The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-07-29

slight Improvement IN pr ceE; tne sales embraced
about 1900 hogshesds Cuba muscovsdo, and 2,4oo
b. xss, at prices given iu another column. Freighss
were Gull
The Lesson Taught by the Liquor Law.
We have before rs q synopsis of the legal
proceedings which have been based upon the
prohibitory statute since the fourth of July.
1t appears that one clause only has been faith
fully carried out, namely, the one which re-
quires the police to arrest dtunkards in public
thoroughfares. To this clause no exception
was taken by any one, and duriog the last fort
night at least il has been enforced, thoroughly,
without dissentient voice, The average number
ofsrrests made during this period has been thir.
ty-twope diem. 1t is not to be supposed, when
corruption is the order of the day even among
the Aldermen, that the police are wholly pure !;
it is reasonable to suppose that some drunkards
have purchased impanity, while others may
have escaped through the want Of vigilance of
the force. Let US allow twenty-five per cent
additional for these items 1t will then appear
that forty persons have each day exhibited them
selves in the streets in state of intoxication.
The Probibitory Liquor law was enacted for
the correction of these forty.
For, even in the opinion of the temperance
party, it is neither possible nor desi-
rable to legislate concerning private drunken
Hess. The men in whom liquor works
mischief get drunk out of doors, at grog-
shops, in cellars, at corner groceries.
The rowdies who stagger through the streets,
seeking a fight, who make their homes desolate,
break their wives hearts and brutity their chill
dIen's instincts, drink the liquor outside of
their home. This is well established by stats
tics. Men who get drunk at home are few in
number, and except to themselves, their folly
is not actively Injurious. These, when they
drink, do so after their work is done, and their
families are at rest; they do not disturb the
public peace, or even in general maltreat those
who are under their control. Their drunken
ness is mere sottishness; it is that of the out
side driDker, the fellow on whose heated blood
the cool Dir begets mad impulses, which it is
the duty Of the legislator to endeavor to sup
press. and which the present temperance party
hoped to prevent by their prohibitory statute.
These men, as we see, are enumerated as
looming up in this city at the rate of forty
day. It might be urged that q large proper
tion Of these forty-as appears plainly enough
from the reports of their trials-were not habi.
tual drunkards, but to whom, in their homely
way Of expressing it, chad happened an acct.
dent" which is not certain or perhaps likely to
recur. But let this pass. Let us take it for
granted that during the past month-the first
month of the new law-forty drunkards have
made their appearance every day in the streets.
The population of New York is pronounced
by the last census to be 100000, exclusive Of
transient visiters, who are estimated at $4,000
additional. It appears therefore, that out of
more than three quarters of million Of per-
sons, including men Of all classes and all call
iDgs in life, only forty-or one in every twenty
thousand-needed prohibitory law. For the
benefit OF these forty q law has been passed
pressing with peculiar rigor on the community
at large, and threatening to impoyerish re-
spectacle class Of citizens. For the moral vel
fare Of ore drunkard, nineteen thousand nine
hundred and ninety-nine sober persons have
been driven to choose between breaking the
law or suffering serious Inconvenience. What
should be the basis Of all SOUND legislation?
The greatest good to the largest number. MI
norities are always sac.ifced-with more or
less tendcrness-in free countries, and 50 they
should be. But here, i. seems, it is the ma
jorities who are the victims; 1890 persons ty-
rannized and robbed OF their rights in order
that one scamp may not get drank.
There are several collateral circumstances
which. must be taken into account in weigh
ing these facts In the first place, since
the law was passed. there have been
no LICENCES issued for the sale of Ii
quors. Hence, every one who had mind,
has sold as much liquor aud Of what quality
he pleased; the, facilities for getting drunk
have been at least doubled. Again, the weather
during the month has been at least as hot on
an average as is usual in July. Every one of US
has been more or less tormented by thirst
Probably four times as much liquid as bsen
drunk in New York this month as is consumed
in the cooler months Of the year. These two
circumstances lead one to the inference that
forty cases Of drunkenness are by no means
fair average even for the 500, 900 population Of
the city, and that in cooler weather, and un-
der proper license system, not more than
half as many cases would occur. Finally, the
reports of the trials for drunkenness reveal one
important fact nine out of ten Of the persons
arrested are foreigners, and seven out Of ten
Irish. Thus Il appears that we have not only
made law to deprive 500 900 persons Of their
rights for the benefit of forty drunkards, but
have actually subjected the native population
of this State to grinding tyranny in order to
reform the foreign immigrants. Because Pat
will get drunk and make himself Nuisance,
therefore we have enacted that no one shall
have any liquor at all. Why does the Legis-
iature not pass law against printing because
our neighbor the Tribune publishes puffs of
soiaism and other isms quite as injurious in
their way as spirituous liquor?
We trust these ncures will satisfy Tho Tom