The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1874-07-07
The License Question.
Written for Tho Spirit Of Dcmooraoy.I
An Effort "a, Get NJ the Points.

An Enora 90 Get n the Points.
MB Eptros, If you will indulge mo
little further l promise to adopt the early
closing movement 30 far as my part In
this discussion is concerned.
! have tried to present some Of the rea.
sons which ore urged In favor Of voting
''license, yes" Brother "Julyus' thinks
| [thss are not conclusive. lido not claim
that they are, but ore they got mors cou
yincing than any that lave been offered
for any other systemi Some system We
must have whether We will or not and the
most inviuetble arguments "ron 20 sys.
tenn cannot preventtt.
Is this not about tho situation In this
discussionf Bro. "JuLrus" and stand
where several roads separate. all leading
to the same point. A traveller asks which
road he shall take.
/ say to him, Take the middle road"
Bro. ''JULlUs" says. "That road Is
long"
The traveller asks, (which Is shorter ?
Bro. "JuLIus" says. "That road is
rough"
Tue traveller asks, (Which Is smooth.
err
Bro. "JuL.Us" says, "That road Is dau-
gerous."
The traveller asks, (which rosd is sa.
fer ?"r>
Bro. "JULlus" says, my motto is,takc
tho best way"
8 And the traveller, II guided BY this dis
cussion, is standing there yet.
All the objections to license which
have come to my notice. and which are
likely to have any considerable influence,
may be oom2rehended in these two:
First, that is licensing an evil.
Second. that its effect will be to in.
crease the evils resulting from tho liquor
traffic.
Formidable as these objections may
appear, I think it can be shown that they
are destitute OF force may not be able
to do it. Brother "JuLrus" could.i il his
fiery zeal for temperance did not over
come his cooler judgment.
Iii not proposed to license the evils
which may result from the sale Of liquor.
It 10 unfair and unreasonable to assume
that license is designed to legalize indis.
criminate selling to all persons under all
circumstances. The man who takes such
view Of tits totally untitled to cast an
intelligent vote on the question.
Allliquor selling is not evil. For some
purposes selling liquor is just as necessa.
ry as selling camphor. For other purpo-
ses, and to certain persons, tits just as
harmless as selling tobacco.
To plsce liquor selling in the same cat
egory with larceny is bald absurdity.-
Liquor selling is sometimes necessary
and proper. Is larceny sometimes neces
sary and properi Liquor may be prop
erly sold for medicinal, mechanical or
sacramental purposes. Can anything be
be more preposterously absurd than COM
mitting theft for medicinal, mechanical
or sacramental purposes1
Within certain limits liquor selling is
not against good morals, and should not
be against law. Within these limits it is
as justly entitled to the protection of the
law as any other business. And we do
little credit to our discernment or to our
sense of justice, when we confound good,
bad and Indifferent selling, and denounce
lit all as AN evil.
lido not hope to prevent persons from
continuing to repeat again and again that
| it is proposed to license an evil, for this
is one Of those handy phrases that sounds
like an argument, and saves the trouble
of searching for sound reason. But I
think little reflection will prevent any
man with sound mind in q sound body
from being much frightened byit.
The second objection affords rational
grounds for more diversity Of opinion
1t is calculation Of probabilities in re-
gard to something that is yet in the fu-
iture. The extent to which the evils re.
sulting from the sale Of liquors now pre-
vail is well known. They are unquestion.
ably the moet widespread and deeply
seated evils Of our times. Weare with.
out license, but nobody seems satisfied
with the laws. One class clamors for
more stringent laws, while they do not
enforce existing laws against one viola
tor out Of twenty. Another class de
mands the modification of the laws be.
cause they do not sufficiently discrimi
4 nate between harmful aud harmless sell
ling. Still another class { which it is to bt
hoped is not numerous) would repeal al
Il 90 IN tha o,,hioct
What the effect Of establishing Ii
lcense system will be must be to some ex
Itent conjecture. still we may arrive at
tolerably satisfactory conclusion in re
gard to it.
We are not justified in doubling tina
before granting license, the applican
would be required to prove good mora
! character, and to give bonds for the faith
!. full observance Of all restrictive law
, which might be passed; such bonds to b
sufficient in amount to cover all damage
D which might accrue to any person in
civil action. And Of course forfeitur
. of the license would follow violation Q
} 1.-THE law.
!: The immediate effect OF this would b
|, Ito close up oil the lowest doggeries in tn
country. My acquaintance with whisk
r shops is not very extensive, but do no
know three in the county which woul
not be closed by such system.
Ell Others would of fcourse be opened, bu
by different clas. of men, and in sue
numbers only as could be made profits
BILE after paying for the license. Nov
Il every man who can retail jug Of whisk
; can make profit on it. The number VIII
n could pay dve hundred or thousand do
o lars for license, and still make a prof
e would be very limited. Where there or
e now half dozen doggeries in a villag
y there would probably be one licensed ST
r loon.
l. A better class Of men would hav
l. charge of the business. The WORTHLESS
l. men who now do most Of the sellin
. could not establish a moral characte
IT they could not pay for the license, an
b they certainly could not give the requ
Ie site bonds. .
It The very worst feature Of our presel
70 situation is, that the liquor business is 6
largely in the hands Of the lowest class I