The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-06-06
THE TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT.

The movement for the suppress
sion of the terrible evils of intem-
perance seems to be everywhere
taking a deeper hold upon the pub
lie mind than ever before. In many
of the large States radical steps
have been taken by the legislatures.
Last winter Indiana passed what is
regarded as one of the best laws for |
the regulation of the traffic in
LIQUORS, now in existence in the
country.
The Legislature of the State of
New York passed, at its present
session, what is known as q "lOcal
option" bill. 1t differed from the
temperance legislation of major
lty of States, in that it prohibited
beer and cider. Governor Dix has
vetoed the bill, and the legislature
refused to pass it over his veto. A
perusal of the message Of the
Governor discloses reason
for his veto, differing from
that which the generality of per-
sons had anticipated as the ruling
one in the case OF veto. The Gov
ernor, SO far from questioning the
cOnstitutionality of law giving
the several towns the right to de-
eide, each for itself, whether it will
permit or prohibit the sale of intox-
icating liquors, except for special
(mediclnal, mechanical, chemical
and sacramental uses) declares that
. he most fully concurs in the cor
) rectness of this proposition, both as
matter of principle and policy.
1t lies within the direction of pop
9 ular liberty, of the right of the peo-
pie to regulate their local affairs il
: such manner as they deem essential
to their welfare. But his chief OBJ
lection is, "that the bill contains {
: limitation of this principle" Thii
: limitation he finds in the fact tina
. the vote of the town must be Il
prohibit the sale of beer and eide
as we'll as liquors usually under
) stood as intoxicating; or, permit
: ting the sale of these, must permi
4 as well the sale of whisEey. rum
! etc. That is to say the town is no
q allowed any power of discrimina
ton. Had the bill authorized tn
r. town to vote whether it woul'
,e permit or prohibit the sale of an.
r and all Intoxicating liquors, and t.
I. vote whether It would or woul
II not designate intoxicating liquor
which might and those which Nigh
not be sold, he would have signe,
st lit. He says, in effect: The tow
Of must vote if it will not sell rum, nc
g to sell cider; and this compellin
8, the voter to place two very differeu
t, articles in the same category is
Limitation of his right of cheic'
which the Legislature has no rigt
:" to enforce. There are minor defect
" of detail, but the one we have sus
. gested ia the important one. Ne
York and other States have, by the
- Legislation, adopted the theory {
y Governor Dix, that the legislator
" may lawfully delegate certain legii
If lation to the people, in addition
a, that which has heretofore bee
" deemed a necessity, local and pei
= tanning to the inferior municipalit!
- But the legislature of New Yorl
"A instead of saying that the sewers
,o towns may do as they please in n
.si gard to the sale of intoxicating lie
a. uors, declares that the towns sha
= permit or prohibit the sale of al
the court of last resort having d.
cided that ale, beer and cider al
i intoxicating liquors. Whether Ii
in views of Gov. Dix will common
ey themselves to the leaders of IL
cir temperance cause, either in Ne
,se York or elsewhere, it is impossib
ITS to say. That which we would |
d. glad 10 see is the enactment and Ell
w. forcement of law, which should a
n tually reduce the acknowledged AZ
le- terrible evils of intemperance.