Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1856-04-04
REMARKS OF
WIN. r. SP0ONER. ESQ,
At hearing Of the Committee of the Legislature,
Gppotnted to consider the Liquor Laao question,
held Thursday, Mlrcb 10Th, 1856.

Looncluded
| now come to consider the other proposition
for change, and that is the adoption of a Ii
cense system. l think but few persons can care
fully read the history of the legislation upon this
subject for the last twenty-five years without be-
ing convinced that Massachusetts has, after full
and long consideration, condemned and abandon
ed the system of licensing the sale of Intoxicating
liquors as beverage. think there can remain
but little doubt on that subject. For two hun
bred years after the settlement Of the first colony
in this State, the system of licensing the sale of
intoxicating liquors prevailed, and it was founded
on the conviction which then universally prevailed
that these articles were useful and necessary as
drink ; that men could labor better that they
could endure heat and cold better for their use
1t was admitted that the evils attending their use
were very great. but yet it was supposed they
could not be dispensed with hence they adopted
a system which should provide for their use, and
at the time guard as far possible, against
their abuse Hence arose the system of licensing
men to sell the article, but under such restrictions
and conditions as should, as far as possible, re-
strain ard limit the enormous evils of intemper-
ance. But some thirty years ago new era COM
menced in the history of Intoxicating drinks
The evils resulting from their use became so APP
palling that the community became seriously
alarmed upon the subject, and began TO inquire
whether it was not possible to do something to
limit these terrible evils. The result was very
general awakening of the public mind to the sub
leCt, anu aler lnuCl discussion ana SclenllHc lu-
vestigation, great change in public opinion
effected, and the old doctrine that intoxicating
liquors for purposes of drink for men in health,
were necessary, was abandoned. 1t was believed
to be an error, the consequence of which had
brought untold evils upon the community, and
the opinion became almost universal that they
vera neither necessary or useful, but on the con-
trary they were hurtful and injurious and ought
to be abandoned. The consequence was, that
their use for the purposes of an ordinary drink,
was generally given up. They were not furnished
for men laborng on their farms, or in the me-
chanics' shops, or for seamen upon the OCEAN
Then came thequestion whether it right for
men to traffic in article which produced so
many evils without any counterbalancing good
The result was that great numbers of conscien-
tlous and good men were convinced that the traf-
flew wrong, and gave itup; many of them at
great pecuniary sacrifice. Next came the ques-
ton of conforming the Legislation to the altered
state of public opinion 1t began to be said that if
it was wrong to traffic in article which produced
so much harm, it was wrong for the government
to LICENSE such traffic, and that the only
proper way, was to prohibit and suppress it-that
to license was to give the sanction of government
to an immorality-that it would be like licensing
gambling houses and houses of i'll fame. This
discussion of the subject very active, and
continued for number of years and the result
was general conviction that to license such a
traffic wrong. This conviction was shown
by the different counties, one after another,
through their county commissioners, refusing all
licenses so that some thirteen or fourteen years
since, nearly every county in the State gave up
the SYSTEM even including Suffolk, in which was
the city of Boston, the great seat of the trade,
sustained by vast pecuniary interest, and to
extent by the drinking habits OF the veal
thy and influential. Even Boston yielded to the
power of public opinion, and abandoned the sys
tenn.
That this change was produced by the change
r. IL "a -
the fact that the County Commissioners and the
Mayor and Aldermen of cities, who possessed the
authority to license, annually elected to eir
offices by the people. Even in the city of Boston
that policy was shown to be sustained by repeated
elections of Mayors and other city officers who
adhered to its policy. Repeated efforts were made
to displace them because of their refusal to IL
cense the traffic, but always without effect. One
memorable effort made to remove Hon. j.
Quincy, Jr. and the signal failure of that effort
will long be remembered.
Four years since the Hon. Benjamin Seaver
came into the Office of Mayor, and he unexpect-
eddy, and think to the surprise of the commun-
ity generally, and without any call from the pop
ular voice, returned to the long abandoned policy
of licensing the traffic; and what was the conse-
quence The next year hewas dismissed from Of
fee and clearly and distinctly for the that
he licensed the traffic, and refused, after the ex
piratio-s Of thnSe Licenses. TO enloSee the Maine
Law. which came INTO operation during his ad-
ministration The issue was as distinctly met as
it could wellhave been, and his defeat was clear
ly owing to that cause. And this history think
clearly shows that even the city of Boston was,
for ten years previous to the adoption of the
Maine Law, most unmistakably opposed to the
License system.
But the friends of license say, License few,
and then you can more easily enforce the law
against the unlicensed" They say, Hedge
them round with restrictions and conditions and
- AZ 7
tent this policy will be to suppress or diminish the
evils of the traffic be shown by the past his
tory of the license system, and by few other
considerations. Previous to 1880 there had been
five hundred thousand persons licensed to sell in
toxieating drinks and all put under bonds to con
form to the conditions of their licenses, and what
was the result? Were these bonds ever enforced?
Never in single case. Probably there was scarce
ly one of the licensed dealers that did not violate
the conditions of his license habtual!y. Yet no
bond was ever sued out of the whole five hundred
thousand. l give you the words of Hon James
Austin, then County Attorney, afterwards Attor.
ney General of the State.
All persons are bound in a pecuniary penalty to
this Commonwealth Taverners and victuallers,
among other things, to suffer no disorders or un-
lawful games, and retailers not to break the laws
About five thousand of those bonds have been
taken by the city authorities, but there is no sim
gle instance IN record in which their penalty has
ever been enforced.'
The effort to suppress the unlicensed sale was
much of the same character. I think the prose-
cution of an unlicensed dealer was almost an un-
heard OF thing. The motive to prosecute was re
moved. The population of Boston is chiefly in
Guided in territory of thousand acres, and
if you license five hundred persons, which was
about the usual number, it is one to every two
acres of territory, which, if equally distributed,
would bring licensed shop within twelve rods of
every individual within that territory. When the
In oNfn 1.f IL
going twelve rods, what matters it whether the
lumber is increased or notf What matters it
whether five or fifteen hundred sell Besides, the
license system is monopoly of the most odious
kind. If the traffic is wrong it ought to be sup
pressed. II right and beneficial, it ought to be
free like any other trade and it is an odious mo.
nopoly to give the exclusive privilege to favor
ed few. The sense of such injustice would 60 far
to prevent the suppression of the unlicensed traf-
nc If there was any motive to attempt it, but it
never was seriously attempted, and probably new.
er will be if the system should be restored.
Much clamor and Misrepresentation and decla
nation has been heard against the agency system
existing under the present law. 1t has been con.
stantly represented by the agents and orators of
the liquor interest, that the town agencies were
the sources of a general and lndiscrmnate sale
OF Intoxicating drinks, for all purposes, and that
the sale by those agencies was very large in
amount. These representations may have had
their effect while the actual facts were unknown.
But last year State agency was established in
Boston, of whom the town agents are by law re-
CURED to make their purchases. The State agent
has made a report of his doings for the first eight
months Of the operation Of the agency. The re.
suit is, that his whole sales to the town and city
agencies, amount 10 a little over $4,000 for
eight months. Probably the sale will amount in
round numbers, to gl50,000per annum. AS many
OF the agencies are supplied for the year, the
sales for the last four months of the year will it
urpgnmad ha 81 thn 10.