The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1879-09-27
QI's I)eople:; e oln"'''
Tor The Cecil Wing.
The License Question, Viewed from a
Christian Gtanipo:nt.

Tho present license law evidently looks
upon the traffic i'll Intoxicating liquors as
dangerous 20 the public h.,airh and morals
and therefore, requires, in the petition for
such licenses, the signatures of sober and
discreet freeh"ld2rS. |: requires, it is true,
ir"HSCS for all, or nearly ail, businesses and
thi:, us in The utE..r r;tsa for revenue: but
those licenses are not granted hy petifiOu,
but by simple a,.ii0,'jon, ar,l the payment
OF the required tax. =, Il merchant, Il drug
GiSt, or any "ihrr purity who may conform
10 the revenue law, enters upon his busi-
ness without any further condition. The
druggist, though coufrSsetilv dealing in
pui7onS of various kinds need not secure
the endorsement Of his fellow citizens But
when Il man apriie- i''r license la retail in
toA'caIln. drinks, ll- meets i different state
oil lhlhG", and i number or his fellow
citizens are required to insure success to
his pstition. Now. why has the law
adopted so much prrci,iiiuu in Ills NATTER
W by has it not made that business lust us
indiS"ririnate as the others 10 ask the
question is to answer it. Its results, unless
controlled l'y higher power, are injurious
to the health aud morals of the people. If
u bakers bread, or butchers meat, or =
/ merchants goods, or Il druzc;si' s IN s,licires,
I were 10 produce the same results on all who
Use them, thu: alcoholic drinks produce the
& '
Who would 50 :s,inlterate these necessary
articles of fool and commerce.
Now, II Is proved beyond all controversy
that alcoholic stimuli are not only not nee
e.Sary 10 Inen in health, but absolutely. and
10 all intents and purposes, l,o;sononx. Taken
IN large quantities they arc capable of pro-
ducinT almost inStan: death: III small ullau-
tirioS they gradually and certainly under
mins and destroy the constitution both of
tie moral and physical man. II th-s. he
the legitimate effects of pare alcoholic hey
sr2.rs, what shall liz said al Tie poisonous
trash which is sold by wholesale and retail
dealers, under the names Of Whisky, Bran
dE, Rum, Gin, Sherry, Madeira, Cham
payne, &c, purI,rtiEg TO be of foreign man
uftrture, and which, in nine cases out of
ten, perhaps never crossed the ocean. So
far rs ia" taste may 80, they mere imi-
tatlonS, made up OF An in!initr-lnal moictv
of the genuine liquors, with large amounts
of del-torious drugS-hom ropa1hic quaHti-
ties OF the genuine ard aliopat ac quantities
OF fu>il OH, Stryrhnia, Corci,iuS Indicus
and Ammonia, extracted from the refuse
Of city livery stables, and such other ex-
cesdlnsly defeats ingredients which give
the drinks OF Tie present day all their
! flavor. No wonder their lnakeneSS anl
murder follow in their train A gentleman,
weli-knewn III this community, informed
me that he had received, Il circular which
receipt Tor The manufacture of various IL
quurs, equal in flavor to the imported arti-
cicS, and yet containing 4 very small portion,
II amy, OF the genuine liquor. Is it, there
fore, .f"3'"tt"isH il those who believe the
startling developments which chemical
analysis has revealed TO be scientific truths
hhoula raise the warning voice. and ask the
people TO examine these facts, and vote for a
law that will suppress the traffic for AL
future tims?
Our fanaticism leads to the consideration
of another thought, viz: Admitting (what
Is not true) that in all places wh.re prohi-
hilton has hseu enacted, there is more
drunkenness, and by consequence, more
liquor sold than before such cnactinents
were made, in what condition does that
place the cause of prohibition Does it
show tn" progress to be a step in the wrong
direction" 1t does show, it j. true that
there exists i condition OF the public mind
! that renders it exceedingly difficult to en-
force such II law; but by no means proves,
as we are tdn"t;cal enough 10 think, that
such 4 law is wrong. a good law part
Tally enforced, nurtureS i better public sen
timent than bad law (Which the license
law is thought to be) entorccd. because
there are some murders, thefts &c, do we
argue, therefore, the laws against such
crimes are ineXprGiant and that their SUP
preston can be better attained by moral
Saa*inil OF their utter repeal, on the
ground of 1hesc comparatively isolated
failures: No one, II is supposed, would SO
infer. The objection, therefore, even if true,
is Of 10 force. 1t is the tendency of all law
to educate pubic sentiment, ahd therefore,
surprising it in all instances to have failed
for the time, it is still producing. 4 favorable
condition on the mind Of society. There is
no class of our frllow-citizrns, who violate
law both Divine ;nd Euraall. with more
l, fh1 4
iea!srs III Intoxicating drinks. No class
pursue their business with greater reckless
ness rs to consequences than they. They
are guilty of more frauds on the revenue:
. more frauds i'll the article they sell; more
violation of local or State laws against or
controlling / he traffic, and more to Illustrate
the effects Of benign laws than any other
class of men amen- us, and vet, forsooth.
