The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-01-21
Another, Attempt To Be Made to Secure
PrahibitOry Legislation.
REVIEW OF RESULTS HITHERTO OBTAINED
Ahtory Of English and American Efforts TO
Suppress the Liquor Traffic.
BEER AS A POPULAR BEVERAGE.
Interesting Statistics of the Brewing Interest
Is Whiskey Going Out of Fashion s-1nforma-
. ton and Suggestions for Lawmakera


ton and Suggestions for Lawmakera
ALBANY, Jan. 20, 1873
Certain parties, organized as large ana inhu-
entia, association have combined to obtain the
massage OF law by the present Legislature which
shall give the power to the majority OF citizens
resident within such political bounds to say whether
there shall or shall not be granted license to sell
distilled or fermented liquors within each ward OF
. city or each township OF county in the State
The policy and probable effect Of such statute
which is commonly known as the Local Option Law
propose to briefly discuss as matter Of general
II not universal interest, leaving the constitutional
question involved to the courts where 1t properly
belongs.
THE PROPOSED LAW
Ia meant to be prohibitory, and is to be enacted In
order to prevent the manufacture and sale, and
consequently the drinking, of any liquor In which
alcohol in small or large quantities may exist 1t
apparently draws no line between any of those
beverages. Cider, which contains between seven
and eight per cent OF alcohol the so-called lager
beer which has between three and four per cent,
and even small beer, which has less than two are
equally prescribed with Scotch whiskey, which
sometimes has as high as lfty-six per cent.
Root beer though it contains from two to
eight per cent, according TO its age
and the amount OF molasses used in its
manufacture. and mead and methelyn, old
fashioned drinks, having percentage of alcohol
equal to the inferior grades of whskeys and
currant wine which averages twenty per cent
seem to.be not provided for but this is possibly
because they contain so much fermentable
mucilage as to render them unhealthy, and the
trainers Of the measure think their use will bring
Its own punishment The law is sweeping
enough In its terms and purpose and its pro-
ject0rs seem to suppose they will be able, in most
places, to induce the majority Of the people to vote
against licenses, and SO introduce an era Of
sObriety and decorum unparalleled In the annals
Of the world. The general prohibitsry laws tried
hitherto having proved so disastrous in their
effects on the morals of the community, and on
the general peace and content OF the poor-being
powerless for good and powerful for evil-the
advocates OF compulsory total abstinence seem to
have abandoned them In order to try the effect of
. special law acting on isolated and select COM
munities. As such laws, general or special, are
based on the same principle, as they are all in
herogation of the liberty OF the citizen, 1t is
proper to review the results OF those hitherto
enacted and to examine into the cause OF their
failure. ttat t..eF. ewe. t
lsD HISTORY OF ENGLISH EFFORTS.
About . hundred and thirty years since the
English Parliaments undertook to prohibit the
nse Of ardent spirits entirely. Previous to that
by the act OF the second year Of George ia duty
was laid on spirits, over all other duties, OF i've
shillings per gallon, and each retailer was
assessed twenty pounds as a license fee. This
ed the way to evasion; drunkenness increased,
and the law, being found to be impractcable, was
repealed. Forthwith, by way OF celebration
of the event, every one nearly made it his business
to get drunk This reused the indignation OF Par
lament, which passed the act of the George H.,
by which the retailing Of ardent spirits OF any kind
was absolutely and positively prohibited. Lord
Chomondely and other noblemen and gentlemen
were active in producing this law,.which was
stringent in its provisions and severe in its penal
tes The effect Of the scheme had best be told in
the words OF Lord Cholmondely himself when he
spoke afterwards in favor OF it's repeal. He ad-
mitted in his speech that the impossibnity of en-
forcing the law had been predicted both in and out
OF the houses of legislation. 'But," said he, $50
furious was our zeal that no heed was given to
such prophecies. What was the consequence No
man could-no man would-observe the law, and
1t gave such turn to the spirit Of the people that
no man could with safety venture to become an
informer." And he went on to show how the in
formers had been mobbed and even murdered !;
how the government had been obliged to hold
troops In readiness to meet threatened rebellion,
while In the meanwhile the law was nHllity. The
government found prosecutions expensive and
con vtctions impossible; and, above all, it was
lighter beverages and became more and more ad ;
dicted to Spirits 1t became at length SO palpabe
that the law aggravated the evils it was enacted to
cure, that 1t was by general consent repealed.
THE EXPERIENCE OF SCOTLAND
In Scotland prohibitory law met with singular
friends OF temperance. There q heavy taxation
drove out malt liquors and made the populace fall
came, and remain TO this day, the greatest whiskey-
drinking people In the world 1t is true that this
legislation. made in the interest OF the English
brewers, was changed, but too late to remedy the
evil. The Scotch ale now made is excellent, but It
is manufactured more for expectation than home
consumption. The Scotchman dIsdains his twopenny
ale when he can get his whskey, and Burns
c0uplet-
WI WI a.aassssS we we sse ass s sy
Is lively sentiment in the mind OF the average
Scot to this day. In this country the principal pro-
Chusetts, with some attempts at the thing In Wis
consin, and an act In Ohio, which may be defined
tried in Pennsylvania partially in New York and
locally in New Jersey. Then there is an excise law
I'm New York which forbds the sale OF any liquors,
distilled or fermented, on Sundays. The result OF
these has not been the decrease OF drunkenness.
They have injured the brewers, but rather helped
the distilIers 1t is difficult to get beer in some
places, but no man In Maine nor Massachusetts
nor Wisconsin nor Ohio nor New York need go
without his whskey. Experience proves, despite
THESE RBpRRssIvR STATUTES
have been tinkered during several years, that men
made pious on compulsion. The law is either
evaded or disregarded. 1t has engendered deceit
and ialsehoOd, aud created contempt for the law
i,sen and the officials, as all unpopular laws do.
ror an open trafic, regulated and controlled by
law, there Is substituted surreptitious trade
squaily profitable to dealers, but without revenue
W .ne state The drinker feels all check removed
~ sae partial conceament, and from the neces-
~ a. y, .ne case chooses the more fiery rotations.
ne cannot indulge In fermented liquors where the
SSsact ".s ,e Vi alcohol Is small, and where the
rndia. "a .ne slight intoxicating Ingredients 10
Wit frl n ".
. .racuvs. Their bulk prevents this. IL is almost
iPossIo,e 10 indulge in surreptitlous beerdrink-
lng. mslI liquors, except when bottled cannot be
secretly transported, and, as bottle only Contains
he ans s even aner storage in glass for use must
beer and the carbonic acid TO which ia mrate,,,i
mess 70 o9e palate Is mainly due evaporates and
on the acetous fermentation. A gst y hn,t ,ahes
whiskey IL portable, and contains more than y,