The American. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1857, 1857-11-25

T.
adjoining and identifying Of the city n Which ali
take 4 just pride the Other invQlvse shs
naordt and the public order <1iJity Of TIE
COINS sssss sr s1 y9 sls e ss .@. .1 !.
| the neglect Of the latter. T & 81 ~
say the Mayor and his Pr hare uiled /.
keepin view the inspossnt pFineip that liceusesp
as ap evil, and not @ esSufaas II g business =
source OF revenue ETl.1I3kNMA
10 Illustrate ny meaning lsty see wlst ha. bees
syyana avenue to the canal bridge; OH the east side
of the street we have ten tenements aces uf bust
ness consisting of one Wholesale grocery, Whcrs
! liquors are sold by wholesale; nne tavern and five
shops where it Is sold by RETAIL and three devoted
70 other business, purposes Out 1of sntenement,
seven Of them are licensed 70 sell iqusrs and si4 e
Take the west OF 9th street. from the avenue to the
ana oaor as ssop
one only devoted TO othef business Now is it pee
sble that the public requires this number
Liquor tbs snSps s saa space not ho,
the six freeholders, and the Commissioner Of In
| provements who, cerifedtor the tavsrnss and whs
the majority fwhite housekeepers who recommended
them all 1t is manifest that there must have been
"a combination Of liquor sellers 70 recommend and
certify for each other And did these certificates aud
Recommendations, thus obtained by strategy and con7
fbnation, compel the Mayor TO grant the licenses
whether he considered it right to do SO or not us Hss
he no Judgment discretion in the matter i4ot a0t
be the true intent and meaning Of the law, Aen in
| deed, is the Mayor reduced to a'oyoh1, ana tks
restrictions Of the law fa,cest bas aniaiqo sAdt
But may be said that these two streets consulate
east and west fronts Of the Centre Market, and
these liquor shops necessary convenience 10 the
market people not to the residents on the squares
But the law t3prevent all disorder and riot declares
expressly that no intoxicating liquors shall BE- sold by
retail IN the market house during market hours Aud
may this wise and prudent purpose of the law b.
eyaded and defeated, by surrounding the niarksk
thnttoa thaaa
without limit Or restraint And man the Mayor be
compelled 70 this BY thesi combinations whether his
Judgment apspoyesta# s6tq aat aat3 s@s 8-s N
But the truth is plain and clear. Nothing can r.
lieye the Mayor from the high dltgTId responsibility
ofJudglng Of these matters for Aiase and framing
ais action with "a view to +notlef the cheS si1
The only restriction upon HIM is that he cannot aot
until these certificates and rscommendatons arc pre-
sented to him; but when 50 presented, he may not
asits Representative and executive officer, permit
LOCALITY 70 plant upon it an establishment which
shall leopard the health good order and morals Of
est OF that locality. nni9o3jash td8 se6s7=q Tia4a
But il the duties and responsibilities of the Mayer
are great in these matters those Of the citizen are
not less 30; and long and deepshoud heponder over
the matter before he signs his name to recommen-
dation " the Mayor to issue one of these licenses
Some years ago therew list Of i the licenses
published with the names of the free holders W
recommended thom. u made an analysis If thee
names and was amazed to find among them two OF
our most Respectable citizens chui CHI members in
high standing who had recommended, one afo them
tel ten OF these establishments, and the other eight
| There were others who recommended five and ak
Now, this is an abuse which is highly culpabie and
ought not to be permitted The law never intended
thai any citizen should recommend more than one
stu Sss did Y intend that those engagedip e traffic
are not dislnterested or impartial Judges as to- how
far these establishments are necessary for the public
convenience and their Recommendation are entitled
TO no weight They are influenced MAINLY If not az.
