Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1872-01-30
The Temperance Law-Wisconsin
Ahead.

Ahead
The States of Ohio, Illinois and
Michigan have recently passed .
temperance law, the leading feature
Of which is to make the vender VI
Intoxicating drinks responsible for
all the damage caused to other per
soma by this traffic. Some OF our
exchanges regard the law as new 10
principle. On examining Wisconsin
legislation on this subject, it appears
that Chapter 20 Of the Revised Stat
utes, Of ls49, is an embodiment of
the same idea. The seller Of intoxi-
eating liquors was required to give
bond to the town treasurer where
the business was carried on, in the
penalty Of $1,000, conditioned to sup
port ell pAupers, widows and or
phAns, and pay the expenses Of all
civil and criminal prosecutions justly
attributable to such traffic.
This law is certainly correct in
principle. Every man ought to be
compelled to compensate for all in.
juries proceeding from tr attic caus-
ing ipcalcuIabIe injury and very little
good. Bat law may be very just
In principle, and yet difficult, ii not
impossible, to put into execution. If
one man kills another while drunk,
II might DO surmised a. probable that
liquor was the cause bat we have
not that degree Of certainty that le-
gal proceedings usually require. Bad
whisky stimulates the passions, bat
whether evil and injurious conduct
in given case would not have oc-
Cured without such stimulous, 10 a
question hard for Courts to deter.
mine.
But the law OF l94S never bad q
fair trial ia this State. II the new
course OF legislation entered upon in
Ohio, Illinois and Michigan is sue
cessful in graduating or lesssning
the evils Contemporaries, Wisconsin
IL entitled 10 the honor of having
passed the hrst law involving the
idea Of free trade in liquor, only
holding the vender responsible for
the injury done to others by his traf'
Hc. Our Legislature in 1852 repeal.
ed this act, and enacted the license
law pretty nearly AZ we now find il
Ia the Revised Statutes of 1853.
In the law Of 1S49 we see useful
aud Just provision not in the bill now
before the Legislature. According
to that law liquor bill could not be
collected. If this is not the law
now, we hope the Legislature will
70 enact. i law of this nature is In
force In some of the States. A man
does not feel like paying for liquor a
year or two after he has swallowed
It, and nothing is left him but dis
gust, regret and an empty pocket
We are not posted IN the law enough
to toll whether q liquor bill could at
present be collected in this State
At the risk of beng suspected Of re.
pudiation, we would advocate a law
requiring everybody to pay do,cH for
what he drinks doVH otherwise the
debt should DO regarded IS cancelled
In 1859 there was law passed
prohibiting the sale Of Intoxicating
liquors on election days, We under
stand this act has been repealed. 1t
certainly was sound legislation, and
ought to DO the law and enforced.
Whatever is just, needful and
practical we shall advocate. TnC
bill now before the Legislature is just
in principle, bat whether practical or
beneficial can only be learned from
the practical working OF the law
either 10 our own or sister States.