Minnesota weekly times. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1859, 1857-02-14
The License System. !.

We see that our munlclpal Omcers report tnlrty-
Eve cases Of arrest for drunkenness (or, in the
velvet language Of legal CHARITY. disorderly
conduct, J" during the month of January. I
This startling disclosure suggests to us few
words upon the general system of licencing rum
sellers.
Now, waving the consideration of all the ter
ribie results of the Rum Traffic, and acknowledg-
ing, if you insist, MIR. Madeira, that men ought
to drink, yet Common Sense asks &c If this tip
rling is healthy practice, my dear sir, why will
you prohibit it? If it is an evil custom why dc
you license it?" s'But" you say ''this is a neces-
sary evil; men will drink, we must restrain and
moderate them as we cam" Not at all sr,' p
replies Common Sense, there is no such thing
as necessary evil. :" God never permitted such
a contrivance in the harmony of his universe. II
is a paradox An evil must be always unneces.
sary and Truth must be, and is always the best
possible policy" A ns
IS But men will drink" persists Red.nose. "Sc
they will'stea, ~ replies Common Sense, ''but il
would beitfolly after all, to licence clas,
of men sof good moral character to steal BY
paying $1,000 into the City Treasury. But
there's another thing. You license one man te
make his fellows drunk, and arrest them for stag.
gering home, the victims of your own legislation
You licence Mike Murphy sa gentleman CT goot
moral character to sell as much rum rs h'
pleases,f if he will pay you Fifty dollars; then yor
put Joe Dobbin in Jail Ga gentleman of equal,
good moral character) because he buys as much
Us he pleases Of your agent, and, as a natura
consequence, gets drunk on it Great busines.
this !--licence men to intoxicate their brothers
then hunt the boozy sots around town, arrest them
try them, fine them. and lock them up, only fol
| enjoying the blessings and sanctions of law! OF
consistency Where is Baron Munchausen ?''
But there is yet another thing, (beyond this ri.
diculous posture in which Society places itself,
another thing, which outrages Justice as we'll a,
Harmony. We mean, con6ning the right to grant
to support the paupers. Ths City Marshal ol
St. Paul receives on an average, say 500 pei
week, for licences to rum-selefs! mThis fund goea
into the City Treasury, while Ramsey County i,
obliged to support all the paupers, four rJtths Of
| whom are made by the sale of liquor in this city
1t is just the same in other counties in this ter.
ritory. The large cities receive all the benefits
Of their licences, whlethe whole county is obliged
to support its paupers and its criminals. Is thi,
Democratic9 giving the minority power to impose
burdens on the majority Is it Republican en-.
forcing that exploded dogma of King g-craft ''Tax-
alton without representation ?" This il the very
demand of Royalty which the old Continentala
fought and conquered--shall we yield to it now
We do not believe that Intemperance is rice
and folly which is to last forever, and at anoth.
or time we shall give few hints towards its ex-
trpation. But, if you insist still, that rum drink.
ing is g necessary evil" as you call it, and
that licensing is the best way to regulate it, (reg
ulate rumD yet We contend that the County
Commissioners should receive the revenue, 70,
the County must support the convicts and the va
grants. Will the Public think of it'?. Will the
Legislature act on it? en s;sessf