Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1875-05-11
lselectsd for the Spirit of .Ietferso1n.l
OBJECTIONS TO a LICENSE LAW.

selected for the Spirit of Ietferson.l
OBJECTIONS TO a LICENSE LAW.
1. All persons admit that the traffic in
strong drink is an evil. Hence rumsellers
and their patrons say that it must be regulated
by license law. Were it not an evil, there
would exist NO necessity for regulating it
But it is wrong to license an evil. The Bible
has two ways only of dealing with evil, name-
ly, by prevention and prohibition it does not
license it.
2. Licensing the sale of Intoxicating drinks
makes ltTesPectabte. Good citizens generally
regard the traffic as low, disreputable BUSH
ness. But license law throws around it the
sanction of the State, and thereby gives it
the appearance of a.legitimate and honorable
business. Rumsellers understand this, and
advocate license law. The Prohibitory Law
treats their traffic as crime, and themselves
as criminals; for this reason they oppose it
with all their might. Prohibition denounces
their infamous business license approve it
1t is not strange that they advocate the latter
8. A license law chiefly aocompIishes but
two things: o. It protects rumsellers in
their destructive traffic (2O 1t provides the
drinking classes with the facilities of crafty
ing their appetites. Both of these things are
immoral and sinful, because they increase
crime, pauperism, and misery. 1t is unkind.
ness and cruelty to the drunkard's wife and
childrea TO license q man to sell their hus-
band and father that which beggars them and
destroys their happiness. More than that !:
there IS absolate wickedness in such an act.
Government is bound to protect them from
abuse and misery instead of exposing them to
these evils.
s. IF one evil is licensed, then we must
license others. A witness before Legisla>
tive License Committee in Massachusetts said
that we must license rumselling because men
will drive the traffic in spite of law. CATER
all your efforts to suppress tho sale, there are
hundreds of rumsellers STILL" he said. On
being asked if We must not, for the same rea>
son, license gambling and houses of ill-fame,
he admitted that We must, and said that this
is done in France. He was honest. The
reasons urged for licensing rumseIling alike
demand licensed gamblers aud prostitutes.-
Thousands of them still infest our cities in
spite of law, therefore we ought to regulate
their internal business by licensing it.
7. The license system never diminished in
temperance, 1t has been tried two hundred
years in our land without diminishing the evil.
1t has been tried in other lands with no bet.
ter effect. In Rhode Island, and other States
OF our Union, a license law is in operation now;
and these States were never in worse con-
dition. In comparison with Massachusetts,.
and other States that have a Prohibitory Law.
they are cesspools of vice and pollution. The
Temperance cause is far more prosperous to-
day in States that prohibit the traffic than it
is in those which license it. AS Massachu-
sets has been foremost in prohibition so she
stands in the front rank of the Temperance
reform. The report Of the "Industry of Mas
sachusetts," by the Secretary of State, shows
that only about one>third as many gallons of
liquors were distilled in the State in 1865 as
were distilled in 1855.
In New York, the Excise Law does no good
so far it licenses the sale of liquor. On six
days of the week, Eve or six thousand rum.
sellers are licensed to drive the traffic, and
on these days intemIerance, vice, crime and
misery abound. On the Sabbath, the traffic
is wholly prohibited, and a marked charge is
wrought on that day. Equal prohibition on
the other days Of the week would Show as cx,
cellept fruits.
8. Rumseiliug violates the right of property.
Each man has right to use his property as
he will, 71ro0i2eR he does not use it 50 as to
infringe upon the rights of others. IF rum
selling makes three fourths, o. even one fourth.
of the paupers and criminals for the law
abiding citizens to support, then to license it
is to allow one class Of men to violate the right
of property vested in others.
IL. What good can rumseller do if he be
licensed Draymen, boot>blacks chimney
sweeps, or scavengers do some good when
licensed. Their work is indispensable. But
what good does the rumseler doy Does he
assist in educating the young? No; he in
creases ignorance. Does he diminish taxes
No; he more than doubles them. Does he
multiply churches? No; he multiplies pris>
ons and aims, houses. Then, shall we license
man to sell strong drink when we can not
name any good that he can do7 BY no means.
1t will be time enough to license rumsellers
when they can point us to one good thing
which they can do.
FASHION NOTES.-The latest fashion notes,
and most correct, doubtless, are given by
New York correspondent. He says:
''We have all got neuralgia in our shoulders
from wearing spring clothes, and many new
dresses are supplemented across the backs by
porous plasters, and next to a vest front a
mustard pou!tice is generally most worm
Young ladies alternate between a necklace for
street wear ard flannel rag for the house,
Diamonds are worn in the ears with much eff
feet abroad, but lock of cotton and little
roast onion is the usual adornmeut at home.
Pearl powder is applied to the shoulders for.
full dress, but camphorated oil and hartshorn
llniment are considered very pretty also by
the sufferers. I notice silk stockings, with
colored cloakings, are the things for low