Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1853-10-19

liquor to Indians. Sec. IA fixes the fine
at sum ranging from $40 to $780,
And why should the Indians be forbids
den to approach and drink this aqua rita
with his white neighbor. If it enables
the white skin to scorn sleet and hail,
as the Behemoth laughs at the arrows of
the archer, will it not clothe and pro-
tect the red skin too. IF it elongates
the physical and moral powers of the An
gis-Saxon, as setting sun shadow, will
not its hot-bed virtues give elasticity
TO the red mans step, strength to his
arm, vigor to his will. What a mas
terpIece of absurbity is license law.
The legislature here declares, that were
the taste of mankind uncorrupted, had
they the unperverted appetites of mi
nors under Is, the law would forever
resist the introduction of alcoholic
DRINKS, over territory already free, sla-
very should net extend. And where
ever the legislatures judgement acts UNI
biassed by appetite or interest, the law
hurls its anathema at the traffic. The
legislature says you shall not sell to our
Indians at all here the humanity, the
judgement of the legislature stands forth
untrammelled fearing nothing from In
dian voters he says to them you shall
not drink this fire-water. And vet such
lis the identity of human nature, that if
intoxicating liquors can add cubit to
the stature of the Anglo Saxon, it must
in the same degree elevate the Indian.
The legislature hesitstes not to de-
nounce intoxicating drinks as dangerous
to mankind, yet it licences their SALE
The legislative judgement convicts slco-
hol. Powhattan lifts the club-tbs for
eign foe is prone on the earth, anticipa-
pating the mortal stroke, but appetite,
like Pocahontas, rushes between and the
captive is spared, and set at liberty. 1t
is this continual strife between appetite
and judgement that makes all license
laws tr ansient, inefficient and vain. A
stringent license law is enacted to begin
with. The license system depresses the
tone of the public mind. Courts and iu-
rles partaking of the rumseller's hospi.
tality, allow him to violate the law with
IMMUNITY. He is often complained Of,
and indicted, but always escapes. Ev-
erybody despises law that tolerates
what it condemns. Then comes a re-
vulsion of public feeling. The people
abolish the whole system as the French
people abolished the corrupt monarchy
of Louis Philippe. Another system g.
qually futile is adopted, and fails, because
If Gaas not outbor,,a thu oGo,r. of n
law to seize the liquor and pour it into
the gutter. Nothing short of the peril
OF losing his investments will deter the
ihveterate dealer, whose profits, like
those Of the slave trader, increase as law
and public opinion leave the business to
INSCRIPTIONS and reckless men-with-
out competition, the next scheme itself
is abolished. Like man lost and be-
wlldered. we come back to the old plan
again. We resurrect that dead carcase,
the license scheme, and invoke it to pro-
tect us from alcoholic evils, as if Satan
was in earnest in casting out Satan. A
way with the vain scare-crow. So far
as restraint or individual action or civil
liberty is concerned, it arrogates the
right to limit. Why have not the oppo-
sers of the Maine Law been frightened
at the abridgement of civil liberty per-
petrated by the license system. The
law stands between the liquor dealer and
the entire juvenile race. 1t will teach
boys to lie and steal, to evade the law.
The license system is obnoxious to the
same hollow, hypocritical objections as
are urged against the Maine Law. 1t
acknowledges the wickedness, and the
traffic it allows. But like Paul's account
Of the natural man struggling with his
own depravity, that which "he allows
not, that he does" If the traffic in in
toxica'ing drinks be pernicious, as the
tariff on the business implies, the pro-
hibition Of its sale to miners and Indi-
ans implies, then it ought to be wholly
abolished. If not pernicious, free trade
should be allowed in alcohol. Hence
every license law is mere temporary
expedient, and gives rise to more law.
We shall not attempt TO estimate the
time or expense incurred by the legisla-
ture, in adjusting fg-lsaf aprons TO COW
er the denominations of the liquor traffic.
The license law of the old statutes soon
became as speckled as the pantaloons Of
the Shepherd of Salisbury Plain. 1t was
patched and repatch ed till you could not
guess the original W arp or filling. The
spirit Of change was incarnated in the
system. In 1847 bold innovation was
made. The question of license was left
to each town and precinct. As the Cam
tons of Switzerland between Catholic
and Protestant, so were towns aud pre-
cincts divided into greg selling and total
abstinence. As lovers were once COM
PEELED to fly to Gretna Green to enter
the bower Of Hymen, SO the drunkard
could always find a temple devoted to
Bacchus, in a neighboring town. The
question of license continually recurring,
kept the towns in perpetual agitation.
Many political craft would be wreck
ed by this agitation. Neither the peo-
pie nor the politicians were satisfied
The license scheme had now became all
impervious ,inextricable jungle. Theon-
ly remedy was utter abolition of the
whole enactment, and all its multifarious
amendments.
The Gardner act now came to the
II O.