Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1852-11-03
The License Law.


The License Law.
If men viii engage in this destructive tran =
they viii stoOp to degrade their reason and
the wages of ~iniquity, let them no longer bara .IP
law book as a pillow nor quiet conscienca ~ ne
opiate OF a hcense.-Ho". Theodore Frelinykrysen,
Much has already been said. and mrob
more viii doubtless be said, about the svstem
of granting license to certain men - rot.;I
spirituous liquors; the public mind i be.;n.
ming to awaken upon this important noirt
and the propriety of such a system is be,;n'
ming to be graveiy questioned. The a]rie,tioa
Of this subject seems to arouse the natriot;s~
and Indignation Of the advocates Of tbo
tice CT liquor drinking. They grow desno.
ately mad, even at the tai: Of the fr;opds
Temperance, and seem to>tLink iu.trcr~A
perlatiye wisdom that we. as members Of ~
same family-the same Republican HOUSEHOLDS
Of Uncle Sammy, have no right to our on;n;oa
right to be heard-no right to vote,
They cry out that we are trying to take au,-
their guaranteed rights and priyiIeges-tb..
we design sapping the foundations of our 81
rious Republic, and convertingit into an ~
solute monarchy. This is not our das;c.
Rummies: don't be scared! But it Is e.
design to make a clean sweep Of the oa;ou.
licence law, blot its deformed face as i
pears on our Statute Book, and number :.
amongthe things thatwere. This we intend r.
do, whenever it can be done upon true Re-
publican principles, and not before. Have
the people a right to say that the License
Law shall be aboliNed? Why it is a nlain
case, that if the Legislature had the power in
the first place to enact such a Law. the noo-
pie have the power to repa1 %e -.
1919 n ne people" We boDestIr
believe it one Of the most odious Laws tho.
ever was enacted in the United States. and at
the same time bearing upon its face the IN.
mistakable evidence of madness and folly
What will the paltry sum Of ten dollars
paid into the treasury indemnify the county
for the repeated costs Of fights, of broils and
of thefts ~emanating from the licensed groc.
gerry? Will it pay the cost of a single drunk
en- fight? No! But perhaps that is not the
object ofthe Low ; it is intended for a balm
, to soothc the conscience Ct the liquor seller:
aye, forsooth, that may be it after all VIII
it 90 it? VIII the license mufRe his ears
against the shrieking cries Of the inebriate's
wife and babes ? Will it hoodwink his eyes
: against the work Of death that reels up to his
filthy bar to rescue fresh p%otatioIs Of the l.
t quid fire that is burning his vitals away and
tempering his soul for the rayless night to
TO
S carry his written authority to the Judgment
. seat ofChrist as plea for his scarlet sins p
Il these are the objects Of the license law tho
! sooner the State throws the grievous sin from
its shoulders the better =
, 1t men will engage in this destructive trsaic g
they VIII stoop to degrade their reason and room ia
wages Of Inlqulty, let them no longer have tba lov
Dook as a pillow nor a quiet conscience bv the on
ate Of a license. ~Op-
we oeileVe that there arc a majority Of vo-
terS IN North Carolina, who are in favor Of
q change in our State policy upon this poipt.
and we would respectfully urge upon our rea-
GERS the propriety Of pe%titioning our next
legislature to set apart a day BY or before
the August election in 1854, on which oeca-
sion the voters Of the State can have an op-
Poftunlty OF voting upon this question. If
tnere should be a majority in favor of contin-
ollg the License Law, why the Temperance
Ioik would quietly succumb; andi if the thun-
der voice of the majority said NO License"
why the min GRITTY could not complain for
maJorlties rule at our house, bows" saveth
uncle Sammy in his creed.
Some Of the citizens of North Carolina
nave proposed a form Of a petition for the pur-
poses above mentioned which we heartily en-
dorse' and would be glad to hear Of one or
more beng put in circulation in every vii
lage' neighborhood and hamlet in the State.
Let this be none NOW, and a string of names
VIII pc reeled off before the assembled wise
ones IN Raleigh this winter that will cause
some to wonder where in the world if came
from. Letpetitions start from Division rooms
I sections where they are located, and where
'l'ere are none let any gentleman, who is ia
'oraoie to the cause of Temperance and Nor
~ity' take the thing in hand and act. Begin
carry, friends. Brothers of the corps Edito-
riai' keep the ball in motion, awaken the pub
nc nlnd' and bear down On the csluer itself
: 81 unnerclfully sharp stick!
Too many Irons in the fire.
An old co., - ~ .