The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-06-01


THE LICENSE SYSTEM.
On the twenty seventh day of January last, at
meeting of the Washington City Total Absti-
nence Society, held in the Foundry Church, the
following resolutions were adopted:
Resoired LIST. That a committee Of three be ap-
pointed to inquire into the state Of the license system
OF Washington, and propose at general meeting Of
the friends Of temperance to be called hereafter,
medy for the evils arising therefrom.
Resoired ID That this committee be instructed to
inquire into the present powers of the corporation and
ascertain whether these sufficient for the suppress
sion of tipping shops; and if so, why they still exist2
Resoired 81. That the same committee be request
ed TO procure from the Judges of the Courts District
Attorney, lntendants Of the pententiary and aims
house and every other within their power the
expenditures necessary for the supporting of the poor
and the Furnishing crime caused by intemperanee.
Whereupon, John Wilson, John G. Hardness,
and Charles ii. Nourse were appointed the COM
mittee and, on motion, the President r. p
Anderson was added thereto.
The Committee appointed in pursuance of
these resolutions have discharged the duties with
beg leave TO submit the following report:
In relation to the first resolution, your COM
mlttee have sought the best advice, and the con-
illusions therefrom, are, that although our NUM-
cipal councils, with the most prseworthy zeal,
and regard to the morality of the city, have
taverns and tipping houses, which the powers
vested in them by the charter Of the city have
authorized, yet your committee have cause to
regret, that the very salutary measure proposed
in one branch of the city councils and sustain
ed therein, has been again and again defeated in
the other: we mean, the separation of the Ii
cense for the sale OF groceries, from that Of the
sale oil liquors in grocery stores. 1t is manifest
ly unjust, that persons who engage in the groce-
ny business, and who are conscientiously oppos-
ed 10 the sale ofintoxicatng drinks, should have
10 pay the same tax as those who have no such
conscientious scruples, and who sell, and sell
freely OF these destructive beverages, and to
whom your committee believe may Justly be at
trbuted the greater part of the evil produced by
this traffic There also other evils and ahnses
still existing which require the exertions of the
friends OF temperance to correct, among which
may be mentioned the evasions daily practsed
OF the acquisitions for procuring licenses and
the evil which every friend of morality and re-
lglon must lament, of the sale of intoxicating
drinks on the Sabbath day, whilst every other
branch of business, both by public opinion and
by law, is suspended on that holy day and your
committee firmly believe, that to this cause may
be charged the riotous noise and disturbance
with which our citizens are annoyed, particular
ly on Sabbath nights, when the unfortunate vic
tins of this vice, with every passion excited by
their unholy libations, are turned loose upon the
community, waking up the stiffness of midnight
with their demoniac noises. One exception,
however, should be mentioned, and il is with
sincere pleasure that your committee bring be-
fore this meeting the fact, that Mr. BEERS of
this city, for some time past has kept tavern
in which there is no bar nor any liquor sold; and
all who have sojourned there, or had business to
transact with any of his dodgers We uniform
ly expressed the utmost satisfaction the order
that prevails, and the great nestn. every
thing about his house. The friends !. tempe
rance, in the City of Washington, feel them
selves deeply indebted TO him for thus proving,
by experience, and before the Nations eyes,
that taverns can be conducted, and well conduct
ed, without the sale of ardent spirits. Again
is not the sale Of liquor the Sabbath pecu-
MARY advantage, taken at the prejudice OF others
in trade, amounting to one seventh, while the
community is a sufferer by the evil created 2
The present charter of the city authorizes the
councils TO CIRCULATE taverns," and suppress
tippling houses" but the only punishment
which can be inflicted, under that charter, for
the violation Of the laws passed in relation
thereto, is in the shape of fine, it is obvious
that those persons who cannot be reached by
this mode of punishment may offend with inn
punity O. this character, il is believed, are
most of the keepers of the worst kind Of tipping
houses in our city. Persons, who, without
means, and without taking out license, com
mence the business of destruction upon a few
gallons of whiskey other intoxicating drink,
and II there is an attempt made TO carry out the
law, they have nothing which can be seized TO
pay the fine /; and where females offend and
your committee regret to have TO report that a
few such cases EXIST not being subj ect TO ar
rest for debt and being in like circumstances,
generally, with the class Of persons already al
luded to- OF consequence they escape punish
ment. or the evils arising from the license
system, various opinions exist among the warm
est and most devoted friends of temperance.
Some think, that by trammelhng it with severe
conditions and heavy penalties, the evils of in
temperance may be abated while others be-
lieve that the very fact of licensing the traffic
is giving the solemn form of legal sanction 10
that which all admit TO be a wrong in itself
that il is giving authority TO few individuals,
for the consideration of paltry sum of money.
10 open up these storehouses of misery disease
and death, wherein the intoxicating fluid is ex-
changed for the money of the unhappy and un.
fortunate inebrate, deprving the suffering
heart-broken wife, and the ragged, freezing
starving children, of those comforts which III,
means earned by the labor of their natural pro
tector would have furnished them, had il no
been for the temptations thus thrown open by
the form Of law.
Possibly the time has not yet come when th'
abrogauon OF the license system would be sus
tanned by public opinion, vet as the term iii
cense" seems TO imply a sanction of law, posi-
bly, the same, better result than now exist
might be obtained by substituting the term fine