order.
New York is in a state of incipient revolution—not many degrees short of the attitude of San Francisco last year under the Vigilance Committee.1 A quo warranto has been sued out against the new Police Commissioners2—thereby recognising in them the prima facie right to the office, and debarring the old Board from acting, pending the decision of the case. Then an injunction has been laid on the new Board, restraining them from acting—so that legally there is no police commission now existing in the sister city. But Mayor Wood holds on with unabated tenacity to his authority over the old force, and the new Board, say their adherents, will at once proceed to recruit for a new force.3 The better pay and wider jurisdiction of the new force will give it an advantage in numbers over the old, and probably induce desertions from Mayor Wood's body guard. How hostile collisions between the two forces can be prevented it is hard to imagine; and it is difficult to see where their pay is to come from, though the financial officers of both New York and Brooklyn are likely to side rather with the new Board, and to pay bills passed by them, if they can do so with safety to themselves.
The imbroglio about the License law becomes daily more complicated.4 Arrangements are being made in New York for a grand demonstration, in opposition to the whole series of obnoxious bills passed by the late Legislature, including the new license law. The liquor dealers of this city are resolved not to be behind those of New York in their resistance to the bill.
At a meeting of several hundred members of the Kings County Liquor Dealers Association, held last last evening, Mr. F. E. Collins was elected President, and Judge Moore and Mr. S. P. Copper were retained to contest the constitutionality of the law; nearly a thousand dollars being contributed on the spot towards expenses. Another meeting will be held on Monday next.
Notes:
1. The San Francisco Committee of Vigilance was a vigilante organization created by citizens in the 1850s to administer justice separately from the local government. [back]
2. The Metropolitan Police Act of April 1857 was passed by the New York State Legislature in order to dissolve New York City's Municipal Police and replace them with the State-controlled Metropolitan force, overseen by a board of commissioners. This new force covered the combined areas of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island, and Westchester County and was considered controversial in scope, with some parties arguing that the Act was unconstitutional. Embedded within the Act was a series of provisions that impacted both the sale of and access to alcohol. [back]
3. Fernando Wood (1812–1881), a Democrat, was mayor of New York City from 1855–1857 and 1860–1861. He was widely regarded as corrupt. During his time at the Brooklyn Daily Times, Whitman penned numerous fiery articles against "King Fernando." [back]
4. An excise law, or license law, was passed by the New York State Legislature on April 16, 1857, that served to further regulate liquor licenses and limit both the sale of and access to alcohol. [back]