Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1876-06-03
THE SUNDAY LIQUOR LAW,


There is in the State. somewhere,
q law torbidding the sale Of intOxi
eating drinks on Sunday, but. SO far
ms enforcing 1t is concerned, 1t might
as well not be. Occasionally efforts
have been made to control tho sale,
in a sort of spasmodic way, but they
never amounted to much, and the
business has hOurished as briskly
on Sunday rs any other day. Last
week the Police Commissioners aud
the Excise Board determined to stop
it entirely. They instructed the po'
lice to arrest, peremptOrily, every
liquor dealer whose shop they found
open, showing no mercy. There
was excitement among the Germans.
The Irish and Americans who drink
whiskey did not care so much, for
u quart.bottle could be easily CARR.
ed home the night before, but lager
beer is, am told, only good when
drawn from the cask, aud that one
can't carry home. They appealed
to the authorities, but in vain. 1t
was decided that the law be enfOrc.
I'd, and so the police were instruct.
ed to arrest every seller, on tie pain
of dismissal. And they did it. Over
four hundred who refused to recog.
nize the law were taken in and the
penalties were applied remorseless.
~. There was a terrible excite
ment in the city, aud public Opin.
ion was divided as to the propriety
of the action. The Germans claim
that they are IL quiet, law.abiding
people that they work hard all the
week, that Sunday is the only day
they have for recreation and rest,
and that beer and wine, which to
them is harmless, is essential to their
comfort. They hold that it is and
has been always their custom, that
to deprive them of it is an unjusti.
fable invasion of their liberties, and
that as they don't interfere with any
ones ideas they ought to be allowed
their pleasures in their own way
without molcstation. SO much for
their ideas of it. On the other hand,
the American Christians insist that
this country is and must be Chris
tian, that the Sabbath is purely
American institution, and that the
Germans have no right to infringe
it in any way.
do wish, however, that l could
say that the effort was made in a
good spirit. 1t was not. The law
was originally the work of temper.
ance Republicans, and its enforce
ment at this time was intended to
inhame the Germans against that
party. "The law is a law" say the
Commissioners, 1--WE did not make
it, nor would we, but as it is a law
it must be enforced till it is repeal
ed" And then another purpose
was served. The fines collected will
go long way toward sending a Til
den crowd, or howlers for Tilden to
st. Louis, and create fund gener-
ally to help carry the State Of New
York next fall.
There was a great deal of hard
ship inflicted which was not to be
justified. One old German who
keeps a very decent shop in the
Bowery said, "Dot law is hard, but
off it be law l will stick to 'em.
No beer Tomorrow" and he refused
to sell drop till night, when, sup
posing that the legal Sunday was
over, he tapped a key. In came a
man who called for glass, paid for
it, and drank it, and then opening
his coat displayed his star, and took
the old man to the station, where
he was compelled to stay all night
and pay a swinging fine in the morn
ing. Of the arrested, not one in
ten knew of the intended action of
the board, and were as innocent as
possible of any intention to disobey
the law. 1t is mighty nice ques,
ton, and trouble will grow out of it.
THE BIG DRY GOODS SALE.
The big sale of domestic dry
goods that took place this week, &C
complished all that was intended by
it. There were goods to the amount
of 81 100000 sold, and the prices
obtained were fairly satisfactory.
The object was to test the DISPOSE
ton of merchants to buy-to deter
mine whether the bottom had real
Iy dropped out or not, that manu-
facturers and their agents might
make some calculation for the flu.
ture. OF course Stewart, Claflin,
and the heavy merchants of the city
were the heaviest buyers, but there
was an excellent representation from
outside, and the outside jobbers
were the quickest and most earnest
purchasers. Altogether the sale
was counted a success, and increas.
ed confidence was the result. New
York feels better now, for the event
has stirred the sluggish waters, and
there is hope that from this time
things will look better. There were
fewer failures this week than here
tOtore, and | may say that there is
a slight improvement in business.
POLITICAL.
Western Democrats want to watch
their delegations very closely. Til
den has a bureau at Washington
with oceans Of money, who are buy
ing up delegates at so much a head,
and paying for them in good hard
cash. There are gorgeous head.
quarters at the Arlington, and into
those headquarters the country del
egate is piled with every influence
known to politics, from SO much
money to q foreign mission, as the
price of supporting "Honest Sam
N.Y. Look out, Democrats of the
West Tilden has long purse and
so have his hackers in this city.
They will beat you, sure, if you are
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