The Weekly comet. [volume] (Baton Rouge, La.) 1853-1855, 1855-07-15

i other election to be held III this city
lin order 10 ascertain il here hes been
any change in the " sense of the
People 81 tie subject Of granting L.
cense to scolI,.e houses, We opposed
1.-THE law at the time If its inception,
and have fought against the plph'bl-
| 'iun. every time the question has pre-
sented itself; and now. will, renewed
strength are W prepared to do battle
again upon rlilciple .
There should be legislation from
time to time. to repless as 'ar as II ia
possible to do 80, not only the evil pf
intempefance, but other evils, equally
baneiul to the interest of society but
there is limit fnr legal onaetments,
beyehd which. il is neither wisdom or
good policy TO step. A bare alorlty
in a,co,nmunitv have no right to make
laws, and If The legislature shift the
responsibility on the shoulders Of the
people, then its office of law making
is At m end Neither the legislature
nor the majority Of citizens have a
right to interfere with PRIV ale habits,
atd pass ordinances to lash the com
mpnity INTO the path Of vI''ne aud
morality. We oppose sucl, ordinances,
first, because il lB direct lnts rIerance
with vested rights. and second, be-
eause such laws are iuoppiatlsS aud
only haze tendency TO weaken 9TH
ers hat might be enforced. Prohibit
my the use Of liquor (which is the
next thing 10 come after closing the
shQpsl instead 1t correcting tile evil of
inlemperance, only aggriNates It. We
balieve} roihe-liouses not only necessa
~ but Indispensable II they are not
respectable places Of resort il is not
because they cannot be, but because
they are cried down by would lc NOR
alisfs as "nli cradle doggerles. The
evils III the moral atmosphere Of the
tpwlh. not iu the c,dloe house itsel..---s
II ul3n u,ilt All his reason att,l lnfalli.
ranrn is ~ he treatod-4-is TO he guard
ed and restrained as a chill, then It
would Be well to ignore ianhund.--
uuIingc society aud let il fall back IN
to its rrimative condition To show
that the ground We occupy in refer
enre 70 this subject IL the true one,
read the following extract from the
Portland. (Maine) Enquirer, in refer
ence to The workings Of the rrohibito-
~ law in that State: F '*'a
iN "1h this ctv tho law has beon al |
most pnverless during the current mu-
me'pal year; drunkensoss has iiu-
creased, and thing. ar,s'fast relapsing
nto their old order. This is obvious
X All, nobody denies it. 't 'H
Again i says: a"ari
1T is the impression Of many, TINT
u this State, where The Maine Law
,rigina'rd and has been in operation
or several years, crime has wonder
ully decreased Such, however, it
'lprars from an official Statement, is
,ot the case \" &54, M #
A report on the State finances made
q the legislature a few days aye, com
llains of the Increased cost Of criminal
Prosecutions, and states that they
more than aonhlcd within the past s'x
ears In ls46 the cost Of criminal
prosecutions were ST 1926; in 1850.
'aS, SIS; in 1881. S26,s77 in 1852.
'33, ,256; in 1853. S35.3Ss /; IN 1854,
'35,549 And yet We sre tohi that
he traffic IL liquors has been entirely
III Name ! statement not
pstitied by the official testimony Of
he proper officers q the State. O.,
There is nothing but fauaticism to
upport the No License movement, +"
IA ia hnno tb,, o.oL ,na