The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1858-05-07
IRON the Temperance. Journal
License or PrOhibitiOn-Which

We give, in another place, an abstract Of
the License Law of 1856. We have already
given an abstract Of the Prohibitory Law OF
1858, and this week II may be found entire
in the Extra which We send TO our subscrib-
ers. We trust that there will be careful
comparison made Of the two laws. and the
principles which they respectively represent.
ed. On the one side We have the license. and
OH the other the prohibition Of the sale OF IN.
toxicating liquors rs beverage. One OF
these principles. in all probability. every citi-
zen of the State favors for we are not aware
that there is any person at the present day
who ayows himself to be in favor of the un-
restricted sale of Intoxicating liquors. Which
principle, then, shall the State Of Maine up
holds
The principle Of license rests on the funda.
mental idea that the only evil which can re-
suit TO the community, from the traffic in
intoxicating liquors, grows out OF their sale Tn
minors, soldiers and drunkards; or in other
words, that no harm results to the State or
individual from the use Of Intoxicating as a
beverage, except by drunkards and one or
two other classes. Therefore the State au-
thorizes the sale of Intoxicating liquors to all
persons except such classes as 1t chooses to
place under disabilities.
The principle Of prohibition rests on the
fundamental idea that the sale and use Of in
toxiesting liquor as q beverage by any indi-
yidual, are injurious TO the community. Or
in other words. that the sale Of intoxicating
liquor. TO be used as beverage, to all classes,
or TO any class in the community. works evil
20 the State; and therefore that il is the duty
Of the state TO protect itself.
II will be observed that both Of these prin-
eiples recognize the necessity OF some sort oil
protection by government against the sale Of
intoxicating liquors as q beverage. The prin-
eiple of governmental protection against the
traffic,-the urgent necessity for something
more than moral suasion-is therefore con-
fessed by all. Moral and legal suasion are
thus made to hold the same relation respect
ing the illegal sale Of liquor as they hold re-
speenng any other crme-stealing or forging.
The child Is taught not to steal, and incentives
to do night and shun the wrong are held out
to him. But these morsl means are not sui.
fcient to protect the State. They are good
in their place, but when the man has COM
mitted theft or broken the law. then pro-
lection to the State demands the punishment
Of the otfender-legal suasion.
The principles Of license aud prohibition
may be compared very briefly, and the supen-
ority Of the latter over the former in suppress
ing intemperanee-i in fact, the complete i'm
potenee Of the former. and the remarkable
and searching efficiency Of the latter principle.
plainly demonstrated. License, even admit
ting that il Is possible in practice to make
such distinction, prohibits the sale OF liquor
TO an individual after he has become con-
frmed drunkard. Prohibition outlaws the
sale Of liquor to an individual before ss well
as after he has acquired the habit Of drinking
to excess. License seeks to protect the State
against the evils lesitimately arising from the
use Of intoxicating liquor as q beverage, first
by nourishing the appetite for strong drink
until il has reached such pitch a. to over
come reason and self.respec', and then BY
prohibiting IL to the confirmed inebriate whose
inordinste appetite like the leech 10 crying
"give." "give." Prohibition protects society
against those evils by refusing the thought
less or reckless any Opportunity TO acquire
this appetite. and Ithus IL acts at the only
available point. IL is useless to say to tho
confirmed drunkard, the gnawing Of whose