Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1874-07-30

lutiOu any PROVISION on llldl suolt't, 4
but in their discretion referred the sub
jecl TO the arbitranent Of the ballet |
box in the following proposition:
FOR LICENSE.
'sLieense to traffic in spirituous, vi !
nous or malt liquors, under such regu-
lations ard limitations rs shall be pre-
scribed by law, may be granted; but
this section shall not prevent the gen.
eral assembly from passing laws to re-
strict such traffic, aud TO compensate i'll
jules resulting thercfrom."
AGAINST LICENSE.
"No license TO traffic in intoxicating
Liquors shall be granted; but the geuer-
al assembly may, by law, restrain or
prohibit such traffic, or provide against
evils resulting therefrom "
If the new Constitution is adopted
lone or the other of these clauses will be
J; the organic law of the State for at least
Twenty years.
The arguments of those persons who
: favor the license clause, are that 1.-THE
sale of Intoxicating beverages cannot
tie prohibited, but may be regulated by
license."-"The traffic will De confined
to few respectG6ie establishments, and
the common saloons, where common
Idrunkards resort, will be driven out of
the business. ."-"Only men of charac-
ter, influence and lespectaDility will
be procure license. .n---.rhe State and
lcounty revenue will be increased, and
taxes lessened accordingly"
Let US briefly examine t;'e facts, and
lsee whether these things are SO.
If, in the present advancement of So
Iciety, the use of intoxicating beverages
!, icannot be prohibited by law, how, by
permitting their sale, can the consump-
/, Iion be diminished or regulated? viii
those inclined to their cups be more
readily refused drinks in a licensed,
than an unlicensed saloon? Will BOT,
rather, the proprietor who p15s for the
; privilege OF vending, be the noe aDX
! ious to sell, that thereby ne may get
his money back? WIFI on.y a limited
quantity be sold "a cJstomer, after
which, to him, TIE bar will be closeo?
or rather, to Peg ;Sor the license giving
authority t2 sell, will liquors not be
2 dealt out, SO long as naOaey will come
: in? How viii or can you regulate the
i. thirst for strong drink, or the ineiina-
tion to satisfy perverted appetite 10y
license? /. yuu cannot, to attempt 10
regulate an evil or vice 10y legaiizing
it, is a dangerous experiment, and If
t applicable to drunkenness, why not to
r profanity? to 4ambling? to lGf;eries?
to priz@-fi ghting? TO polygc my and
prostitution?
a LICENSE wILLsNoT DECREASE DRUNK
Throw the guard of law around the
rumseller's business, and you recognize
it as legitimate. More respectable men
D will patronize it; they will influence
t Others, and soon class of citizens, not
before addicted to drinking, will be-
leone drunkards. The large army OF
! sIconfirmed inebriates will be recruited, !,
9 and the demand for intoxicating IL
: quors correspondingly increased. Sta
tistics invariably show a larger num-
: be of ramshops-compared to popula-
+ tion-in those States where license to
/ sell Intoxicating liquors are granted.
/ Like evidence establishes rapid in
crease OF drinking houses in the same
State, compared with its condition and
1 morals, than when under the No IL
! ICENsE' system. New York and Mas
e 5achusetts are fair examples. In the
!. former, with but brief triaA Of six
months under the anti-license law, in
? Temperance and committalS for crime
decreased to an extent which astoUish-
ed every one. In the cities of Albany,
Z Utica, Syracuse, Auburn and Isoches-
: ter alone, the records show two thou
fsantl less police arrests than for the cor
y responding previous and following six
= mouths. Such was the experience all
F lover the State. Soon as license was re-
p stored, saloons, intemperance, viola
! ton Of law, aud punishInentS therefor
II Increased from twenty y-four to two hun
: ired ner cent. The same is true of
!, , Massachusetts,, and the figures subStaD-
ltiating the fact may be seen at any
time. Including the laws Of Plymouth
;. Colony, in 1886, over two hundred
' stringent license -enactments have been
0 in force in that State, and every one
Y proved failure III regulating, restrict
K ling or diminishing the traffic in alco-
!. hoiic drinks. The result in Massacbu-
sets is that experienced by every 9TH
L er License State in the Union, verified
n by the history of all European nations
l. 1.-THE uniform and certain effect every
o where has been that with licensed tip
n pling houses, drunkenness, drunkards,
). Icrime, poverty and distress, have
d steadily increased, bearing plentifully
l. their bitter Dead Sea Fruits. AS the
70 places of temptation become more COLI
ieI venient and inviting. young men are
more liable to be led to their ruin.
no RETAIL WILL PREVENT WHOLE
'r SALE, .-ff-.
" say the advocates of license. Grant it,
oi and what then? Will any person
If drink the less? Establish beer houses,
g. and those who now only spend their
= money for the beverage or drink il
= when done their days labor, will then
5, lspend money and time both. Ale
n shops, plenty, will be opened convent
d lently to workshops and other places OF
d business, and soon the amount of liq.
= uors retailed and drank, will double
S,tthat purchased by wholesale. sifa'-
y REsPoNsIBLE AND RESPECTABLE MEN
:, only, it is claimed, under the license
/; law, can purchase the privilege to sell
;, liquors. Are such assumptions verified
:. by facts? Will truly respectable men
4 keep whisky saloons? VIII not the
- lieuor interests require persons in such
business to be in Sympathy with their
4 customers, and lunder the daily de.
q Inands of the traffic, licenses would
II soon be sold so cheaply, that irrespon-
u 1sible and mercenaTy 5men could pur.
sIehase them atwill.e. You cannot estab-
VI lish an 'aristocraey of dram shops
y among a people who deprecate and
detest monopolies. If the rich man
i alone can buy a license to sell to his
patriciana customers, the poor man, in
|. defdnce oflaw will supply theiplebeian
a. lconsumers. Pennsylvania grants il
q lcense, and, among the twelve hundred
NJ tsaloon keepers in the city of Pitts
burgh, the pressure of the whisky III.
r. terest compelled the licensing of many
= men who rank ueTy to,o even among