Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1874-02-07
WHOLE NO. $500.

poisons. The Legislature, it is evident,
tailed to see, or were unwilling to admit
the fact attested by science and expe-
rience, that spirituous liquors are in
themselves poison, disease, death, beg
gary, crime and taxation.
This inconsistency of legislation,
which carefully protects from lesser
evils, and leaves the people unprotect-
ed from the aggressions Of the greater,
may be explained by the fact that
many of our leading men have enter
tanned loving partialIty for spirit
Gus and vinous liqors," and for the
dealers in them. Many of those who
have heretofore most enthusiastically
"deared the people have enjoyed
social and unsocial glasses-liquor has
been an active electioneering agent,
and has done vastly more service In
securing position than brains, honesty,
or fitness; and sneer at temperance,
upon the thousandth repetition, by the
genius who used it, has been a capital
joke that never grew stale.
But those mistake the times who
fatter themselves that the people are
to be controlled by party Crgani. iOEs,
or are to be wheedled by chaff into the
support of men or measures, In the
future, as they have been In the past
Blind fealty to party no longer exists
the occupation of the whipper in
is gone-independent thought has be-
come power, before which all the
arts and appliances of low demagoguism
have dissolved. In this State, the
doom of drunken politicians and Of
the whisky ring, was foreshadowed
by our last Legislature, and is sure to
come.
The license to sell intoxicating
liquors is an immeasurably greater out
rage than would be a license to sell
tainted and putrid flesh, or the flesh of
animals which had died of disease; or
license to carry on trades, employ
ments or manufacturers, which Occa-
! sion noxious exhalations, injurious TO
individuals or the public or license
to authorize gaming. To license all Of
these Otfenses, EOw prohibited, would
produce infinitely less evil to the
health, life and morals of citizens
without reference to cost than re-
suits from the license of the sale of in
toxicating drinks, and the foul blot
should be wiped from our statutes, if
nothing is substituted in its place, save
the rights Of Individuals, as regulated
by the laws of the land.
If your convention of Judges can
devise way to restrain the sale of
liquors, you will open an avenue to
relieve the people of very large pro-
portion Of the costs arising from erimi-
nal prosecutions. If the restraint
should be anything like complete,
am satisfied that three-fourths would
be saved, including the expense of
pauperism.
Three modes have been devised to
attain this end. The first is to remove
all restrictions from the sale of intOxi-
eating beverages, but hold the dealer
responsible for all the consequences
resulting from the traffic, in the way Of
damages. This law has been adopted
by Ohio, and some other States, and if
properly guarded to secure its object,
might be made very effective
The second mode is a positive pro-
hibition Of the sale of liquors, adopted
by Maine, Massachusetts, and some
other States
The third mode is to submit the
question of sale or no sale to the town
ship, district or county, and is known
as the local option law, now in sue
eessful operation in PENNSYLVANIA, and
several other States.
The last mode has this recommends
ton: Popular opinion will support
the law wherever it exists. While no
weight is given to the silly objection
that law will be evaded, (for all laws
are eyaded or violated,) yet popular
laws are always more vigorously en-
forced.
To make local option law" effect
i've, the vote upon the question of sale
or no sale should be submitted to
counties, and each county should pay
the costs of all offences committed
within its limits, whether of the grade
of misdemeanors or felonies. Then,
| if one county prohibits the sale Of
liquors, it alone reaps the benefit. and
its citizens are not taxed to pay the
costs incident to the murder-a-d day in
Memphis, where conviction is seldom
had. Again, If the experience of the
county excluding liquors proves favor
able, the fact would afford the strong
est possible incentive to other counties
that had authorized the sale, to vote
more judiciOusl another time. Already
just such results have been attained
in Pennsylvania.
Constitutional objections, it is true,
have been urged against u local Op-
tion" law, in Tennessee, but it is an
argument wholly unworthy of respect
full notice before convention of men
learned il the law.
The suggestions you ask for, are
drawn out at much greater length than
was designed, but such as they are /
submit them. Very respectfully,
A. A. HYDE.