Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1872-03-28
The Illinois Temperance Law.

The Illinois Temperance Law.
The General Assembly of the State Of
Illinois passed, and the Governor approx
ed, in January of the present year, law
+ for the regulation of ardent spirits. which
seems to us to be so eminently wise that
we regret that a lacil Of space forbids US
to present more than an abstract Of it.
The essential provisions are these: q J
No alan shall sell liquor without license
aud DO man shall have license who viii
not give bond in the pebal sum Of
So GOO, with two good securities. to re-
pay all damages that may arise from Ell
ther selling or giving away such liquor
| g } No liquor shall be sold to minors or
to persons lutoxi cated or in the habit Of
becoming Intoxicated. (3.) All places
where intoxicating liquors are sold eou
trary to law shall be shut up and abated
as public nuisauces. a Any person
who causes the intox ieation OF another.
with or without a license, shall pay a
reasonable compensation to the person
who takes care OF the inebriate, to be re-
covered in an action Of debt 6 } Ev-
cry person who is injured in any way,
by any intoxicated person, shall have a
right OF action against any man who caused
the ntoxication in whole or in part. aud
against owner or owners Of the building
in which the sale took place; a married
woman having the same right to brirg
suits, and to control the same and the
amount recovered, as a fense sole The
remaining provisions relate mainly to the
operation Of those we have given. and
need not be alluded to beyond the fact
that one of them declares The giving away
OF liquors to evade sAe psovso of this
act shall be held t. be an pulaw ful sell
ing.
There is in thjs law the fullest recog-
ni'ion OF the right OF men to sell ardent
spirits, and of other men to buy and
drink them The law insists, however,
that only the proper persons shall drink
and that they shall drink ouly in moder,
ate quantities. No minor shall have the
privilege of buying an article whose
dangers he does not understand. and 40
mau who has proved, by getting drunk,
that re cannot take liquors With safety TO
himself and others, shall have the privi-
lcge Of buying again Ardent spirits
are fully recognized as dangerous articles
whose sale cannot be intiusted 10 ire
NzpUuxible parties; and as those Nao sell
them make all the money there is made
on them, and as all experience has prov
ed that they viii sell, unless restricted,
without reference to the dsmage they in
alet upon the community, tie law de-
clares that not Gully they. but the owners
of the building they occupy with their
traffic. shall be held responsible for all
evil consequences that follow disregard
of its requirements; and they may be pro-
ceedel against by any husband. wife,
child parent. guardian, employer, or
other persons who shall be Injured in
person Or property or means of support"
We are not sufficiently familiar with
the temperance legislation of the different
States to know whether this law is a
transcript OF others already in existence,
though we believe a law Ike t.is has
been enacted III Ohi1, It is, however,
worthy of a fair and full trial. Of course,
all the low elements OF society will go
against it, as they would against the |
Maine law but it ought to command The
firm support of every respectable and re-
sponsible member of society, of all polit>
zeal parties. The good people, and the
people who do moi even pretend to be
good, but who pretend to be lovers of
order and of the public prosperity, ought
TO agree to leave this question out of pol
itics entirely, and unite upon it for an
experiment that shal last at least tea
years. Let no obstacles be thrown il the
way of lis fullest execution. There is
30 oppression in it, No man for whom
two good men are not wiling to be re-
sponsibIe has any right to deal out ntox,
lcaing liquors. 1t Expresses nobody 10
keep such men out Of business; and it OPP
presses no landlord to deprive him of
tenaots who are pets in the community
.'The People of the State of ILLINOIS"
simply say to dealers: We will licensed
you to sell liquors, but you shall not sell
to our boys, or our an fortunatcs whom
you have already ruined; and you shall
make no man drunk II sou do we vii
hold you and your landlords responsible
for all the damages. of every possible
kind and il you canhot find bonds.nen
who will be respons lille for your loyalty
to the law, then you are not good enough
to sell liquors at all. We trample on DO
mans rights,a and we purpose to maintain
our own.
Let the people of Illinois stand square
~ up to the position they have assumed
in this case. and it will drive Eqaor out
of every small town in the State, aud
confne It's sale 10 large towns to quarters
that will give very little inconvenience
to the public. 1t viii take pluck and
to do this. but the law is
thoroughly defensitle on every ground
and ought to be maintained. If the good
and respectable people of the State unite
to staad by it. it will be main aimed -
DR. J. G. Holland, an Scribnes's for
april.
The Stery Of General EWsN and His |
Wife.