Lincoln telegraph. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1836-1846, 1838-10-25

trust they are fork over the ready and thus re-
ieve our pressing wants, and encourage our hearts
~ Advance pay for subscriptions, gratefully re-
ceived.
N. B. The above notice is a serious and candid
explanation of our real wants, and we request IN
MEDIA1 E ATTENTION. 1t is quite unpleasant
to usto be thus calling upon friends, but we re-
greet to say that we obliged to do SO.
DECISION or THE Town. Agreeably to
previous notice, the inhabitants of Bath,
assembled in town meeting on Monday
last. The meeting was very fully attend
ed, and we have no doubt, very fair ex-
preston of the whole town, was had upon
the questions which called the people to-
gether.
T he prominent, and in fact, the only ar
tcle Of Importance, in the warrant, was that
relating to the question, whether the. town
would, or would not grant licences for the
sale OF ardent spirits After the meeting
was organized, by choosing WI. d. Sew
ALL, tfodcrotor, a motion was made to
postpone, indefinitely, the consideration Of
the article in question, Thereby leaving
the matter precisely as it was according to
the vote of last spring, which was that no
licences should be granted for tho sale Of
intoxicating liquors. This motion was op
posed by Gen. SEwALL, who spoke at
length, in favor of granting licences to
suitable persons, according to the law, in
relation to the subject Gen SEwALL, ad-
miited that intomporance was Il great evil,
he deprecated it, as much so rs any indi-
yldual But, commended the General, We
must not prohibit;--if we would advance
temperance, ii must be done by regulating
the traffic, by checking and restricting;
of temperance, TO resort TO measures of
prohibition and compulsion. lie thought
the morality of the question should not be
taken into the account in the present dis
cussion before the town--that was a ques-
ton, he commended, that must be consider
ed in other places; he looked at the CUES
ton, in different light.-He maintained
that the lqueston before the town, was
simply, "Is it enpcdient under present cir
cumstances to grant licences to such per-
sons as shall be deemed proper" -and he
was willing to meet the question in this
form, and as above specified, openly and
boldly.-The General argued, that from
his own experience, he was convinced that
prohibiting the sale, would not tend to di-
mnish but rather increase intemperance
in the town. So far as his knowledge went
it had been'so, almost universally, when
no licences had been granted. He thought
too, that town legislation on this subject,
was not desirable, or proper. He could
not see why it was not as proper and as
moral for retailers and inholders to sell in
small quantities, as for the importers &c,
to sell in large quantities, as tolerated by
the existing law, He commended that this
PiOhl'i'loli, Houiu w "H apiluSGIneHt VI
the Rights of individuals. He was for
maintaining democratic stand in relation
to this subject, as we'll as all others. His
idea was, that if Bath were the only place
in creation, or even in the U. S. or Maine,
why then, it would do some good to pro-
hibit the sale, and good might be expected
as the result. But as this was not the case
and as there would be places where intox-
icating liquors could be Obtained he
thought it altogether inexpedient to take
any prohibtory measures, at present.
Judge Groton, then read the law now If
force relating to the subjccr, but made nc
remarks.