Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1875-05-08
OF POLITICAL
ECONOMY AND PUBLIC
MORALS.
SPECIALLY EDITED FOR THIS PAPER BY
FRIENDS OF THE CAUSE.
THE REASONS FOR LICENCING
TIPPLING HOUSES CONSID-
ERED.

a right to license. No, all the courts
from the lowest to the highest have de-
cided that no man has such right. 1t
is an allowance which any Legislature
may at its discretion grant or withhold
or empower any court to grant or with
hold as in Va, and w. Va, as such
court may deem most conducive to the
public good. This question Is finally
settled.
The only question now is the ques-
tion of Erpedieney, &c, this is engross-
ing the mind of the nation, being every
where discussed by wise men and ig-
norant men, drinking men and sober
men-good men and men not so good.
-discu,sion-this is what
we want.
Reason No. 2.-We want the Reven-
ue. This was urged in England, against
restraining the sale OF whisky in Ire
land, but it was found upon experiment
that the money saved by the poor from
whisky enabled them to buy so many
more taxable commodities for their
families that the revenue was increased
and the producers also of those COM
modities, were as much benefited as
the liquor manufactures had been or at
least those who had not cheated by
drugging their liquors; SO that all the
conditions OF political economy wers
met.
In one of the States this plea Of rev.
enue was urged by the attorneys OF the
saloon keepers and unfortunately listened
to, when in the first year all the license
fees did not meet the expense Of en-
larging the jails.
In Hickman county, KY, license for
which a merchant paid SIS, cost the
State $4,000 from the crimes committed
under the influence of one quart Of
whisky sold by said merchant.
These fees in Jefferson county are but
bagatelle, and if reports be true some
of these licenses have been got and
never paid for.
Reason No. 3.-You cannot make
men temperate by law any more than
YOU can make them christians by law.
This was reason, or sort of reason
in 1885 but is a manifest fallacy in 1875.
The seat of religion is in the soul which
no law can reach. The seat of intem-
perance is in the pocket of one party
and the stomach of the other and law
can reach both. If you put whisky out
of the drunkard's way, he is per force a
drunkard no longer. If you keep it ont
of the Way Of the young, they never
learn TO drink, or have any wish to
learn, and it is now in different States
being kept out of the way of hundreds
of thousands.
"Give me power" (said a rich tippler
to his friend) "to pass that saloon door
without going in and | will divide my
fortune with you tomorrow" 'tNo"
said his friend, "no mortal can do that
for you, but will tell YOU what We can
do for you and mean to do, and that is
either to bar up that door, or see that
there shall be nothing in there that you
want"
Reason No. 4.-Withholding license
does no good. So say the advocates of
license. Our answer is-"you have tried
license for ffly years, let US try no Ii
cense for fUe." Then it will be time
enough to talk about experience"
Reason No. 5.-You cannot get juries
to find presentments under the no Ii
cense rule. And pray did You ever get
them under license and license grossly
and notoriously violated! Will it be any
better by goipg.back to license Nobody
believes it. Nay it might be hife
worse for if we are correctly informed
by a magistrate heroic jury did under
no license find something against poor
woman for selling pint of whisky to a
negro, ten miles off when to the knowl-
edge of said jury whisky was at the
very time being sold within hundred
yards Of where they were sitting. Is
this true or is it false? lit be false,
with many other things now more and
more filling the mouths OF the people
about juries we shall be only too glad
to vindicate them. But we are told that
the evidence before Grand Juries is ex-
parte and hence the more need of eau
tion. This is true and the books give
the reasons why the evidence is exparte,
and the reasons for secresy which rea-
sons hold equally with respect to in
formation of witnesses. But we are
speaking of cases where no doubt is
professed or entertained. Law and evil
dence both are undisputed, if indeed the
examination of witnesses be not slight
ingly passed over. And the jury if
sworn to find nothing in malice they
are also sworn to find in accordance
with 'the truth, the Dhois truth, and
nothing but the truth"
And yet we are informed that it is
handed down as a rule among some
enough found upon every such jury to
thwart a presentment) that they will
not find presentment unless they ap-
prove the law which would take the
accused in hand should they find as they
have sworn they would do in accord
ance with the facts. Thus like the
Scribes and Pharisees they make roice
The iaw through their fradifions
Mr.. Seward after having sworn to
conform to the nations will, as embodied
in the Constitution of the United States
pleaded a "higher law for violating it,
and this higher law was the will of God,
or what according to his notions the
will OF God ought to be. But such
perjured jurors plead not higher law