Committee of Fourteen


The Committee of Fourteen was founded on January 16, 1905 by members of the New York Anti-Saloon League as an association dedicated to the abolition of Raines law hotels.

History

While blue laws banned saloons from selling alcoholic beverages on Sundays, the Raines law of 1896 permitted hotels to do so. When saloon keepers responded by creating bedrooms, which were then used for prostitution, the Committee demanded premise inspections to distinguish between legitimate hotels and saloons. On May 1, 1905 a law was passed that a city inspection had to occur before a license was issued. By 1911, most Raines Law hotels had closed, but the Committee remained active until it ran out of money in 1932, when it was disbanded.

Members of the Committee