The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1874-08-07
LICENSE OR NO LICENSE
The Issue Of To-Day.

1
with the principles of eternal rectitude.
| Ought TO be directed TO the
remOrGl of evil and the comforting OF
benefit. '-DOre's PJ}jtjcdi SrieHce.
The following propositions are sub
mitted by the late Constitutional Con
| yention of our State for the choice of
| the.people of Ohio on the 18th of August.
FOR LICENSE
License to traffic in spirituOus, vi
nous or malt liquors, under such regu
| lations and limitations as shall be pre-
scribed by law, may be granted, but this
section shall not prevent the General
| Assembly from passing laws to restrict
such traffic, and 10 compensate injuries
resulting therefrOm."
No LICENSE
mo license TO traffic in intoxicating
liquors shall be granted; but the Gener-
al Assembly may. by law, restrain or
prohibit such traffic, or provide against
evils resulting therefrom."
Both propositions make two important
concessions, VIZ: The Liquor Traffic is an
''eviP and involves injury"
The proposition For License does
not authorize the Legislature to remove
the evil; the proposition Against License
does so authorize the Legislature. We
have seen that the legitimate prov
ince of Legislation is 10 remove evil,
therefore the second proposition and
not the first is in harmony with political
science.
Furthermore, the Constitutional Con-
vention having established the ''evir"
and luxurious character of the Liquor
Traffic now throws the responsibility of
its prescribing or legalizing upon the
people, by the free exercise of their
choice at the palladium of the peoples
freedOm-the ballot-box.
Now, political science teaches that
Government is established to regulate
the equitable relations of men, to pro-
tect the weak against the strong, and to
secure each member of the community
the undisturbed possession of his natur-
al rights-life, liberty and property
one restriction only, being recognized,
viz: That in exercising our light we do
not interfere with the exercise of that
right i'll others"
With the knowledge Of this fact before
him it is the duty of every citizen to i'll
quire honestly: "Will my vote, if east
for license, meet the requirement of
equitable government! Will not my
vote legalize the traffic in liquor and vir-
tUally make me partner in responsibility
for ali the ''evilsn and Injuries" result
ing! The license system will not pro-
tect the weak against the strong, but
rather empower the strong against the
weak.
Ist. 1t is subverSive of the equitable
relations of men," by discriminating
among dealers-favOring the mOneyed
men and virtually prohibiting the poor
men: Whereas, if it can be right for any
man to sell intoxicantS, the poor mar
should have the beneii: of that privilege.
I'd. If it is the duty o. the State to pro-
vide stimuIants for the people, which
duty it assumes under the license sys-
tem-then it is subversive of equity to
make the drinkers pay the penalty of an
augmented price to ill the tribute cof-
fers opened to receive the price of hu-
man blood and souls.
Sd. 1t is subversIve OF true Govern
ment to give the sanction of Law to sys-
tematic ''evil'' and injury" Dove
says: Whenever we find systematic
suffering, produced by the order
of society, and not merely by the or1i-
nary laws of nature, we may infer, and
rightly infer. that some men are defraud-
ing their fellows of their rights" \ IL
ceilSe system would add all the force of
law and the prestige of this intelligent
State to this systematic infringement of
human rights and tine resultant suffering
The hundreds of seIni-imbecile drink
wrecked men, and the thousands of help
less women and children who are suffer
ing constantly under the power and
strength of the traffic, ought to be le-
gally protected from their powerful
enemy, by the votes of the people rather
than legally oppressed by licensing their
oppressors. The cruel rapacity of those
who vend intoXicants will be intensified
by the tax imposed, and under the seal
of this great free State they will surely
hide from the natural demands of Justice.
4th. A liquor license infringes and
subverts the natural rights of man.-Of
life-which is constantly jeopardized,
seductively captured and ruthlessly sac
rificed under the power of the State.
through its authorized agent, the traffic
er in intOXicants.-Of liberty-which is
outraged with imDUnity by a legalized
privilege to injure. devastate, prostitute
and destroy all that is held dear to the
human heart, by empowering passions
over knOwlege and annihiiating power
of choice.-Of property-by taking the
fruits of the peoples labOrs for naught-
aye, for that which is worse than nothing
To the consumer not cents worth of
value is received for all he expends in
drinks; also by depreciating the value of
property, public and private, either for
sale or rent and with perfect immunity
| from law to recover The chemical
works, whose gaSses destroys the grass
| of the neighbOring meadows, Is removed
! by law for the protection of the grass.
But the licensed dealer in drinks DESTROYS
| the morale Of the community, ruins bus
mess interests, depreciates value and
rental of property, destroys the youth
and manhood, besides iniIicting ir-
| remedial grief upon scores of mankind.
| and yet there is no legal protection-nO
power TO remove the cdrsel On the
contrary. the cause itself is guarded and
| protected by the Constitution of the
| State.
Ii is not competent for the State or
| Legislature TO license the liquor traffic
! because the ell-being of the people are
so endangered thereby, As the constit-
uent refusing allegiance to the equitable
|
| the State refusing to guarantee the ma
| tural rights and protection to its cOnstit-
uents. is guilty of treason against the
| people Moreover, it is incompetent 10
| try to legalize that which is necessarily
| Wegitimdte-a business which takes
| money bTt Civ es no rnlUe, which involves
! millions of wealth but does not build,
| extend. improve or create any material
| ;,rar.-+. oF t,y-D ff-y or STATE lint i'm
! poverishes. disqualifies and unmans the
very source OF wealth and material prog
! Tess
| License viii not diminish the traffic as
/ is claimed. but a. it las ever. will here
also, increase the traffic. BY removing
| the odium OF OHtiGir and guaranteeing
| the prestige of the Constitution, the
traffic will assume re>pectability and in
crease in virulence.
In Allegheny. Pa. the first quarters
! report OF a license law gave LOO
licenses: the second quarter, 5000, and
the third. still greater increase, while
several hundred places were vending
without license. Those who evade and
violate Teg1lative laws will also evade
and violate the license laws. These
facts are abundantly correlated by the
history of license in other States and
England where the traffic has increased
alarmingly under license and where pau
perisIn, crime and public expenditure for
the preservation of order has Increased
at propOrtionate rates
The mode of raising revenue by Ii
eense Is denounced by the hest states
men a. quite unPhiloSophical. and by
the London Times a. a most ruinOus and