In his report for 1908, the Commissioner omits all mention of the arrests for intoxication and disorderly conduct, but places these offences under the head of misdemeanors. This was done, no doubt, to ease the consciences of the rum and beer interests, who do not want to see in cold type the number of persons who are daily ruined by this damnable business. Last year there were 244,000 arrests in Greater New York. Judging from the figures of other years, one half must be laid at the door of the saloon. The following table, which we received from the State Department of Excise, shows the number of liquor tax certificates in force, and the money received therefor. This table covers what are known as the five boroughs of Greater New York: LIQUOR TAX CERTIFICATES AND MONEY RECEIVED. _No. Ctfs. _Money _Boroughs_ in Force._ Received._ Manhattan and the 7,015 $7,876,561 09 Bronx Brooklyn 3,836 3,632,191 91 Queens 1,344 513,095 65 Richmond 479 181,523 75 ───── ────────── Total 12,674 $12,203,372 40 From these figures it will be seen that the license tax paid the State for the privilege of selling rum, which damns our fellow men, amounted in 1907 to $12,203,372.40. In an article of mine which appeared in Harper’s Weekly for March, 1907, I computed the cost of crime in Greater New York, in a tabulated statement, at $35,552,134.34, which is about a third of the entire expense appropriated by the Board of Apportionment for running the city for the year. It ought to be known that the churches, chapels and mission halls of Greater New York, of all denominations, Protestant, Catholic and Jewish, number 1,200. The number of licensed saloons, on the other hand, in these boroughs, is 12,674. That is to say, the Devil has more than ten saloons in Greater New York for every church. This is a sad reflection on our Christian civilization. But it is true. The cost of the congregational and charitable work of the 1,200 churches and chapels of Greater New York is not more than $8,000,000 a year—possibly less. But the gross receipts of the 12,674 New York gin mills are not far from $250,000,000 a year! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CHAPTER XXXI THE ANGELS OF THE TOMBS