The New York State liquor tax law of 1896, also known as the Raines law, was authored by the New York State Senator John Raines and adopted in the New York State Legislature on March 23, 1896.[1] It took effect on April 1, 1896, was amended in 1917 and repealed in 1923.
Among other provisions, the Raines law increased the cost of liquor licenses, raised the drinking age from sixteen to eighteen, and prohibited the sale of alcoholic beverages on Sundays except in hotels, as well as in lodging houses with at least 10 rooms that served drinks with complimentary meals.[2][3][4]
Most men worked a six-day week, and Sunday was the only free day for recreation, so the new law was not very popular. Answering the demand, saloon owners quickly found a loophole by adding small slightly furnished rooms, complimentary food and applying for a hotel license since state statutes seemingly allowed that any business was considered a hotel if it had 10 rooms for lodging and served at least sandwiches with its liquor.
- ^ "An act in relation to the traffic in liquors, and for the taxation and regulation of the same, and to provide for local option, constituting chapter twenty-nine of the general laws." Chapter 112 of the Laws of 1896, volume 1, pages 45–81, enacted 23 March 1896.
- ^ J. Raines. The Raines Liquor-Tax Law, The North American Review, Vol. 162, No. 473 (Apr., 1896), pp. 481-485
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
New Yorkers Created the World's Worst Sandwichwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Reprising Our Niederstein's Story, Now That It Is A Thing Of The Past". The Times Newsweekly (Ridgewood, NY). 2005-02-10. Archived from the original on 2006-06-25. Retrieved 2006-11-20.