Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1875-07-13
ooMMUNIGATED.

Did the majority of the County Court, at It's
last session, in the mattersof liquor license,
mean that they were in earnest, and that their
decision waste be effective? Its assumed,
of course, that gentleman of their age and
position in the community, Of mature judg-
ment aud experience, and occupying SO res
sponsible place, intended no child's play in
dealing with sograve matter; rather, sober,
deliberate action, to be enforced according to
the strict letter of the law as they were pleased
to announce il. It is possible that laws en-
acted by regular constituted authority may be
frittered away by failure to execute the orig.
inal statute; thereby duplicating the dignity,
sincerity aud authority of the enacting body.
For example. The corporate authorities of
the town, by grave enactment, required the
property holders on Main street. against
certain fixed time, to supercede the old, rough,
ragged stone pavement, so unsightly and even
| dangerous, with brick, and that other known
as the hog law, BY which the owners of swine
were required to keep them up and not permit
them to roam about at large on thu streets
Both of these laws have been enforced in part
only. They are dead letter in fact, though
they stand in the book in black aud white I'M
recinded ignored and de6ed by many. The
authorities seem to be asleep, or entirely in,
different about the execution5of them.
We expect better things of the County
Court in their major action as to the sale of
liquor. Law to be effective must be rigidly
executed, aud this gives respect dignity and
authority to the body enacting. Law makers
should not be timo servers, and laws promul-
gated should know emo man after. the flesh"
The principles ruling the majority of the
Court, aud on which their votes were predi>
Gated, were these. The regular Inn or Hotel
keepers of the town to be licensed, and no one
else; and the positive srequisition was laid
| upon the proprietors of these that the bars
must be kept on the upper floor, in their pub
| lie Office or room. So tenacious was the Court
of this, that they peremptorily refused to
grant the license unless the applicant agreed
to it. The purpose of the Court was mani
testify to curtaithe sale of LIQUOR as far as
possible, and thus abate the evil by confning
it to public, aboxe- board places. and take it
away fiom covert, underground dens, SO favor.
able to bo-abuse and evasion of the law.
On the part of one of the hotel proprietors
the Courts demand was promptly acceeded to.
and Its wishes have been carried out in great
measure. % the part of the other, his first
| application for license to sell was denied by
the Court, for want of assurance on his part to
keep his bar in the place the Court required.
| His second application was granted, accom-
panied as it was with the pledge to carry out
the Courts demand. AS yet this demand has
not been met and the bar is retained in its old
haunt, under ground, against which the Court
had set its face. L misapprehend the spirit
and nerve of the majority of the Court if they
| will wink at any disregard of their authority,
or manifest trifing with their enactments.-
L very much mistake the character of these
| gentlemen if they do not sternly carry out
their set, and ! say wise and wholesome pur-
pose, to conine liquor selling, SO far as intheir
power lies, to the hotels, in their upper and
public rooms, and thus crush out the UNDER
ground, back>door haunts, covcrts for dissi-
patton and its attending evils. trust the
face o: tho Court will be set as steel against
any and every applicant to sell liquor other
wise than they have so determined, and it is
to be hoped that they will use their lawful au-
thority to ferret out and punish every lawless
infractor of their expressed will, and protect
those who seek to be their obedient and loyal
servants. JUSTICE.
Charlestown, July 8, 1875.
A MYSTERIOUS AFFA1R-During the late
war, in August 1864, young man by the
name of Robert S. Daniels, son of widow
lady, Mrs. Annabclla Daniels, who resides
near Gerardstown, in this county, was cons
scripted by the Confederates, but before he
was taken to headquarters, then Winchester,
he mauged to escape from the officers having
him in charge. He came to his mothers
house about midnight, to inform her of his
escape, and he told her that be was going to
Maryland to remain until after the war. He
started and nothing has ever been heard of
him since. Within the last month many
vague rumors have been aioat in that neigh
borhood in reference to his fate, and it was
reported that his remains were found not long
since near the Round Top, on North Meuu-
tain. There seems to be little doubt that the
young man was murdered somewhere in that
neighborhood, as it was infested with band
of desperate characters during that period,
but nc clue has ever been obtained as to who
wore the perpetrators of the horrible crime.
On last Tuesday considerable excitement was
caused by the arrest of Mr.. D. T. Horner by
Sheriff Lamon, on the charge of completely
in the murder upon the affidavit of brother
of young Daniels. he was brought to this
city for preliminary examination. The case
was tried before Justices Gardner. Kearfott
and Mathews. Quite large number of wit
nesses we're summoned, but after the exams
nation of two or three, who were supposed to
know something Of the facts of the case, and
no testimony being elected eliminating Horns
er, he was distinguishes Statesman.
g- The Iowa Republican State Conven,
ton assembled at Des Moines Wednesday
week. The platform adopted declares the
unity of the Republic, and in favor of gold
and silver as the only reliable legal tender, a
tariff to encourage home industry, against
land grants to railroads or other corporations,
approves arbitration in the settlement of ma
tiOnal disputes, opposes third term, demands
that railroads be subjected to the law-making