Charles City intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Floyd County, Iowa) 1864-1866, 1866-04-12
A. h. r. HILDRETH, Editor.
Charles City, Iowa, April IL, 1865.
The Liquor Question.

The Liquor Question.
4 One Of the most important thing,
done by the Legislature, important in
its results to the State, to the cause o
morality, and to society, was the &C
ton taken by the Senate on the liquor
question in response to the report o.
the Committee on the suppression Of
intemperance, in tabling the bill gran
ting authority to cities and towns tc
regulate the sale of liquors. This ant
kindred bills were introduced too close
on the heels of the report of the Cen
sus Board, in which the criminal sta
tistics of the State were set forth
The motive which devised these bills
was too apparent to be overlooked by
an intelligent Legislature. The re-
port of the Committee covers the
whole ground, and the friends of good
order, will thank us for publishing il
in full.
REPORT on THE COMMITTEE ON THE SUPPRESSION
| OF ISTENPERANcE.
Your committee, to whom was refer.
red numerous petitions, remonstrances,
etc, relating to the liquor traffic, beg
leave to make the following report /:
We have carefully studied the many
facts and questions involved i'm the
subject under consideration. We be-
lieve it is universally admitted that in
temperance is great evil. 1t is also
admitted that this evil has steadily
and alarmingly increased during the
past five years. This is largely owing
to the fact that the excitements and
temptations of war have swept over
our land, producing greater inclina-
tions to Incorporate excesses in both
civil and military life than ordinarily
exist in times of peace and also TO
the fact that the moral, intellectual
and material strength of the people
has been almost wholly absorbed in
the great conflict for the preservation
of the national life. Under these cir
cumstances the ordinary means used
to suppress intemperance have been
much neglected, and the evil has great
ly increased.
Your committee have had under con.
sideration various petitions from diff
ferent parts of the State, praying for
the repeal of the laws now in force in
this State relating to the sale of in
toxicating liquors, and for the enact.
ment of license law which will al
low the sale of all kinds of spurious
liquors under certain regulations and
restrictions. Your committee respect
fully recommend that the prayer of
these petitioners be not granted for the
fsllowing reasons, to wit:
Fua-There is no evidence what
ever that majority or even very
considerable minority of the people of
Iowa have any friendly sympathy with
the desires expressed in these petitions
Organized, systematic and persistent
efforts to secure signatures to such pc.
titions, have resulted in obtaining on
ly about eight thousand names.
Second In some of these petitions
there is strong presumptive evidence
of forgery and several persons whose
names are attached to snch petitions
have already advised their representa-.
tives in this honorable body that their
names were thus used without their au
thority or consent Such efforts to Sc
cure desired Legislation by means Of
fraud and forgery deserve more than
mere verbal rebuke and condemnation
TAird-Petitions nearly or quite as
numerously signed have been sent ur
from all parts of the State praying fol
the maintenance Of the present law
demonstrating against the enactment
of o license law, or asking that tht
present law be made more stringent
by the repeal of that provision which
permits the sale of wine, beer and ci
der.
FoHrth-The use of intoxicating liq
uors being an evil in all respects, pro
ducing poverty, disease, crime amt
misery, it is clearly the duty of th'
State to discourage it by wise ant
practicable laws. Saying nothing o
the moral evils connected with tn
traffic in intoxicating beverages, tn
insecurity of life and property resul
ting from their use, and the unfavora
BILE manner in which every branch Q
Legitimate and honorable business j
affected by it, are sufficient reason
for the enactment and enforcement o
laws that shall prohibit the sale of al
coholic and other poisons, commonly i
use as beverages. The liquor dealer
in the State Of Iowa claim to have tw
millions of dollars invested in thei
business. Here is very large capita
which, if employed in farming, tn
mechanic arts, or manufactures, woul
add vastly to the wealth and prosper
ty Of our State. Employed as it no,
is. it may add largely to the gains I
!. q few men but, to the many, idlenes
poverty, misery and pre- mature deaf
are the bitter fruits Of such an inves
= ment. The aggregate profits of Il
liquor trade must be nearly one millic
of dollars per year. Nearly all of tn
vast sum, if not paid for intoxicatil
!. drinks. would be paid to our farmer
/. merchants for the necessary comfor
n of life, or otherwise invested in such
manner as to add to the wealth an
: happiness of men and their families.
FfM-Your committee find in Il
- records Of the courts Of this State a
lie ditional reasons for the belief th
lie strong legal enactments for the 81
re- preston of intemperance are nec'
~ sity Of the times. The official repo,
made to the Secretary of State. q