The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1873-02-12
For The RECORD.
L0C6L OPTION.

| MIR. EDITOR Il have noticed in your CO :
umns quite an argument on the subject of
''local option" and think that neither side
has been very fully discussed but " Hudato-
potes seems to think that he has not only
set A. r. Y" right, but has also brought
forward an invincible argument. BE that as
it may, it is my humble opinion that both are
alike weak arguments Mr.. Editor, do not
claim that l win or can produce any very
strong arguments, for think it will require
none to convince any thinking man that the
local option law is just and right. "Hudato-
potes says this law is chased upon a false
principle" should like to ask him if he
calls ourrepublican form of government chased
upon false principle 2" If SO, then admit
this law is also CHASED upon a false principle.
If not, say it is just and right, In the United
States we find two parties, each desirous to
rule, and both think they are right and just
SO it is with the present license law---one party
are in favor of it, and one party are against it
| (in this case do not mean either of our po-
litical parties, for we find in both Democratic
and Republican parties persons who are in fa-
vor of local option and those who are against
it), and according to our present laws the
party who are against it rules supreme, and
when we ask for change they cry out against
it and say it is CHASED upon false principle, y
and ask us if 'ary man not an absolute idiot
would propose local option law to sell ar
senic or opium to whoever applied, or denied
such license at the capricious will of a bare
majority of people in a townshipp" 0fcourse,
porter, ale, beer, wllskey, &C., &C., contain a
certain amount of poison, and are yearly car
rying their thousands to the grave and thou
sands more to the alms-house and the States
prisons; and agree with Hadatopotes"
that the safest and best protection against this
train of evil is a prohibitory law. Clear this
State and the United States of this liquid poi
son. But must we allow this curse to rule
supreme till the time we can get such a law?
Must we allow poison that annually kills
more than arsenic, opium and strychnine COM
bincd, to be sold in our midst and when we
try to abolish its sale, we are met on every
hand with oppositions which seem to over
whem us and when our lawmakers posi-
lively refuse to grant us prohibitory law, and
we then ask them to at least grant us a local
option law, we are called "itliots." AS ] said
before, the party who are against local option
and temperance reform, are ut present in
power, and when we ask our lawmakers to
$50 amend the license law" as to let the
majority rule then this wise " IIudatopotes -
calls it ian impractcable law" In short, he
don't want the majority to rule in this case.
He is in favor of having the poison sold in
every township in the State rather than ex-
clude it from at least few. He also makes
an example of this city and the surrounding
townships it case it was in force, and tells us
that sLambertville, being the most moral
town in the world, votes by one or two majori-
ty not to have the unclean thing in its midst
y y y All would be lovely here. But let the
adjoining townships think differently. They
vote for license, the requisite dozens of free
holders approve, and just over the paper line
that divides this sober Garden of Eden from
the wicked surrounding world, King Alcohol
reigns Your Lambertvller steps over the
line at will, and after taking a large
load, comes back armed and equipped as the
law doesn't Direct" &C., &c, We have no
doubt such would be the case. But take an
other example in regard to our laws that al
lows an election to be held in every township
for our officers State and otherwise Lam
bertville, "being the most moral town in the
world" gives large Democratic majority
and "just over the paper line that divides this
moral y city "from the wicked surrounding
world - is a township that gives large Re-
publican majority, and in this moral " city
4 r.
holding office. Cannot this GLASS; if they are
dissatisfied, leave this very "moral y city and
remove to the realms of Republicanism, where
they may hope to some time hold an office
Now, if persons find they are in the minority
and don't like the sale of intoxicating drinks,
they can leave such a township to its own de-
struction and help swell the population of one
where they are in the majority, and thus en-
courage trade, commerce and business in
general. But not so now. They are accord
ing to our consistent laws) minority every
where, and must submit. Such is our wise
law. And we infer from the theory of 'sHuda-
topotes that if one State township or section
allows murder, theft, assault and battery, and
all such crimes to go unpublished, that all the
rest should follow it's example and that would
indeed be sorry state of affairs-to let all
sorts of crime go unpublished everywhere, just
because one State, township or section should
do so. And yet he proposes this wild state of
affairs in regard to the sale Of an article which
he himself classes among such posons as "ar-
senc and opium" How very consistent is
this same " Hudatopotes ~ And in conclu-
sion, | would ask can we ask more reason
able, just or righteous law than the Local
Option Law? "Let the majority rule, is
our MOTTO. !, for one, shall ever hope that
this free country will look to her laurels and
speedily give us Local Option Law. But
have said enough for one who is
QUEER STICK
Rev. Geo. Young, of Sandy Ridge, has ac-