New-York tribune., 1867-08-01
EXCISE La US.

LIQUORS.
Much is said about the present Excise Liquor
Law. Webster defines "Exolse" thus: "To lay an i'm
post or duty articles produced and consumed in u
country, licenses" Governments have always laid
imposed Excise duties products, attached them
TO licenses granted for certain purposes many have
levied Excise their exported products. Excise and
customs duties old government. The Savior
found who became apostle, sitting at the receipt
Of custom" collecting Excise laid by the Romans.
The City Of Paris to-day collects an Excise duty all
provisions passing her Barriers our own Clty OF New.
York demands and collects excise duty from all market
gardeners who offer their products for sale I'm her streets
See COhttOher COhhOlys clicul III the uuy Papers,I
She also demands excise duty from all her cartmen,
Licensed Vender" which we 80 many wagons
except that excise has been paid by the owner port
but also demands conditions from the recipient The
public treasury former and the public protec-
powder but couples with IL the condition that only
much OF that article shall be kept hand. Why The
public safety coupes H. So IN regard 10 Kerosene salt
peter, and other infammabc aud dangerous articles and
II any attempt is made 10 violate these proper laws the
authorities clothed with ample power TO the
removal OF such articles ia the most summary and ar
trary without resortng 10 the slow routine OF
making complaints before magistrate, or the procure
No mans life or property would be safe moment but for
these laws aud yet many complain loudly Of the
Excise Law, regulating the sale liquors. and It's enforce
ment by the police and some far To
lent opposition TO It's enforcement forgetting the very
important fact that class Of interested persons are
permitted 10 successfully set at naught law OF the
State City, another interested class may attempt
would DC Ihe praGucal needuoh OF All law ana society
would be ruled by brute force and the weak become
! the prey Of the strong.
Law order system regularity security OF life and prop
erty constitute civilization and that Is the only
safeguard that the weak have against the strong that
people have against the Vicious Most laws influencing
moral action laws Of restraint, laws that say you
shah mo-" do thus and so not laws saying you shall
do so and So The require you 10 aid yOur
neghbOr building house but it does say most
unmistakable language that when built you shall not"
tear IL down. SO with license excise laws These do
require that you shall engage In certain business
They are laws of restraint Of regulation of system OF
protection, of eonditions laws which no man Is com
peled TO place himself under for man is required by
the Excise law to engage In the liquor business II Is
purely and entirely his own matter dictated by his own
Interest taste but If person will engage In that
trade he must comply with the conditions Nothing can be
fair The Excise law, like the city laws Of license
for cartmen and Others restans the entire public from
selling liquors. but 1t Also like the city laws will allow
mo compulson however, certain portion OF the pubic
TO do this thing se liquor upon certain conditions, and
restrains these certain parties rom such selling II they
receiving the Excise license prompts him to engage in
this business, and he voluntarily takes out his license,
citizen 10 keep his part OF the contract and comply with
the conditions he voluntarily takes on himsehi
With what propriety then 40 the opponents OF tne
the officials whose duty II is TO enforce it, Are these men
ample 10 other classes OF the community who pay excise
censcsl Suppose the cartmen, the hackmen, and ell
others who In city, are licensed land all with cOndi
tions voluntarily accepted should resort TO violent op
position to the law by threats and attempts at personal
Violence toward the CITY officials would not the public
safety be endangered and public order be entirely gone
Obedience TO law distinguishes good citizens from bad
The Excise license protects the holder from the conpe
on Of the unlicensed and he should be the last person to
oppose that law.
But, say the antiEXcise Law men, we opposed 10
that law every way, desire free trade In quOr just
the same others have In groceries dry goods &c for
getting that there he such thing freedom In the
sense they the phrase In any community No s
ee from oXcise taxes duties In any civilized country
uder heaven and cannot be- for those excise duties
anu taxes depends the very life OF every such Govern
en Ihere Is no freedom In this city for the unlicensed
running OF hacks carts trucks The protection Of
employ theH requires official control them, which
zone py excise license The cost Of repaving
oenands IT, There ls no freedom In using the wa
ter more necessary than hquOr all pay for
ana even With the license which excise duty has
been pald certain restraining conditions coupled
Whyf IuDhc economy aud safety require tho cOndi-
tons one or which Is that the licensed shall not sprlnkle
the street IN front OF hs house during certain hoIrs
Of the a. Where Is the free trade prlncInle in at
eOndtOnl The water lawt do not compel any To
ask for water permits but IL TAKEN certain conditions are
exaeted. so with the Liquor Excise law That law does
not compel anybody to sell hquor but requires certain
conditions OF all who sell IT, 30 with the City laws about
| gunpOwder
Ncw.York City does not say to any man that he shall
live within bor lims but she does say every man tat
chooses 10 reside therein that he must pay axes duties
| Excise. Whyf Without such taxes, duties, Excise
licenses, she could not furnish streets sidewalks Are
engines water &c. No class OF men practice
the free trade" principle In tho used by antEx-
else men In any civilized community. We told that
license fee demanded Ia too oxorbtant too heavy.
the business covered by the license will not pay common