St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1867-05-24
License rs. Prohibition.

The report OF the Joint Special Com
mittec, appointed by the Legislature of
Massachusetts to examine the facts as
regards this question Of prohibitorv law
or a license system, has been made pub
lie. There is nothing peculiarly Won
dcrtUl in this document were 1t not for
various opinions there expressed, and the
~ad departure from the rules of logic.
But. upon tie whole, We may say, it is
no more than what We should expect
where wealth and rank have both lent
their influence to support the tottering
foundation OF rotten cause. Eight
hIgll-mindcd, unbiased gentlemen, con-
stituting a majority of this Committee,
have discovered a startling fact, and, in
their report, made it manifest to the
rest Of the world, THAT it is the right
Of every citizen TO determine for himself
what he will eat and drink
We be. leave to differ with them on
this point. Every community has rights
to protect and, if these rights are in
fringel by reason of intemperancc, then
who will say that community are bound
to endure and tolerate these evils? Laws
are instituted "to prevent and redress
crimes against individuals; - and laws
may properly be made to restrain the
sale and use of certain articles as we'll rs
to restrain the various crimes of the age.
The learned eight do not DENY the fact
that legislation, as regards the traffic in
alcoholic liquors. is constitutional and
right but that alcohol Is food or its
equivalent, and we cannot entirely dis
pensc with it Weary pedestrians, dusty
travellers, and nervous dySpeptics must
not be unceremoniously turned away by
smiling landlords. Nor must the poor
sick man be met with a decided no at
the drugstore, where he has brought the
physicians prescription.
License, with the magnanimous eight,
is an imperative necessity "a real "root
hog or die Without it, the fabric of
the Old Bay State would reel and totter
like the wind-stricken tree. But more
than this; prohibition, we are told, is a
stupendous failure. Drinking alcoholic
liquors has been universal in all coun-
tries and ages; and q law prohibiting it,
Is an arbitrary and unreasonable inter-
ference with the rights of man. 1t is a
precious boon to do ust as one plcases -
no matter about the consequences. II
their logic be true, then any one who
thinks our phiz too plain TO be seen
IN the streets, may legally and magnani-
mously assist us in making hurried
exit from this mundane sphere.
Prohibition, they tell us too, is I'M
sound in theory, and cannot be carried
out They want to suppress the sale Of
liquor, but think the license system is
the true one to accomplish this end. Pro-
hlbltiOn will increase the number OF
dram-shops; license will decrease them.
Prohibition will swell the number OF
retall-dealcrs, and, therefore, materially
enlarge the traffic To us honest Yer.
monters, this argument has no semblance
OF power Who has taken the mos,
pains to change the laws of the Old Bay
State, to introduce the license system ?
1t Is the blg-bellicd, red-noscd, wholesale
liquor vendors, who are gravely said tc
represent a capital Of forty millions c
dollars. and who were so fortunate as t.
secure the aid of Ex-Gov Andrew tc
stand at the gap, and do the biggest par
ol the dirty work But times are chang
ing Old things are giving way to new