Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1859-05-18
Criminal 4apus.
Tc the Justices of North Carolina.
TCoNCLUDED.l |

TIC the Justices Of North Carolina.
CONCLUDED.
5. 1t must be at a proper place.
At a place where the wants and wish
es Of the community require it. And
it must not be at place where they
do not require it. The place must be
made known to the Court and put in
the license. (Rev. Code, p. 448. y
And must the Court inquire into all
this? ? Unquestionably. Would you
put it at the door Of a Church, or
school house? Why not? Because
public sentiment would be shocked,
and the community annoyed and in
iurod by it. And yet, it would be sa-
fer to put it at the door of a Church
than in a neighborhood populous with
slaves. And safer at a school house,
where the boys are under the restraint
Of ? teacher, than in a neighborhood
populous with young men under no
such restraint.
In matter of 80 much Importance,
when every precaution has been pro-
vided by law, not to heed the precau-
tions must be attributed to ignorance
or corruption. You cannot escape
3 censure, by having it supposed that
you do not want to be too rigid. You
must do your duty. And yet, you
ought to act in such way as to show
that you are acting from a sense of
duty, and not merely to put on airs.
When an applicant comes before you,
hear his case patiently. Cross-exam-
inc his witnesses respectfully, but
thoroughly. If he does not call such
witnesses as the Jaw uesfohfsVO0' - -
n strong circumstance against HIM
and you ought to refuse him on that
account. Or, what would probably
be better, you ought to call them your
selves. If they are not present, con
tinue the case until they are or yol
may summon them to appear. Gal
men of high moral worth, who hav
sons around them, or who have prop
erty to lose when the negroes steal
And if such witnesses as these prov
the applicant to be of good, moro
character, and that the plan IS proper
and that the WantS Of the commun1t
require H; it is your plain duty t
grant the license. And then, althoug
the slaves cndangor property and life
although husbands are brutal; a
though young men are drunken; a
though the low wall of ruin COM
with every nightfall; and the wi
scream Of phrenzy with every moo
day you are not to blame. But if {
these come through your unwortl
ness, you may glut yourselves WI
the meanest poisons that he venc
until you shall be too low even to mic
name, or to laugh at, yet if ever
moment should be devoted to reht
ton, that moment will curse you
the lack of every ennobling quail
that ennobles man or magistrate.
Again: it is important to enquire
the applicant what sort of liquor
keeps or proposes to keep. l do /
mean that it would be becoming
enquire particularly into the varie
and price; but it is just as well kno'
that the low grade Northern liqut
are poi5ons, rs it Is that strychnine
q poison. Not simply that they 6
injurious to the system after long
immoderate use, as other stimulal
are supposed to be, but they are dov
right poisons themselves. Now
law making power has not yet thou!
proper to prohibit the sale of hq'
altogether, and it is thought to b
deliberate question, whether it oui
ever to do it. l do not propose
debate it. only desire to show y
duty under the law, as 1t is.
ground now occupied by the law
that stimulants are desired by the ]
ple as refreshments. And while
law allows their use for refreshme
it does undertake to regulate the t
fc to prevent injury. And it aut
ICES it to be retailed, because, W
men Of means can buy by the qua
ty, and keep it at home, poor 7
and they who are from home, cal
50 buy it. And to protect these
imposition, it provides that no
shall retail, unless he be of the
character. And now if the objet
the law in allowing only good me
retail, is to protect these depen
classes, viii you defeat the obje
the law, by granting license to
men? These Northern poisons
bought for the express purpose o.
ling to poor men and slaves. SUI
it were proven before you, that
applicant was in the habit of pu
strvcbnine in the lirrpr~ he sci