The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1871-02-17

The more excitablo portion of the
Temperance people are at this time
quite active in petitioning the Legisla-
ture to pass law requiring the people
of each election district TO decide by
vote whether liquor shall be sold with.
in each for the term of three years. We
regard the bill as Objectionable because
1t will not lessen the amount of public
drinking, but merely drive 1t to partic-
ular points, and most likely increase
the evil complained Of. 1t will very
certainly increase private drinking be.
cause by decreasing the convenience of
obtaining 1t In public 1t will induce
people to keep 1t in their houses, and
having 1t so handy and in quantity
they will of course drink more them.
selves and also induce those who visit
then. to drink. Elections are already
rendered so common that many care
but little about attending them or how
they vote If they do, and these would
add greatly to personal strife and ILL
will because not only the private rights
of minorities and of property will be
infringed, but the majority will be
looked upon as not only cooking their
own meat but feeding their neighbors,
too, upon just such provender as suits
their own palates. We think, too, that
all experience has proven that Legisla.
tive interference with mems palates is
not only absurd, but can never ba en-
forced, and invariably increases the
evils intended to be stayed. In these
views we are sustained by the best
Statesmen of this and every other
country.
The local option bill is further objec-
tionable in that 1t is local legislation in
its worst form-dotting itself all over
the State and general nowhere. If the
law is good at all 1t is good for all. On
every other question it is unanimously
agreed that laws which affect only cer-
tain localities are nuisance and ought
to be abated. They are in fact one of
the main causes of Legislative corrup-
tion, and an alteration of the Constitu.
tion is very generally urged in order
that their future enactment may be
prevented. Yet the local option pro.
posed would be an aggravated form of
this reprehensible practice.
We hope true temperance men will
reflect seriously before they push this
matter further, at the beck of interest
ed leaders who live upon the agitation,
and deliberately make up their minds
whether the measure in question is not
calculated to retard their progress and
seriously injure their cause. The famous
jug law" of 1855, or thereabouts, is
the legitimate father of the universal
sale of liquor in saloons and small gro-
geries, and while it created this great
evil it did no good whatever. The
old, sober minded, common sense tenn.
perance advocates of an earlier period
had succeeded in conflning the retail
saA of liquor mainly to respectable ho-
tells, which were kept by men of char
acter for the most part, and thus had
accomplished great public good. But
restless spirits would not allow the mat
ter to remain there. The Yankees had
opened their pandora's box of Maine
laws, and other similar absurd meas
ures, and the result was to upset all the
good that had been done, and greatly
increase drinkers and the facilities for
drinking. Nor is this the history of
merely one such attempt. The result
has at all times and places been the
same.
Our columns are open to tho other
side of the question, if any of its advo.
Gates desire to discuss it in short, terse
and argumentative style. We do not
mean temperance lectures, for about
that no issue is made-but the propriety
of this proposed Legislative enact.
mant