The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1876-04-29
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
OLD NEW IICENSE IAM

- How slow the growth of what is excel
lent, how hard to attain perfection in the
neither world"
We see the text of the new % Liquor
License Law y in the last Wig, which we
presume is given by our last Legislature to-
the citizens of Cecil county in lieu of the
grand jury law which they saw fit to re-
peal, and instead of a Local Option
Law" which a majority of our citizens
are in favor of, and which has been given
to a number of other counties in our State
AS this is a subject in which every man,
woman and child is directly and indirectly
interested, we presume it is fairly before
the people and we are at liberty to express
our opinions about it.
In the first place, we may say that we
prefer a Local Option Law" as being a
step in the direction of justice and demo.
cratic government, which cannot be said of
any restrictive license system, and is to be
preferred to grand jury law, for reasons
that may be briefly stated.
The law Just repealed was uncertain in
its action, and proved too dangerous to
those who were intent on making living
out of the traffic in intoxicants to be long
tolerated by them without vigorous remon-
STRANGE, and the fact that every liquor dealer
in Cecil county was petitiOnng for its re-
peal is sufficient evidence of the efficacy of
the measure to check their business. One
grand jury suppressed one half of the Ii
censes, and our last would have wiped out
the remainder, had the law been let alone,
and Cecil might have been without a licensed
bar after the first of May, just as our sister
counties that have it or Local Option.
Those who can see no principle in any
thing, are always asserting that intemper-
ance cannot be suppressed by law, and are
yet found to be supporting measures to
cripple or restrict the sale of that which
does the mischief. To put the whole thing
IN a nutshell, if drunkenness be a sin against
God and Il crime against man, the business
of making men into drunkardS must be
crime also. And if, as it is expressly stated,
it is in direct contravention of all divine
laws, as often repeated in the Jewish law,
and directly taught in every precept of
Christ and His apostles, how can human
ordinance give it legal SANCTION
If the sale of liquor be right, every man
has a right to be engaged in it; and if it be
wrong, no State law plea of espediency
should be framed to support it. A license
law to protect The morals of the commun-
ity is therefore priori, an impossbility,
and such law on the plea of necessity or
for rereRu6, is also inadmissible. The facts
are pldiH W every Oie JlaI, even uiu Inc
revenue from this source maintain the pau
pers and court expenses growing out of it,
no amount of pecuniary advantage can re-
store the broken hearts, the shattered intel
ieots and wasted energies yearly growing
out of this evil habit. If You would know,
60 ask one mother the value of her hus-
band and sons. and then see the hundreds
that are being bereaved of their children
by this hydra headed monster
The Grand Jury Law" was not salts
factory. especially to the applicant for Ii
censes, because it vested absolutely the
power to grant or withhold, in twenty
three men, drawn from among the tax pay
els of the county, and when it came to the
test, but few Iuries could be found o Shout
der this immense responsibility for the
county, and but few that were willing to
make any distinction by granting a monoI-
oily OF this business to a favored few and
Withholding license from the many.
Under any law that can be devised, every
licensed individual is joint partner with
the State, and we receive the thirty pieces
of silver and are partlceps criminis. A
license covers a business, that no Christian
can conscientiously engage in or ask the
Divine blessing upon, with tiimsy coat of
responsibility guaranteed by the broad seal
of the commonwealth.
We would not be SO uncharitable as to
place all who are engaged in the liquor
traffic outside the pale of Christianity but
cannot see how many can plead ignor-
ance of its requirements, or wash their
hands in innocency.
Our special object in calling public atten-
ton in this strong language to this subject
at this time, is that no man who processes
to be believer, or who is member of any
Christian denomination, may be induced
by any persuasion or tlattery to sign his
name to au application for a license to sell
rum. There is a blessing for the man who
shall give "a cup OF cold water to one of
these little ones " and a woe for " him that
giveth his neghbor drink, that putteth |
thy bottle to him and makest him drunken
also"
We know that there is too much tamper-
ing with this iniquity by the church and |
those high in authority. We know that
there are many who have become wealthy |
by the profits arising from this business. |
who occupy prominent places in our fash |
ionable churches, and ride in grand car
riages with liveried coachmen. We know
that there are ministers who do not and |
dare not speak against this great sin for |
obvious reasons.
If it now requires twelve signers, who |
shall be free holders to recommend one ap-
picant for license, may we not, with some |
reason, hope that part of this flood may |
yet be averted by simply saying NO; aud |
were we not right in asking that the whole |
business be outlawed and placed on the
same list with other crimes of lesser enor-
nifty, by allowing every voter to put veto |
upon it in Cecil county, as they have in
other counties on the Eastern Shoreo !
Are we SO much behind them in intellect |
that we are not fit to govern ourselves, or
have we been betrayed and misrepresented
by our legislators? G.