The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1853-02-02

1t is a principle III Philosophy-if you
put slight obstacles in the way of un-
grat6cd desire, you do but inname it
A law without penHlty is mere advice.
With Slight penalties it is worse than
useless. when opposed to evils which men
are strongly impclled to practice Hence
to say to u rumseller who realizes TWEEN
ty or thirty dollars day from his bust
ness if you sell. you shall pay fine of
ten dollars is but to stimulate him to
greater diligence 1t is much like tel
ling a thief he shall pay half his spoils
in case lie is detected
Hence the existing law does not wear,
the aspect Of a serious purpose to put
stop to a great evil as the laws against
smuggling and countcrfciting do. ~
gainst these offences. such law would
form no defence. Aside from the mad
joquacy Of the penalty, and the difficulty
of conviction. the law only tri1es with
this great evil, 50 long as it leaves the
seller in full possession of all his contra
band goods, with full liberty to sell
them. whenever he can do it without de-
+ lection.
Ifit be said this traffic diBers from
other things which, it is admitted drcquire
stringent legislation, We fully agree to
it but the difference, IN crery particn
lar, goes 70 show the need of increased
stringency here because the evil to be
remedied is, beyond comparison, greater;
because it is one of long standing be-
cause men are slow to admit the crimi.
nality of the business, and because the
temptations to pursue it are thousand
times more Can any man, in his SEN
scs, believe that power to search, and
seize. and confiscatc, is necessary to the
efficiency of the law against smuggling,
and that such power is unnecessary to
the efficiency Of the law against vending
ardent spirits ? We think not. Noman
thinks 50, who really believes the law is
to be enforced. The objection that such
measures are unnecessary and extreme,
comes not from those who are sanguine
in the expectation that less stringent
law will be executed and remove the
evils in question but from those who
have no thought of seeing them removed,
and who would prefer the fountains
should be kept open, and the evil be
merely regulated, |, not ycnsogca.
With confidence, and without fear of
contradiction, VIC come to the conclusion
that the principles which lie at the
foundation Of the Law recently enacted,
of yigM ought 10 be cmLodieI IN SHch
q La'c ; and that it is the imperative
duty of every community to sustain it,
because it is its duty to give protection Il
gainst one of the greatest If not the
very grcatcst-cvils ever inflicted on
humanity because it is wrong in prin-
ciple to attcmptto ycsalate rather than
seek o suppress such an evil. aud be
cause it is right and it is a sacred duty
to use all proper means to suppress an
evil which can be removed in no other
way Not one Of these principles is
new in legislation. The most violent
objcctor cannot point to one Only one
Of them is new in its application to This
subject and that is the one which puts
this evil on the same ground with other
evils which it is the purpose to restrain,
and net merely to gceuiate. The Dro-
pric'y Of such application we fearlcssly
submit to candid men.
W. ,.nl ,,o,u o,,;,o ,.,.l.. H.
on nu ny ~,
I 80" '''''' ;",l, w 's'o''S :" :"''
That which provides for the destruction
Of liquor. when seized. is objected to on
'r, ,'''' ,I~ ''.'' 70 I'Vl1' >,
I' I''' Wv '''o' ''9'u' Nv, o.' ~ u
;'e .;';,l'. 'i''' ial III. '"''o'o' i'e' :" 7
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s"'"'1 ''oVf: ','N.u III :. S'o'' N"''e'N u
- '.e' s'i'N-u We ~ i" o''o "Ho' Z
J'"o' p'Yi'''9 VI NJ 1i = ;i'e may ~ IN
u"''7o''" ' a. ~ ''o o'o","s up " muse
''' '"o I''5,'1' u 'o'ias'"'
,i io" i % wv ''1su III 'no o1i"S'n
'Oa' :I VI 'ou1 =, " I Io'''l "O'''u u "'''0
~ ;i Iceot5n'@eu W III l '1o ease case oi ua'no9eI
' n'ucs' or corrupted uruss' Or tainted
;igH' i..' Ia '.e 'iiei Ao', or 'ne 'oo'S ana
,nit'l"Trn'','S VI ooo''Gtdo''eis' III, gays
~ ~ T. ,; . is''o1 .loi-G"". ne aeA"1"ieu9
eu lIoi'Jo PoMet .;o oi " '''"'e 'A'epuS olten
70 'le obstruction 'r u properly; y hui-
1!.i sanoo n,a9 po i'h ao',Iu' Every 'ni,'g prey
' uu'e'l' - 1 sno manu- H' u lnoIIis u Guy
'n"l ~ lelnolou ,'''' no'cnanuise Ii from Il
'o:l Tto'H ,.Ii oo'i'"s'ou' u'sc'Sc -. lreNaiis'
be excluded and in extreme cases. NAV
be thrown into the sea- Thus clearly
is the principle established. the private
propertv NAV. by law. be rendered val.