The Grange advance., 1877-05-30
VOL. ".
The Liquor Question.

Elsewhere we publish a fuil report OF
the proceedings Of the City Council On
Monday evening, when n accordance
with . request Of the Mayor, the liquor
sellers were present in force. The pur-
pose Of the Mayor il inviting these peo-
ple to be there seems to have been to
talk with them about the improperly Of
violating city ordinances, a matter not
at all germane to his position nor with
ia the province Of the council, and it &C.
Cured to US that the dealers appreciated
this and manifested proper spirit Of
resentment. They certainly gave Mr..
Sterrett TO understand that they we're
not children who might be scoldel into
obedience by the City Fathers, or even
spanked by the Mayor himself, but re-
sponsible men, knowing right from
wrong and deserving to be punished ac-
cording TO the law for violations Of the
provisions Of the law.
The people Of Red Wing elect a May
or and Council to manage the city's
business, enact ordinances for :he pre-
seryation Of order and health, and per-
form other duties enumerated in the
charter. There was evidently no inten-
ton that these should call in assistance
in the discharge of their functions on
such occasions as that of Monday night.
It was we'll understood that, at that
meeting, the price of licenses to sell
liquor would be fixed. Was it necessa.
ry to have The dealers there to enable
the Council to fix the amount? Many
of them would probably, have been
present, seeking to prevent an advance
of the rates by their personal influence,
but their coming of their own accord
and in respectful manner, would not
have detracted from the dignity Of the
city government. They have the right,
as all other citizens, to be present at
any meeting, and, by petitioning, strive
to promote whatever interest they may
represent.
10 call them there to hear homi]y
on good behavior was ridiculous. Let
the Council make its ordinances and,
when these are violated, let the punish
ment be swift, sure and to the full ex-
tent of the law. All honorable liquor
dealers, and there are honorable men
even amongst this class, will aid the
authorities in discovering and Furnishing
offenders against reasonable laws. This
cannot, however, be expected if a shilly-
shally policy is pursued. When the
police arrests an offender, and the mag
istrate fines him and revokes his license,
if he can 60 to the Mayor and Council
and procure the fine remitted and his
license restored, he and his fellows will
not in future respect the law nor its
administrators. He will curse the JUS
tice, hold the council in contempt and
laugh at the police. And, as Mr.. Nc
Cormick told Mayor Sterrett on Mon
day night, if one dealer violates the law
with impunity, the others cannot afford
to obey it.
There is good deal that is obvious
ly unwise mixed up in this question of
liquor selling. On the broad ground Of
consistent morality, the government
has no right to license the traffic. If it
is wrong, surely there can be no right
to legalize it. If it is not wrong, then
licensing is oppression. Public opinion
differs in its estimate of the practice,
and in dealing with liquor sellers we
should remember that they do not be-
lieve the practice to be wrong. Hence,
when we appeal to them to refrain from
selling to inebriates and minors, we
should frame our appeals in inofensive
language, if we hope to be listened to.
Why not cor6ne denunciations, then, to
the individual dealers who commit the
offence of selling contrary to ordinance
Were this done, a motive would be fur
nished to honorable dealers to aid in
Furnishing the unworthy. "