The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1859-08-25
Report of select Committee of
the Wisconsin Assembly On
the Petitions for a Pro-
81 hibitOry Liquor Law.

The select committee to whom was re-
fcrred numerous petitions of citizens of
various parts of the State asking the pas
sage of prohibitory liquor law, have CIV
en- the subject less consideration than it
demands in consequence of other numer-
GUS dHties, occupying nearly all our time,
and Will report the said petitions back
without recommendation, accom- panied by
the following views of the sale and "regu-
lation" of intoxicating liquors as a bev-
erage:
- We find that at an early period in the
history of our country very stringent laws
were enacted regGl4liHg the sale Of ar
dent liquors, with certain penalties at
tached for The violation of such statutes,
and at that period one of the first and in
fact the t!sine qua non" upon which a
license was granted was that the appli-
cant should be the possessor of "good
alporeE character" which at that time was
understood to mean q member of some
orthodox church. s:No sales were to be
made on the Sabhathj" and "shops were
to be closed at 8 o'clock at night" and
those visiting such shops were to return
to their families at 9 o'clock in the eve
ming, Sc. Perhaps when none but men
OF . '"good moral character" dealt in in
toxleating liquors, aud did not violate the
restrictions imposed on them, there was
bot as much drunkenpess in the land as
Mt the present time. That was time
when liquors were pure, if that which
Inaddens and depriyes man of bis reason
can Or ought to be characterized by the
word qpgIe." And We will venture the
assertion that there is not a gallon of pnrc
liquor for sale in any of the liquor shops
IN this State at the present time,
We find by following the history oil
liquor traffic from the earliest period in
the settlement of our country, that there
has been a continual effort made to Greg
Alate" the sale of the same. Instead Of
treating it as all other great evils and
wrongs which have cursed our land, by
passing laws for the entire prohibition
they have been continually trying tc
eheek the effects of the regulated traf.
hc; and instead of the sale being aregu.
lated" the sale has f'regulated' almost
everything else.
1t has regulated vast numbers into
tho poor house and a paqper's grave.
1t has regulated" many and many ar
honest man into criminal and made him
Atenant of our jails and penitentiaries.
It has Regulated" men into demons
aud mhrderers.
1t has regulated statesmen from thel
high position to wallowers in the gutter
1t has. regulated" in our own State
the Judge from the bench to the vagabonc
in the street, and finally to drunkard'
grave.
1t has regulated many happy apc
Intelligent family into miserable and de
graded beings.
IT has regulated" its millions from af
auence and respeetability to want ape
degradation.
In short, it has been the cause of {
great proportion of all the crime evel
Committed in our country, while contin
ual effort has been made to "rogulate'
this Acknowledged qOrQpg intQ a zigAt By
the payment ofa few dollars ipto the com
mon treasury, and your committee are q
the opinion that for every dollar paid in
tp the common treasury for the aregula
ton" of the evil, the people haYe to pay
out ip taxes, for the punishment of Grim
inals, support Of pauPars, and the build
ing of poor-houses and prisons, at leas
ten, and all for the purpose of "regglat
ing this ,croRg, which, instead of beins
carried on as at an earlier period of oul
history, by men of a "good moral charac
ter" there are but few men of that STAMP
engaged in the business, and the restric
tiqpssthat are thrown ayoupd the traffic