The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1875-08-26
The Maine Law.

The Maine Law.
There is one mistake which the papers
supporting the Maine law continually
make, and that is in asserting that the law
against liquor selling is as well enforced
as that furnishing any other crime. The
Rockland Gazette uses this argument over
and over again, and seem never TO tire Of
the illustration We recently spoke Of the
fact that the fines of the prohibtory law
are regarded by sellers as the license they
pay for their business, and that they take
the risk of paying little or much. Upon
this the Gazette comments:
This certainly is queer logic. BY the same
brilliant reasoning are not the fines, iorfetures
and Imprisonments to which he is subjected
upon detection and conviction, the price which
the Smuggler, the paSser of counterfeit money,
the horse-thiet, or the burglar pays for his
license: If man were licensed to commit
either of these offenses, he would pay fixed
sum. nder the present laws he may pay
more, or he way go free of penalty. lie tuns
his chance. and thus the law puts an element of
gambling into the business OF running contra
band goods, ''shoving the queer LorSe-steal-
ing. and burglary. But the rogue commits the
otlense Just the same, and 1t is 10y such unden-
able facts that we prove the utter ineficiency
of the laws against these otlenseS. And the
more cOunerteiterS. smugglcrs and thieves are
fined and imprisoned. the better will the l'us-
ton be sustained that the law prohibiting these
otlenses is utterly inefficient"
Whether our logic is queer, the reader
will Judge. Let rs examine that OF the
Gazette Smuggling, counterteiting horse
ito l1x-
demncd in all civilized communities, They
are crimes everywhere, and punished as
crimes. The rights Of property lie at the
very foundation OF society, ana laws for
their protection were the very earliest en-
acted by mankind. Without them society
would not endure for a day. The right Of
property in beer, wine and spirituous liquor
is Of quite as long standing as their exist
encc as beverages. The sale of those AZ
ticles, under certain restriction, is made
legal over all the wide world, save in
three OF four states Of the American Union.
In those states the principle OF prohibit
ton is undergoing trial, and daily losing
ground, Every few months we hear of
some state which has repudiated prohibit
ton, and returned to license.
Now the logic, queer or otherwise, OF
our Rockland contemporary, draws COM
parison between those acts which all man
kind regard as crimes, and those which
not one half OF one per cent OF the worlds
population even pretend to look upon as
offences; and nearly all of those who are
yoked to the folly, know that they are
acting a hypocritical part, in the interest
of politicians,
Mankind regard wines, malt and spirit
uous liquors as a legitimate portion of
their diet-and this view has exceptions
SO small numerically that it may be said
to be universal. The rational use of liq-
uor in some form is as Old as the history
Of the race. 1t has been and is approved by
has the sanction of custom, of law and re-
ligion. As q consequence men do not re-
card as criminals those whose offence is
against foolish law, but is in compliance
with ancient and modern custom and the
requirements of mankind. Therefore we
say that no Just comparison can be made
between the Violations of such law, and
those Furnishing the crimes against prop
erty. Where 4 counterieiter or burglar APP
pears he is eXecrated and hunted down by
the whole community. When a hotel
keeper is fined for furnishing the refresh
ments that his guests desire, he has the
sympathy of a large part of the communi-
ty-a feeling that will grow in Maine I'M
til, as is the case in Massachusetts, Con-
necticut, Rhode Island and other states,
the law will be repealed.
There are consequences that attach to
men IN all the parts they play - some
pleaSurable and some in the nature of in
hlctions. The penalty of a long and vast
ing war was melted out to our revolution
airy fathers as the price of independence.
or the license" to be free. And all along
the paths OF science, ana morals, .and con-
science, and religion, lie the graves of
those who have procured the ''license' of
free thought and unfettered bodies for
those who came after them Untold hui
man suffering has sprung from fanatical
efforts to compel men to conformity in
diet, in thought and belief, on the part of
men of narrow and mistaken views who
thought they were right. The tyranny
of opinion may be quite as eXacting and
calling in prescribing what we shall eat
or drink or wherewithal we shall be cloth
ed, as in the days when
n,Christians burned each other, quite persuaded
mat the Apostles would have done as they did"
The last male descendant of Hannah
Dustin, the famous Indian killer, died
last week He kent mn tho old lodv,o aota