Litchfield enquirer., 1871-06-15
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Litch h field, , ,Thursday, June l5. 1871
Temperance.

Temperance.
 While large majority of the electors ol Connecticut continue non.abstinent, we have little faith in Prohibition in any form. It is barely possible. that majority might be obtained for State Constabulary by adding to the true total abstinent minority of the voters of this State those who are willing to stop other peoples grog ;" but shonld the measure turn ont in the least degree efectual, and its non-abstinent sup. porters find that they are really stopping not only other peoples grog but their own. they will turn against it forthwith 1; and in co close State as Connecticut the re- suit would be the immediate repeal of all Prohibition. We have very little idea, however, that 6 State Constabulary would prove effsctuaf. Any three voters can mn. der our present law bring prosecutions for violation of the prohibitory law. The ''odi- nm" of starting such prosecution may be indeed thrown of upon nonresident of- ncial by the plan proposed; but the State constable cannot maintain his prosecution without local aid, and the persons who shrink from commencing prosecutions will hesitate just as much about maintaining them after they are brought. In brief, our notion is that State Constabulary would result in spms of reform only, like that of the Good Templars, few years since i; and that if it were seriously to interfere with the present system of free liquor, the very next election would sweep Constabu- lary, Main Law and all, out of existance.
 Under existing circumstances, therefore, the best that Temperance men can hope for in Connecticut, is some good system which will not only allow sufficiently ad- yanced localities to enforce Prohibition, but will give less favored communities some relief against the free liquor" which prevails throughout all but very limited sections of the State. As a practical meas ure in that direction, we commend the plan urged by Mir. Andrews, of this place, before the legislative committee on Temperance. We have not seen the bill itself, but the following abstract indicates its principal provisions:
 The County Commissioners in every county are to meet on the first Monday in May of each year for the purpose of granting licences for the sale of spiritous hqnors, and may give license to one person in each town in the county and Tn addition thereto one license for each one thousand inhsbitt,nss providing majority of the select sent thereto. Provided, also, that every place where liquor is sold shall be closed every nighC at n o'clock, and not be opened till six no sales dranksrd, nor to any person. to H whom % sales nave been forbidden by the seiectmen, wife, or hus- band the cost of license to be not less than $20O, the hcensee to execute Q bond of 5000 which shall be forfeited on breach of any of the forego- ing conditions"
 Selectmen of all towns in which prohibi- ton is practicable would as matter of course refuse their consent to the issuing of licences and we should have no fear that in towns where certain districts only can enforce prohibition, selectmen would consent to licenses. or the commissioners to grant them.t to residents of those districts. In all the places where prohibition is at present practical impossibility. the traf- Ac in s'free rum" would be very efsctually restrained. The number of dealers would be cut down in the first place to one for every thousand population the worst spe- cies of liquor sales would be forbidden un- der the heaviest penalties; and the meaner gin mills would be closed by the $20O li- censs fee, and the heavy bond required against abuse of that license.
 Q, We have no hesitation in saying that in this county, a law of this kind would be worth vastly more than State Oonstabu. lary. for checking the liquor traffic. Our only fear is that its provisions are 80 strin. gent that it might meet the same difficulty of enforcement that makes the present Jaw worse than useless almost everywhere.
 The difficulty with the Temperance re. form is that it is not in the hands of prac. tical men. Expressive measures being found useless, from their very severity, methods even more extreme are invoked, which can only fail still more disastrously. What we want is the extreme limit of re- pression which the habits and feelings of society will allow. Legislation plainly be. yond that. is blunder, an hypocrisy, al- g most . crime.
 s 9@ Miss Kellogg gives concert at
 Waterbury on Thursday of this week. It