Wilmington daily gazette., 1874-04-30
the LICENSE LAW.

Such legislation as Is contained in the license law
of this State would not be permitted to apply to
ordinary business avocations.
The feature in the law that invites men and
women tn apply for license and require them to
deposit large sum Of money, after securing the
names Of freeholders to recommend them, and
publishing the with the utmost care. then
gives to the Court, after all of the provisions Of
the law complied with, the discretionary
power to say whether license shall be- granted
or not savors so much of autocracy as TO make
it repugnant to every democratic statement, and
We therefore say it could not, in this country, be
applied TO the ordinary business avocations.
II the Court were 10 exclude the sale of mor-
cbandlse in a neighborhood, the legislation per-
mitting such an arbitrary act would be condemn
ed at once, and by the masa of the people.
We do not presume our Judiciary desire such
responsibility as the present law charges them
with; nor do we believe they would exercise
power to the dctriment Of individuals, nor that
the present Bench does not represent the best in
tellect and the finest qualities that usually pertain
to gentlemen in such position. But legislation
that induces and requires all that the present law
does, and then disposes of the matter in iuch an
dIpuIhll Inout, Is tAtecuIHSly pnJtCtioh'tpic'
And the gentlemen from this county whose
efforts matured AID carried it, cannot defend it
successfully on any general principle, either as a
means OF raising revenue or tending TO morality.
There are those who maintain that the Use Of
tobacco In excess is an evil that should be check
cd by legislation; and some years ago efforts
were made in this county TO form anti-tobacco
societies, hut would such legislation i'll regard 10
its use be tolerated? Certainly not Yet If the
aggregate amount OF money wasted in chewing
and smoking were calculated, we presume it
would astonish the female portion of our people
quite as much as the sum spent fer liquor.
Now tobacco is never prescribed as a medicine
Sacred writers do not touch the weed and there
is no injunction anywhere that little should be
taken "for the stomach's sake" In fact tobacco
is one of the most useless things that is sold as
merchandise, while at the same time il is SO gen.
orally used rs to seem almost necessity. Ii all
those even who use liquor aud frequent the hotels
were to combine in societies and pledge them
selves never to taste, chew or smoke tobacco. We
presume about as great "how" would be raised
by those in the business rs is heard from those In
the liquor traffic; while the delight expressed by
the female portion of the community would DO
even more general than that at the movement
against liquor. What lots of spin money" might
hc saved, and "baby" might be INDUCED in many
pretty things, and scores OF little comforts be
bought, all OF which now vanish in curls Of nox-
ious smoke.
Smoking and chewing by clergymen is quite as
Objectionable to the ladies as "wee drop" OF the
ardent by laymen is to the clergy. These gentle
men deserve to be raped over the knuckles moro
frequently ior their indulgences in this paftcu-
lar than they are.
How many gentlemen could with satisfaction
contemplate the idea OF their wives or "sweet
hearts" indulging in guilds of snuff: And yet if
tobacco is good for man it should not be bad for
woman.