The Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1846-1852, 1849-08-17
Report upon the Recalling OF LII
QuOP.

report upon the Retailing Of LII
quOP. &
} AT meeting Of the Town Council, held
august 9th, ls49, present Messrs. Geo.
JoHN ARMY. JOHN McCLEL-
AND, JAMES NJ. PRATT, JOHN B, REED.
WM. NJ. KINKEAD aud PHILIP Bore, the
Council had under consideration the Pc
.ition lately presented on tho subject of
the retailing of Liquors with
n the Town Of Lancaster.
Gen. SANDERsoN. from the committee,
10 whom had been referred the said petit
lion, submitted the following reports
The undersigned, the Committee APP
pointed to take into consideration and re-
port upon the petition of Alfred McVeigh
aud others, on the subject of modifying
the late Ordinance of this Council, pro
hibiting the retailing Of fliquors by certain
persons, within the corporate limits ofthe
town of Lancaster, have had the matter
thus referred to them under advisement,
and now report: p.
FTra-That the language Of said petition is re-
speclful and that II is signed by number Of very
respectable citizens
SecoAd-That the petitioners do not seem to con-
template the restoration of the Groceries and
Coffee Houses TO all their former privileges rath
er to restore them full reign In return unmolested
to their iormer illegal practices; but they seek
| .,f Al
nance as will take away from il those Its iea-
lures which they denominnte Oppressive aud
uncallcd for,p aud furnish the following Susges-
tons, in their petition, to the CoUncil;--
"l.--That no person. who retails spiriiuOus Ii
'quors, shall open his front or back door Tor the
PERCEPTION Ofany person on the Sabbath day
"2.-N0 retailer shall keep his shop open after
III o'clock ut night
"3.-No retailer shall suffer any youth who i,
under l8 years Of age, to drink spirituous Ii
"quors IN any part ofis establishment
i "4.-To suffer no noise or drunkenness, tina
would be calculated To annoy the citizens; ant
"lhe petition closes with u request that the COrpo
rate authorities cooperate with the petitioner
"in having the necessary State Legislation, to YES
Tin the Town Council the power to licence Gro
"ceries and Coffee Houses with privilege to retail
Your Committee do not feel cOnstrain
ed TO go into the discussion Of the com
parative advantages Of the present ordi
nance over the one proposed by the pc
titioners, nor Uice Versa. 1t is enough fOl
them to know that the action of the
Council. on this subject, must be collater
al to, aud not in violation of any law o
the land. For instance, the law is jus
as much opposed to an illegal sale of ar
| dent spirits, at retail, to the head Of
family through whose disposition TO drum
kenness, if encouraged, his innocent wifi
, and helpless children are brought to wan
aud depreciation, as it is to the sale ofth
. like article 10 the youth of 174 years 0
age, who, if he chooses to make beas
$ of himself, does not commonly involv
y inonensive and helpless friends in hi
/ ruin; and if Penury and Want are TO b
i brought upon the afflicted families G
y drunkards, who are manufactured an
!. encouraged at and about the doggerie'
with which our town, until lately has bee
infested, it would afford but a slight mil,
CATION to provide that, if they mad nj
L been made sufficiently drunk, by II u
l. clock at night. they would have to fast III
j. Ill the mOrrow!!
u Your Committee cannot see hnw, b
1t the action ofthis body. that, which is III
{, lawful by The State Legislation, is to /
l. legalizsd within the Corporate limits
X our town, The Stale law, which prohiI
o its Gambling. is none the more law tht
A. is that enactment of the Legislature
D. gainst the retail Of liquors by unautho
: lied persons; and your Committee wou
r, ask, how it would look for this Council
i, enact that gambling should be tolerate
10 within the Corporate limits Of our tow
O. provided that no youth under Is years
L. age, should be allowed to be engaged
u il; and provided further, that such esta
Mt lishment should not be kept open after
s. o'clock at nighll!! Surely, it might
20 such case we'll be said, "our City Fat
d. ers have reached their do,age or ha
gone stark mad" 1t is almost unaccou
table to your Committee, that persc
"t wearingrhe apparel and favored by Pro
IT. dence with The physical faculties of mi
's' can be so far swerved from the line
10 propriety and duty. by none other ii
S'l the merest views ofpecuniary gan-tl
u.s. gain too, which enriches them thougl
nc starves the dependent families ofthe i
az briate-ns to publicly ask Of this CO.
On Gil to so sthltify itself, in the face Of
reasonable men. in order that they II
mo- get money!
;,ss To your Committee, only one Of
,he expedients appears tolerable;-the I
Is to retain the Ordinance as il stand
~ the other to repeal not modify it.
hLa That the Ordinance has exerted a be
Ia fetal influence, your Committee are v
asa M convinced; for notwithstanding their W
'L I grounded suspicious that some thi
.n have been purposely brought about
IT,, discredit the Ordinance, il is neverthe
~ n true that better state of general q
y and order has prevailed since, than
fore its passage. Entertaining this I
EFT. viction, nothing short of high sens
"A representative responsibility could
vast duce your Committee to advise the re-
and of the law, and in their opinion that
rise gree and character of responsibility {
y to not accrue to them through the mean
eel. the petition in question, and this for
in reasons following t.,..
ON. Ist. The Petition is not signed
lsh- majority ofthe legal voters in the Co
evi. ration, and therefore is not such an in
rom To public opinion as tends to show a