Wilmington daily gazette., 1873-10-17
The LIuuoT License Law,

We very much fear that our phylantrOpc tenn
perancc people have carried their efforts toscurtsil
the sale of liquor far to be detrimental to So
cietv such was our experience in 1886. The
passage of what was then here termed the "Dela-
ware Maine law" resulted in more injury TO the
Temperance cause, than ything that had taken
place. At least such was the conclusions Of the
gentlemen who were chiefly instrumental in hav-
ing the law passed, in a few months after it had
been put in force,
The disgusting use Of liquor in the streets and
in the depots and cars by the passage Of TASKS
that exposed the "red eye" to public view, from
hand to hand, wss a feature which our Temperance
folks never dreamed of. 1t was s,d enough to
have a son. or brother, or friend come home rather
late at night and slip in the back way in sus.
picons manner leading to the idea the next morn
ing that be had been "fuddled" by dissipation in
some saloon. But that was far more preferable
than to witness him draw the bottle from his
pockets and pass it to "a chum {" and yet this was
tae experience Of some Of our pious and most
worthy citizens.
We saw enough C this bold exhibition Of the
use of liquor ouFself to astonish us. And it was
not conflHed TO those termed the slower class" in
society The educated and the professional class
es," were as free in their exposure OF their ha-
bi.ual use of liquor as those who were not 90 well
educated and supposed not TO stand 50 high in
society.
q And strange to say the ladies who were relied
on to unite their voice with the Temperance peo-
pie exhibited an indifference to the use Of the
fluid their presence that was anything but pleas
ant TO the jealous advocate Of the potency of the
Law, as a restraint.
The 1iev. Geo. F..Wiswill, who never took ga
halfway" position, aud was one Of the master
spirits in working up the Maine law feature in the
bill which passed the legislature on that OCCASION
under the Temperance and KnoW-No othng excite
ment, was SO far convinced that an error had been
made by the advocates Of Temperance, as 10 say,
IN a sermon, so we were informed. that the Law
proved curse rather than q blessing to the cause
was expected to advance.
We may hope that sHeh viii not be the care
with the present law, but the news that comss to
Us from Sussex county, is calculated to lead to
the belief that the law is too stringent and will
defeat the object had in view. 1t may be that the
cause of Temperance has grown to be so great q
power in that county but it is a surprise 10 US il
such Is the case there. Certainly If this is the
has not BEEN 60 rapid among its most lusty advo-
cites 1t Is barely possible that the cost Of license
is greater than the fines and penalties viii prove
to he or, that The money TO be made by the sale
OF liquor in sPareSly populated district, will not
cover the costs and trouble incident to the pro-
curemeDt of licenses for hotels, since there has
been but two hotels licensed in that county. Nu-
merous hotels, however, may hold licenses taken
out last Spring.
The country stores may become worbe than the
''hoteIs :" and since The Sunday law Was violated
here tor many years, ana the traffic on the Lords
day found still to pay, 30 may there be persons in
SUSSEX county who will resolve to run the risk OF
selling in violation Of law and take the cOnSe-
quenees. Having nothing--there is little for
them to loee."
Probably there never assembled legislature in
oar State that showed 20 little wisdom in their
enactments, and required 30 much time for delib.
GRAFTON as the last. The present Law illustrates
this fully, and will no doubt be repealed or amend.
ed by their successors.