Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1854-03-16

are compelled TO express the opinion that
as police regulation, i, is unwarranted and
as sumpluary law, odious. lis inspiring
principle is fallacious, and its details mill
tate against the spirit, ii they do no, invade,
the letter of the constitution.
The desire for, and use Of s,imuan.s or
narcotics has been found in every nation,
savage or civilized an instinct so universal
and the co-exlensive means Of its gra,fca-
ton proclaim both as gifts of benevolent
Providence, bestowed for the rational ser
vice and enjoyment of humanity. As with
every passion and every source of pleasure
i, may be used as blessing or abused into
curse. The exceptions in this bill makes
an admission which reason must extend be-
yond their narrow Imitation We feel JUS
lifed in the assumption that the use as
beverage of distilled lermen,ed or nal, Ii
quors is not in itself immoral or criminal,
aud 10 deny this is to disclam the purity Of
christianity and the sanction Of human ma
lure. f,rue, the manufacture or sale of such
commodities is not intrinsically sinful, and
should not be prohibited or punished with
out the most cogent and legitimate requir-
men,s Of political economy.
II cannot be credited that in our commu-
nifty M ore than five in every hundred persons
are guilty of excess in The use Of intoxica-
Ting liquors, and these only on every prn-
ciple OF justice should be amenable TO the
law, If the law is ever justified in punish
ing an act Injurious only TO the actor, be-
fore i! trespasses on the rights Of others.
or invades the good order ofsociely. Blu,
this bill proposes legal anomaly, to punish
the nine.y-fve innocent persons that the
five guilty may, in some impraclicable
way, receive possible benefit. As ration
ally might we prohibit the sale of knives
because they sometimes arm the hand Of
the murderer, or of opium because it may
now and then drug the cup of the suicide; as
legitimate would be legislative prohibitions
of tobacco, or penalties against glu.tony,
sensuality and extravaganza, fruitful sources
Of ruin to the individual and his family, and
of injury TO the community.
The bill permits its agents to sell the
prohibited articles for specified purposes, and
allows profit Of SO per cent. If their use
for medicinal or mechanical purposes be
| righi, aateIyeniion by law TO fasten upon the
consumer partial and onerous tax, benef-
cial only TO the Government agent cannot
be justified.
How can the agent ascertain the purpose
for which his alcohol may really be want
ed? The inebriale, whose protection or re-
slraint is projected, cannot be relied on for
truthful representation of his object, and if
the vender is entrusted with an arbitrary
discretion to sell or refuse, an inequality
and distinction, between citizens having E.
quail legal rights, will be established, such
as no republic should enact and no people
will endure. What superhuman wisdom
can restrain the promp,ings of avarice p
The agent, with his fifty per cent profit in
view, will sell all he can, nor invidiously
scrutinise the destination ofhis wares, which
he could not control. The attemp. would
be nuga,ory, and ell who desire will evade
every wholesome intention of the law.
Unlimited now as is the grant of licenses
on moderate terms, the contraband traffic is
not unfrequent. The temptation under
prohibi.ory system will not be resisted, nor
will the offender be effectuaIly punished
The informer, always odious, becomes more
so as the penalty is fel! to be dsproporlion-
ale or irra'ionally imposed, and though in
the outset well-meaning but inconslderate
fanaticism may induce caution, i. will soon
exhaus, its energy and learn to count the
cost of ou,raging him who can find occa-
sion 10 avenge fancied or real wrongs.
How are the laws agains. gambling, pros
titution, hiring and dealing with slaves, ne
gro navigation and disorderly houses now
enforced An occasional phrensled spasm
Of legal vindictveness is exhibited, and then
quietly subsidies into open toleratlon.
| The Legislature cannot establish monop-
! olies. is not an odious and direct monop-
oily in effect created in behalf of the select
ed venders Of alcohol, &C.? They control
absolutely the selling price, for the reslrlc-
tion upon them is practically Intellectual,
and enforce the producer of the raw mate
rial, or the domestic manufacturer, to sub
mi, TO their terms or face the contingencies
and expense of reaching foreign markell
This feature of the bill trenches sharply
on scored ground, and if the Legislature
have ghl to prescribe the number OF the
individuals who may sell alcohol, and to
llmi, the price of the comm modify, they can
as well determine who shall sell flour and
tobacco, and at wha. rate of profit.
The special election provided for by the bill
the committee regard as Objectionable and
as inope' alive to develope the true sense
of The voters Of the State. Experience JUS
lfies the assertion, that it could not elicit
an expression of the opinion of the actual
majority. With full vote in Baltimore
city, and limited one 10 the counties, as
would probably be the case, the represen-
! tive adjustment of the State would be defied
aud disconcered.
The power given to The Governor to sus-
pend The operation of The law, in other
| words, c1ttciualIy 10 lcpca! il by pronounce