Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1878-03-14
Traffic In Liquor.

A-S.--> 4.
Traffic In Liquor. i
Tho Grand jury in their prosontment
(Section 81 call attontion to the poddling of
spirituous liquors through tho county from
wagons, anu pronounce the practice to be
on tho increase and productive Of great mis-
chief to tho peace, morals and good order. Of
the county. They call upon tho officers of the
State und General Government to use evory
means to suppress this growing evil and ask
all good citizens to aid in tho work. All
must admit the truth of this statement, and
further that tho prorniscuous salo of liquor
demoraizcs labor, increases crimo, onc,ur7
agcs dlencss and impoverishes tho county
All must admit, too, that the practice should
bo stopped at once, and that the oply plan to
suppress it is public sentiment which will
mako ovcry man detective of this great OWL,
and unite the pooplo in q common effort to
rid tho country of it. Why should it be toles
rated when it increases your taxes, demoral-
ICES your labor, leads your children and
friends into sinful habits, md produces
in return only poverty and wrotohodnoss,
orimo and degradation? Whit obligation
do the people owe to mon who violate tho law
to scduce tho young and thoughtlcss, to-! ruin
both temporal and eternal? Every instinct Of
father, every feeling Of a Christian, every In
ward sentiment of good citizen is against such
violators' Of the law? How and why, then, 4re
they countcnanced, traded with and concealed
in their nefarous traffic? II is due TO tho want
Of correct public sentiment which would
approve and sustain all who strive to enforce
the law in this PARTICULAR. We now have a
good government and on this subject good
restraining laws, but what arc laws when unen,-.
forced. a printed constitution and statutes.
are nothing unloss enforced, and their. proper
enforcement depends on tho virtue and integrity,
of tho people. An iguorant and corrupt
people would have bad government, though
they should hayo perfect constitution and
system of laws. 1t Is said that eternal vigilance
is the prico Of liberty, AMI we say that il is
equally true that strict enforcement Of the
law is the price Of peace and good order. ,Olli-
GERS arc powcrless unless sustained by the moral
sentiment of the community. The citizen must be
the mover in nineteen twcntieths Of the prosccu-
tions brought for all crimes. The officers only
cute warrants, which any citizen may suo out for
larceny, murder, arson, pcddling liquor or any
other offence. Officers can do nothing unless
armed with process, except in certain cases whore
offences arc committed in tllcr presence. To
show tho gravity Of the offence Of pcddling liquor,
as viewed by the law, we publish the following
section, copied from tho Revised Statutes, Page
7S8, Chapter CXNXV, Section d: "Whocvcr
shall pcddlc ardent spirits in any county
in this State shall be deemed guilty of, a
soAo CO. -.
moro thah five hundred dollars or imprisonment
for not moro than ono year, or both such Gnc
and Imprisonment in the discretion Of
the court; and every body 30 con-
victcd shall forfeit all such spirits, the
Same to vest in tho County; and if the fno be
paid, or the spirits forfeited, ono half thoreof
shall DO paid to tho informcr." This law is
stringent enough and offers to tho citizen
remuneration for discharging his duties as q
citizon, because tho offence is 80 detestabe to
good order and morals that the enforcement
of tho law against it is urgently desired.
We hold that liquor thus seized on n warrant
from the State officer can be hold against tho
Federal officer, and the offender be required
to answer first 10 the State court and thon in
tho Federal court. The enforcement Of tho
State law is tho bcst and surest remedy for
the evil, and this is in the hands and power Of
every citizen. The State law against retailo
ing liquor without license is equally clear
and is enforceable by every citzcn The act
of March 10th, 1874, Section 6, says, "and
any person selling or retailing intoxicating
liquors without licensc shall DO deemed
guilty Of n misdcmcanor, and, upon conviction
thoroof shall be fined not less than fifty
dollars nor moro than two hundred dollars,
or imprisoned not less than ono month or
moro than six months, or both" Pcddling
and retailing arc dilforont offences, and the
statute law against both is clear and severe.
We daily hear complaints of liquor wagons
passing through tho county and creating
disturbances in ncigbborhoods. we have for
this reason put tho remedy before tho people.
Will you enforce tho law and destroy this
Vilo disturbcr Of the peace and traduccr of