The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-04-11
The New Mo- ett-Liquor-Law.

IL " aich we recently printeu ia w.
CO. ,umns: though we and that there W" vac
sono feature in our synopsis which onght
-, - have been there namely, the pro-
vision recurring bar.room dealers ana tnel
agents. &C., to take an oath tn Advance taa'
they would obey the law. This provision
was stricken ont before the passage OF the
bilh or rather failed to pass the Two houses :
This however, was not substantial error,
seeing that to the 9Th section OF the old law
the following words have been added:
"yeriGed by the oath OF the saia acaie ,1
1.-THE bar-roon dealer or the retai' oea.s ~.
that the register and record eAslni. u ue
and correct state OF his business ior Tue pi'-
ceding month";. -,
This provision thus requires the baT-foom
-,c,,er and the retail dealer to swear 10 Tue
correctness OF their returns. Announcer pro-
vision In another section requires q s''h'h'i
oath or the wholesale dealer
Whilst upon the. subject, we will a''ude
to some other provisions i'll the new as wen
as the old law:
I. The new law is ROW the law OF the
land. "This act shall be in force 1rom us
passage" are its own words.
Q AS to wholesale dealers. The old Ia"
read as follows:
The wholesale dealer "sbal, pay the far
4ber SUN of 10 cents on every sale OF one
gallon and 10 cents gallon on each gallon
in excess OF one, up 10 and aactadsn9 ,HVt
qallonS," &c. ~
In the new law the words in italics arc
emitted, thus making the wholesale dealer
pay upon all liquors sold to consumers.
The SOP above is changed to "24." an(
the 40" to 500" So histax is doubled
upon sales OF quantities OF over one galIor
TO consumers.
3. ..Thc agent, servant, or employee" a.
well as the bar-room dealer and the retail
dealer, is guilty OF a misdemeanor II be faii'
to ring the bell whenever be sells or tartert
anvv LIQUOR. And this whether the drinS'
or the liquors are paid for at the time or not
A. The 9Th section OF the old law is yirtu
ally repeated. .
5. The specific license taxi nominaly re-
duced. bu, in effect increased, there being
no rebate allowed. 1t is now $50 in cities Of
over 1000 inhabitants, and $50 elsewhere
unless only malt liquors are sold, when 1t Is
$50 and S25 respectively. All to be paid In
advance. The above does not refer to
wholesale dealers. They pay $50 for whole
sale and 500 for retail licenses.
6. In the It'll section Of the new law the
words "eyery retail iquor-dealer have
been changed to the words "eyery whole
sale and retail liquor-dcaler who sells to
person or persons other than licensed
dealer and every retail liqUor-dcaler." Dut
this makes no real change in the law, we
think, inasmuch as the 18th section OF the
old law required "all liquor-dealels TO
keen the book which the It'll section now, as
above stated, also requires both wholesale
and retail liquor-dealers to keep.
7. A new feature is that nothing in the
provisions OF this act shall require any tax
upon CT return "for ally liquors sold for any
purpose beyond the limits Of this State.'
This may need judicial construction. Per.
sons living in Bristol, Tenn, for instance.
might get their drinks In Gootson free OF
tax, rs in one Sense these would be sold
"beyond the limits Of this State" What
the object was in giving this privilege we
do not know. We suppose it was TO allow
the retail dealer to.sell to persons living in
other States without paying the tax -,on
liquors so sold. II 1t was meant to give
this privilege to retail dealers only, the Ian
guage is too broad. 1t Is broad enough, as
we have said, to give it to bar-rOom dealers.
s. The 9Th section Of the old law has been
amended as to require commissioners of the
revenue to pay their monthly visits to
"wholesale and wholesale and retail deal
ers" as well as to retail and bar-room liquor
dealers.
8. The 10th section OF the old law has
been amended. Formerly it read as fol-
lows:
"Any licensed retail or bar-room liquor
dealer for every ,oilfut failure to pc. form
any" [duty, shall he tined not less than $40
nor more than SlO0.]
Now it reads:
"Auy licensed retail or bar-room liquor
dealer, as ,oett as his agent, servant, or bar
Keeper, for every failure" &C., [shall be
fined not less than $50, &c. .f'.
The word "wilful' IS omitted. Fifty
dollars is substituted for $50; and the
words "where the offence is committed by
the dealer himself or by his connivance,'
are added just before the words she shall
forfeit his license" The, sureties Of the
dealer are liable on his bond for fines as
sessed against bis "agent, servant, or bar
keeper"
10. The following is new provision:
,,t.Apd in case any commissioner of the
revenue shall fail 10 make such report, he
shalt forfeit to the Commonwealth the sum
OF $50, and it shall be the duty OF the judge
rOf such court to issue n rule against such
commissioner Of the revenue to show cause
why such forfeit should not be imposed
And il upon such report, or other sufficient
evidence, it shall appear to such court that
lthe, dealer has failed or refused to comply
with ahe requirements OF this law, or that
the, place OF business Of such dealer Is not
convenient or suitable, 1t shalt be the d0tg
of S,tfA court to reroke sack icepSe.''
We.uaed not repeat that the tax on drinks
is reduead TO IL cents for spirltuous liquors
and ceut on malt liquors; nor that the
register OF the former is to be black and OF
the latter n. q.
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A State ment and q Comment
The Indiana. polls journal has the foliosg