! have the ctfrpntcry TO tell the friends Of law
and order, that nruhi!iltorT laws ai:. 4 fail
Ure: while. II Sh they themselves make
them so b? their daring violation of thom,
For public opinion w.ts evidently strong
enough, and favorable enough 10 enact them,
and yet the minority prssumes to override
public sentiment, rs expressed by law, and
by clandrstne and mean conirivanccs TO
render nusatorv and void all the efforts Of
! the phi.aathroplc to ensure the boon OF
sobrle1T and temperance to their fellow
creatures. If these he the convictions Of
thoq&aaas Of the i;sst AID is.oss ;n,eii:gsui
class ct Tbs country. AID If it bs true that
ths faithful and persistent enforcement of
prohibiory laws would he attended by the
suppression Of nine-tenthS OF the crime and
pauperisln that lays so heavily on the pecu-
mary resources OF General. State and NUM-
cipal Governments, to say Iuthin. of the
moral effects OF such traffic II such he
our opinion OH such ST llsrts, and there be Il
,lror d. the : milk Of human kindxess" in
t.,oF
one, thus feeling, Ia employ Whatever talent !
he may pHSsesS. ID sseii:a =uph IL state OF
public opinion As TO bring about so deSira bic .
Il result These views are not Dramatically
stated, nor are they assumed to be absolute |
ly true but If these be the convictions of
any mind, sustained by what it may con-
ceive excellent evidence drawn from almost
evsry source, from reading ard observation |
!sit, We ISL. G,nj;:;. Il thxt il. stsud EN-, |
pioy those powers for the entire overthrow |
of such 4 condition of things? We would ,
break no lav-violate no right, but respect
fully he>esch our fellow citizens 10 do us |
the justice to repeal all laws s.nctioniur !
Such All evil
u is i.els,sI tiis, oi.iy :. 4t,Li.,pt condi- |
ton oil p'.bl sentiment sustain, The pres
cnt license system. slth Us its vast profits,
investments IN property on and in which .
"gro.serie> are established: the morbid .
anpetites OF thousands of unfortunate in
ebriates, and the Immense amount of bribery
said to he Employed by tina Liquor Dealers
Associations upon Legislative bodies and |
to secure the reversal at elect'o,3s Ct E.S,.,h- /
ltor.. ,a.ss a-c.rl.i Gs previous elections,
showing, as we think, that in those cases.
where the law has failed to he enacted, or
having been repealed after trial, that it has
bssn accomplished against the wish of
large majority of the constituency of such
legislative bodies. The assertion has been
Made that lcy ;Q>s ,hi. S:;t,i,, il, GG.a en-
ploycd ~ The afore- lnentioned " AsSocia-
ton = 10 influence tine Legislature of Nary
land, at its last session, against the Local
Option" law for the city of BATTING re.-
And yet We feel assured that if the Ques-
ton could be brought fairly before the in
hAbitants of that city, there would be an
overwhelming majority in its favor Thc i
r"J'%3 EEo%;f ;IXsi:it. .,,i:lte' ~ gloss Of
drtc'd Spirit, '2W PE0,tm q Doc.: inchriotc 10
rot" Us the a"atH; httg S"ggeSt, rhca in his
h"uf 9f h"ditS Re cGr$"< the ,,Dis3n by ,rhi,,h
he S,'or ca%'"red. bribery, alas has grown
common, i'll subjects Of less prruniary value
than this Immense traftir--iu Congress, in
State Legislatures, and City CounciiS and
men in each have bartere,l their votes for
moEeS ,Eai Gi,sh, " i.;..e .:eG. .,S, IN the
interests Of their Constituency &e wonder
the efforts e tku Friruis at subrety and
COOL order appear to fail. They resort to no
such nsanS-thry try to raise funds, it is
true, but it is to scatter information among
the masses: and it is doubted whether all
the money raised in the United States for
this purpose equals the am1;:nt tia allowed
Ivy tne i..iti! Hsate.5 ~. We itst h,;!.yilud
Legislature! Convictions, like these whether