The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1877-09-22
AN OLD LETTER.
NEAR PORT DEPOSIT,
Septembpr 11th-


H. r. ToRBERT, EsQ.-Dear Sir:-I en-
close letter which received from my old
friend Christian Kecner, more than thirty
years ago. l think its publication at the
present time will do good. If you agree
with me, it is at your service.
Yours truly, JEFFERSON RAMSAY.
BALTIMORE, September 10th, 1916.
DEAR FRIEND:-I received yours of yes
terday, and in reply | have just time to say,
that may have to go to Philadelphia to day
and may possibly be with you on Friday;
but there is great uncertainty about it.
l think without an opportunity of direct
reference at this moment), it has been about
ten years since the citizens of Maryland
have been petitionng and memorializing
the Legislature. For nine or ten years l
have been there personally. In 1887, |
think, we obtained a special committee
that made a strong report, but nothing was
done. 1t is truism that that can never
be politically right which is morally wrong,
and yet the converse of it is the principle
of action in all our entire licensing system.
that if gambling by lotteries or otherwise
is wrong, licensing gambling is, in fact,
licensing all the evils which result from it;
and SO with the selling of Intoxicating
liquors. If the evils which are attributable
to them result from the license system,
what is the effect on the vender of every
license dispensed?
Legalizing the business shields his con-
science from the perception of his guilt,
and liquor sellers generally want no better
shield against the law of God than the
license they have received from the civil
authority, and for which they have paid.
1t prevents public sentiment, however pow
erful, from reaching them. Why say they,
these are fanatics that would interfere with
our lanfuI business. The license stands
right in the way of one of the noblest
reformatious of the age, one which most
deeply of all involves the best interests of
our country. Legalizing the sale of intox-
icatiDg liquors stands in the way of that
holy, searching, murder forbidding law of
Cod which would drive him to despair or
repentance"
These are sentiments, the truth of which
no man can gainsay. And when we add to
these the reasonableness of our demand
that they should give us law leaving it to
the people, the proper, the true, the legiti-
mate source of power in this country, to
decide whether we shall have a license law
or not. If our petitions are rejected, as
they have been year after year; if our re-
quests are refused; if they will not hear,
or, hearing, refuse to answer us, we
have a right to be heard, and be heard
we will. We have right to ask every
candidate for the Legislature the plain up
and dorn question: "Will you vote for
law leaving it to the people to say whether
or not they will license a rum shop in any
county, ward of the city, or any election
dstrct?' and if they will not, or strive to
Grade the question, we have right to elect
men who will answer such question, {" will
vote for such law Any one can see that
legislation of more decisive character is
wanted. 1t is to make the traffic a crime by
law. know that politicians take fire at
this, at the same time they admit that the
traffic is the fruitful cause of three fourths
of all crime and pauperism, and wretched-
ness in the land.
Do away with the cause of crime, etc,
and these cease, as far as the law which
sanctioned them caused their production.
The fact is, that if the people, especially
our farmers, thought half as much of their
children as they do of their sheep, they
would not suffer liquor seller to reside in
the county in which they live. Let any
man, licensed even by the State of Mary
land, set up an establishment in their
neighborhood, and raise young wolves and
let them out on his neighbors' sheep, and
in one week the whole county would be in
arms, and if he plead his license, can
hardly bring myself to believe, that even
in mild, forbearing Cecil, the people could
be restrained from meeting out summary
vengeance to the holders of the license, if,
indeed they did not extend it to the law
makers themselves.
Can we be expected to tamely submit to