The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1850-12-26
1. ale ssed for the .Mlanes0.a Pioneer


The election Law was commented upon
last week. The act CIRCULATING Grocery
i..ceu5csn sill now be noticed. The obiec-
ZION 70 this law is that it fails to effect its
tnypose II docs not regulate groceries,
nor Goes il either produce revenue from
,aem or prepens their existence. 1t author
yes tlse Board of County Commissioners to
:-rans licenses to "propsr persons" upon the
i.eslnsn, Of not less than one hundred, nor
inIrc than two hundred dollars. This
,niount, evea the smallest, is too high, and
tse discretion given to the Board is impr0p-
&C. The Tax should be uniform in its appli-
ca.ion aR fyasonable in its amount. The
Board mas "a one county fix the amount at
500, IN another at $500. And even in the
;ame county, they n,ay for any thing. the
law says "a the contrary, make one app!i-
cant pay more than another.
She tax IS too high. Public opinion is
against IT, and il is not executed; and its
existence upon the statute book tends to
hiring the laws into disrepute. The idea Of
entirely preventing groceries, (if such was
the purpose Of the high tax is altogether
aat Of he question. IL the people wish to
driak spirits. they will do it in spite Of the
law. Vice cannot he put down by law, and
,se lass lessons ITS dignity by attempting to
put IL down The law cannot reform: it
may tax, it may regulate; it may punish;
lui aablic opinion only can reform. The
gel ~ of churchmen. the example OF promi-
ueai men, aud the persuasion Of friends
T.. good conduct he approved and bad con-
,!cmnei, nog n words merely, but efeetually
u; all the affairs of life, by giving respect
and patronage to the worthy and not to the
unwsrtiy: let each man see that he is es-
tceiaed according 10 bis conducs--let his
Tsl:e whisper reform, and the work is DONE
I 5e man sxho can be deferred from doing
wrong from fear Of punishment, is not
worth the pen and ink it would take to draw
% The act 10 punish him. One man saved
by che hope Of reward, in being elected
among his fellow men, is worth thousand
held ia cherA by the fear Of punishment.
lf'iten &c tax on groceries, whether high
q. low, can -eform the morals or correc,
the aaa,ts Of the people. what shall be done
with he evil of retailing liquor and those
engaged in NJ. The answer is plain, make
as much revenue as possible ont of them
and bow IS this to be done? The answe,
Is equally plain: impose tax upon them
that they esn afford to pay. and see that il
i collected; and lie: il he uniform.
And if Inc people of this Territory wisl
70 impress the public abroad with goot
opinion OF their morals, they need not ex
PEG. - DO it Ivy spreading upon their statute
book heavy penalties against retailing IL
quor. ! more pleasing mode is happily in
stheir power---one that will make n true ant
highly favorable impression of the publ,
morals here let them publish an account o
the churches and the schools here. Let j
ne known that five denominations of Chris
tisas have their ministers in St. Paul, al
progressing well in the good work; and tina
three of them have within the last three o.
four mouths, built large and elegan
churches: aud that they are all full to over
flowing. every Sunday Of attentive listen
ers, 20 able and eminent preachers. Let j
he known that several common schools are
here with from 10 to 80 scholars each
This viii make better impression on tn,
pubic ,uInd regarding the moral and healthy
tone =. public sentiment here than all ;h'
laws tha; can he passed.