Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1875-04-22
PROHIBIT0RY LAW.
Mr.. George Dawson's Experiences I'm Boston
and Other Americas Cisies-His Conclusions.
From the Boston Globe, I'd.

From the Boston Globe. I'd.
Mr.. George Dawson, who was
formerly an advocate of the permits
siye bill, has delivered lecture at
Birmingham, England, in which, on
the strength of his experience, during
his recent tour in America, he declar-
ed the Maine liquor law to be inopera-
tive. Mr.. Dawson said he took a
great deal of pains about the drinking
question and about the prohibitive
laws, Maine laws and licensing
laws. Sometimes enthusiastic Ameri-
cans came over here and said how
beautiful the laws worked in America.
They worked certainly. His opinion
was that the prohibitive laws did les
sen the amount of drinking, but at a
cost. Wheresoever, we knew, the
laws were so stringent smuggling
became fine art, and how to evade
the laws that were so produced more
moral harm in one direction than the
evil they were trying TO check in the
other. One day he said to man at
at a hotel, "Cannot man get drink
here?" "Oh, yes" said the man, ego
along the street until you get to a
fruit shop. Go through that shop and
into the room at the back" Arrived
at the fruit shop he marched in. He
entered little room at the back.
Behind man were two cupbards and
little counter. These were all he
could see. He did not know exactly
what to do next. However, he put
on bold face, and said, "What sort
of stuff is bourbon whiskey, sir?" The
man said not word. He opened a
cubbord and brought out a bottle.
He (Mr. Dawson) poured out what he
wanted and drank it. The man gave
him little check on which was writ.
ten, "Pay to the cashier so many
cents" He took the check into the
little shop, and paid the money at the
counter. This was the way they evad-
ed the law. The man who gave him
the whiskey did not take the money
for it, and the man who took the mon.
ey did not give him the whiskey.
The mischief was done. He had the
whiskey and he paid for it, but no.
body sold it. Instead of standing up
to take their drink, the Americans
showed them into the cupboard aud
they sat down there. The standing
drink was illegal. In sitting to drink
they were sort of guest to the house.
In another place he went to hotel.
He said to the landlord: "Can l have
a drink, sir?" He replied: Eyes, if
you will go up stairs we will bring it
up" This was nice thing for an
English gentleman-drinking in bed
room! However, they had it, and he
found they could have any quantity
they liked. The law was most sys.
tematically evaded. In Massachu.
sets men sold dgink openly at the
bar. BY and by, it was necessary to
go down upon them. The man knew
that the police were coming, and al.
though he might have thousands of
gallons on the premises, there were
two or three bottles laid handy, and
with virtuous indignation the police
seized the three bottles. The man
was summoned, paid the paltry pen
atty, and went back to his work of
drink selling. Whoever wanted drink
could get it in almost any county in
America. The larger part of the pro.
hibitive laws were transparent farce,
an invitation to dishonesty, an induce
ment to smuggling. 1t was no use
getting angry about this, because the
thing was there and he could not help
it. The majority of Americans de-
clared these laws to be worse than
useless, to be absolutely mischievous.
The testimony of all, except few en-
thuisasts, was this, that they forced
upon the people law to which they
were opposed, they turned their in
genuity into the chanuel of evasion
without diminishing drunkenness, and
they increased, amazingly; hypocrisy,
lying, meanness, deceit, bribery of of
ficials, and the general measure, which
ate as a canker into American society,
was guarded as a necessity