clusiyely, by the profits they hope to realise Ia tie
citizen remember aato tie oct 6f reconDas,oino 49,
hce,ss makes ha responsible to God and TIE oouatSv
t ,. s.ss g erSHes Sss0rsr md degradation ss'
Tn addition to the licensed liquor shops, sow n
broadcast all over the city, we have perhaps an equal
number, in every locality, which sell the accursed
thing setosa ece,'se IN open defiance of law This
isa reproach to the city and stigma upon III police
whose imperative duty il is to put stop to it sill
have thus attempted 70 sketch this liquor traf1is
as II exists among us, restricted and improved by our
public authorities in accordance with the ne N cen q
system, adopted by them in 1858. If they have done
their duty, tits as perfect they make it and
we see II in all its gloryl And what is itS The Law
and the license describe it authority to sell -
barter "spirituous or intoxicating liquors. O. -
"brandy rum, gin, DAiskeY or other spirnous liquorS
mixed or unSed tcias, ooriiai strong 5e1r on cdvs
These are the articles which these averns end shops
are permitted . sell tor Ms pase good and oo9ys
these articles and pronounced them, In teir puresf
state, subtle posons. Still they are deemed nocos-
sary 20 the public good and the law authorises then
to be sold But do they (the taverns and shops) do
itSp Or do they substitute for them adnltersssS
drugs, mixed up and compounded so as TO bear No.
sembance, in color andtaste TO the genuine articles
and possessing all their Intoxicating qualities, but
ton times more poisonous and destructive IN health
1t is believed they do. / have myself heard a.
engaged In tho traffic say that NOT Il drop of pure
brandy or wine could be obtained in the city that
San ss n,ds Sas sold o S:v
| liquors sold and drank at our tavcrts nud shops,
were adulteraedand dragged That I've sroko truly,
there can be no doubt Yes these are the pois nous
drugs which fire the passions and madden the brains
Of our young meh. And this is the true cause Of the
riots which hayd dsgraced the oity and proved :,
destructive 10 human life ~ ~ Ss's "
Now, is there DO remedy for AL thisS We a,.s
Bcg,d OF Iedtthg and if impure articles Of food ar
drink are offered for sale, anything lett men talte
the healthiof the people, the law comm ans thcm II
issue their proclnhai prohibiting it, and o,n,aanab
ing the p2.l$e Q seize and destroy IL Nav notthy
DO something 10 correct an evil so nionstr usf
lhaye thus has and impereety given you N re-
membranes % lings past, and my view OF IA We A.
they now exist The first of November approaches,
when all the cc ses which uphold this systetn az I'M
putty will expire hd the housekeeper and Il II oel,od-
er will pc called upon, all over the city % recommend
inc Mayor 70 renew and psrpetnat9 t. lam firmly
convinced that the mass OF the people Of ASKING ton
Notwithstanding appearances TO the .rafy, Lave
he same opinions on the subject that they 6rd Il
1853 and n they conld be united and BIO ghttc n
polls they would 50 declare Now Is tn time Tier,
lore, " we must baya the evil Amongst US for IL
citizens and The Mayor aud oil who have ~ act in IN
matter, 10 review the whole subject TO ok tn.
TEN and the consequences which flow ii 6ni Il fuii 4.
The face and enforce the law serniy and rpidly no t,,
cordng TO its mere letter but its true s tand mean
an eye single TO the good Of the whole cily
| Can you and and such "a think as VIZ DO doriv.
thing TO encourages the Mayor and our fellowciti ems
TO adopt the course here suggested? IL So lei ms rs
TO the Mayor, 10 tho Board Of Health and 10 the
in spirit Of frankncs and candor and expres, n
them our honest and conscenticso pinions md tJey
will recoive ms kindly and give to our corinsels s
weight and consideration 10 which theyare entitled d
and if as hope and believe they have the couI scs
and tnanlihess which become their stations. iI,ey
VIII grant no license not authorised by law ana
tney VIII eforce the law against all who sell yitlhmf
license, or sell an impure article instead Al tina whS
is recognised by law as the subject Of tidfio Thn
accomplished and the accursed traffic will be resris,Si
ana restrained as much il can be under existin~
There willreman, however, still another thing y
De done, before we shall have discharged our hole
DUTY We must bring TO bear the power of "nIoia al
suasion To do tbs, bet call toeethertte fr end
who bated with rs in times past, in tho cause ~
temperance Forgetting the past let US again pnits
on the common platform Of the "Sons" or one eariy-
aentj renew our vows of total Abstinccs IL, m al
tnat can intoxicate and our war aeaiust
,ne use o. intoxicating liquors in all lis irms The
Thousand mon, who formerly Belonged 10 our rauta
now wandering in the swilderness win etur,ito the