Smyrna times., 1856-05-14

The Efects Of the Prohibitory Law.


The Effects Of the Prohibitory Law, '
oar remarks, in the last issue of the fsmes, D
ia relation to the true bills found by the Grand v
y.rv AGAINST violators of the Prohibtory Law, i.
has elected an editorial from the Reporter oe- 9
,onneing the law upon the ground of expense. u
An law. in it's enforcement, is attended win r
az pensc. and more especially is It SO IN the in-
troduction of new feature oflaw which, from G
ia very nature, must incur malignant war {
,.;,h The immoral and dissolute of society
Nothing else is expected. But, because 'here
i EXPENSE attendant upon the enforcement o.
law. shall we conclude that the law originates
- c.uses violations of its own provlsons'-l
According TO such reasoning, law would DC "a
curse upon society, by being, in itself, the very
instrument of evil. Laws, when enacted oy
the voice of the people as was the rroh'ol'o's
Jaw. are demanded by the interest % society," |
and cannot, therefore, be oppressive and an un-
;ast restraint upon the rights of the people, as
the Reporter says. We viii not, al inns ams'
dwell upon the justness and necessity OF Prohl-
bltion, having heretofore expressed our mind
fully in that regard, bot turn to the Editor o.
the Reporter. who goes iato mathsma'ieai
calculation, and sums up the enormous expense
IN the following manneri go
;. Now. IL these fifty true bills (and there are
more than that number found are to have jury
trial, next term, as they must, 1t would occupy
the Court fifty days, allowing one trial a-dsy'
rxenty-fiye days at two per day; and twelve
H. four trials a-daV. IL
cannot be pretended that more than four cases
eer day could be tried; nor is it certain that
one would not occupy that time. Now, there
are thirty petit Jurors at court, about an aver
age of two dollars per day each, to which must
he added the salaries of the judges, witness |,
sheriffss and clerks fees, &c, all Of which, To-
rrether. would. we believe, upon nett caicuia-
tion. make an aggregate sum OF expense
amounting to some two or three hundred aoi-
lars daily Let us say two hundred, only, for
two weeks. and we have twenty-four hundred
aollars COST of the prohibitory Law in this coun-
Nv alone. for the short period of SIX months, be-
s,les the expense of four days of the present
Term in finding these true bills
This ae calculates as the minimum expense
The maximum being doomed up TO fifteen thou
sand dollars. Granting the correctness OF ne
calculations (Which we think are put at high
6e.reA. what does he then make OF 1t! just
this: that these men should be protected II
their outrages upon society; and, secondly Gar
guipg from the principle involved), we should
have no judges, magistrates or courts OF justice
because such are an expense upon the people
why, according to the Reporters idea of gov
ernlnens assassins. murderers, robbers, and the
whole catalogue of law-violators, should 60 IN
punished because their trial would be an ex
pense. Where would such principle carry VI
but into the widest anarchy aud confusion !
We think he greatly mistakes the moral char
acter of our little Diamond State" in suppos
ing the people will measure the peace and pro
lection Of society with "6lthy iucrs." .suct
an address 10 our people is an insult TO the
professions of morality and probity. We nus
have law, and have it enforced too, and not b
governed by comparatively few rumseller
who make their livelihood. in the most part, Of
the misfbrtunes and distresses Of society, an
give az an equivalent that which curses then
morally. physically and eternally.
We will now examine the negative aide Q
the qnestion--though we have already sal
enough 20 reIute the Editor 4 Arguments gains
law. In the FIRST place. we would inquire, WIN
are there so many cases before the COURT 4
il nos well known that the most Of them wer
the result Of being encouraged and assisted
break the law BY the pariyswbich the Reporte
representa- Low men. without character an
responsibility. have been furnished the capita
10 purchase stock of liquor, and when the
have been detected in It's sale, some OF the
= maenaninsoas friends have entered as bal
quita readily--lhus nurturing gross acts Of on
Iawry. Was the Reporter blind 10 these thing
when be charges the temperance party wit
The exponsesi We know of one man, aIon'
who has eight or ten cases against him IN COST
There need moi have been more than one; ani
if repnrt is true, none at all, bad the violate
not been furnished with the capital for tho ira
&c. Nor is this an isolated case. We doul
dat there would have been one-tenth Of Oh
eases IN court, If the violatofs bad not been eI
couraged in their unruly course by responsbl
men; and yet these same men have the audac
" TO charge upon the Prohibitory Law the r.
suits Intentionally caused BY themselves.
The Reporter is unfair in implying that ii
uresent number Of cases before the court is q
indes Of sll time. II is reai'onable TO expo
that there viii be mose violations Of the law
lts frst enforcement, than after i is fully esta
lished. This is almost universally the CASE
40 rumselIer has yet suffered the peasIty Of d
law. and we opine that after they have be-
yscashed oncss they will be more cautious
their doings. We were not At the last sessi
Of the curt, but sre Of the opinion that Z
number q cases, such as result fran the use
l,aaor fexceptieg. of COURSE, those direct
traced 20 liquor -seIlers backed by responsit
mani. xxas Iess Than formerly. These must &C
,,nuc 10 diminish, for. BY respoving the eau
will