Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1869-03-25
CORRESPONDENCE.
The Elsphant in tho Isglslssure.


MRssRs. EDITORS sin the published pro-
ceedings Of the Legislature at Dover, 1t ap
pears that the committee 10 whom was re-
ierred the bill to regulate the sale Of intoxi-
eating liquors could not agree upon bill for
that purpose. This Is no more than might
be expected, for 1t will not regulate, as ex-
perience has proved. For the party in pow
er has been trying to regulate 1t for fourteen
years and find it is now further from being
regulated than when they began with it. In
1852 we had Prohibitory law, which al
though it had the opposition Of liquor sell
ers and consumers and the politicians of an
entire party to oppose its BENEFICIAL influence
and as far as In their power thwart Its OPP
Grafton yet with all these to oppose it, its
benign influence was both seen and felt as
no other law either before or since. Our
aims houses had fewer inmates, our jails
were virtually empty, and our criminal cal
enders were clean, drunkenness was rare and
fighting almost unknown. How is it now !?
Drinking habits have entered almost every
family in some of its members, drunkenness
is common, quarreling, fighting, murder and
almost every other crime following in its
train. In repeating the Prohibilory Law
they got an elephant on their hand that they
have been tying 10 harness ever since, but
the longer they try the worse he gets. Now
if they wish to reduce drunkenness, and per
consequence lessen crime and improve the
condition Of society generally, they should
put the license for the sale of anything us u
beverage that will intoxicatc at five hundred
Icll ln,v ci,iliniapt In, LAT nnu
from selling without Il license or violating
the spirit Of the law in any way. They
would then have their elephant so hampercd
that society would be comparatively secure.
But if thcv wish to put the most money in
the treasury to be taken out again to support
paupers in the AlmshOuse, and criminals in
our jails, with all the concomitant evils that
follow drunkenness, they should put the
price of license at low figure, and make
no distinction on account of race or color
or previous condition, allowing white man
the same privilege to make brute
of himself and his fellows that they
do The colorcd man. This would,
at least, have the benefit of equal
rights before the law. This is one of
the features of the present law: black
man can procure license on the same terms
that the white man does. As "A consequence
we have Black Bears all over the country,
which has worked injuriously to their white
may | say compeers, or opponents well,
| 1t matters not which. Some of these have
had to relinquish the business, as the black
bears have reduced their custom below the
paying point.
| Hotel-keepers are praying to have the
whole monopoly of the business put in thcis
hands, not especially for the improvement
Of the morals of the people, but to put more
money in their own pockets. 1t is claimed
by some that liquor selling is a necessary
accompaniment of the hotel We deny ii.
There is just as much necessity for drug
store in hotel as there is for liquor bar.
Good hotels are necessary for the comfort
of travellers and others that may wish to use
them, and we respect hotel-keepers as We do
other men, bat we cannot respect that por-
ton of their business, and we shall hail with
| joy the day, il we should live to see it,
when hotels will cease to be drunkard man
utactories, and when intoxicating liquors
are banishcd from the premises and are only
TO be found for medicinal use on the shelves
of the druggist and physician. Should tho
party in power give us law that will con
summate this desirable result, they will dc
more to reconcile their opponents to demo
cratic rule than anything they have done
since they came in power. They have IL in
their power TO do it, and if done no oppos-
ing party would dare advocate its repeal as
a party measure. We do not ask them Il
pass prohibitory law, bu. put the license Il
| five hundred dollars which they have tn,
same right to do as to lay the sum al five
dollars. This would be, perhaps, more CT
fectual than prohibition under another
name Anything, gentlemen, to save Il!
from being a nation of drunkarls, and YOU
humble servants will ever pray, &c.
tee on License. KENT.