Raines law "the police restored the sandwich to the bartender and made no arrests." Such a shabby bar serves as the 1912 setting of the classic play "The Iceman Cometh", by Eugene O'Neill. Raines law The Raines law, authored by John Raines, was passed on March 23, 1896, by the New York State Legislature. It was nominally a liquor tax, but its intention was to curb the consumption of alcohol by imposing regulations. Among other provisions, it prohibited the sale of alcoholic beverages on Sunday except in hotels. Most men worked a six-day week, and Sunday was the only full day for
John Raines and 1904 Republican National Conventions. On December 5, 1906, he became Acting Lieutenant Governor of New York for the remainder of the month after the resignation of M. Linn Bruce who was appointed to the New York Supreme Court by Governor Frank W. Higgins. Raines died on December 16, 1909 in Canandaigua, Ontario County, New York. Raines was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Canandaigua. New York State Treasurer Thomas Raines (1842–1924) and State Senator George Raines (1846–1908) were his brothers. Two of Raines' houses in Canandaigua still stand. His primary home, on the corner of Wood and Gorham Streets, was