Connecticut western news., 1879-10-15
E Repeal our Liquor License Law.


 Repeal our Liqusr License Law. i% l see that about two. thirds of all the towns in the State of Connecticut voted to allow themselves to be defrauded by the license law passed blythe General Assemblies of 1872 and 1874.
 It isa general saying that we must submit to the powers that be- We'll, admit that; but every voter is individually responsible for the powers that be, and what are tho powers of the license lawf The legal strength or force of the license law is to swfndle. As Iunder. stand the word license, it means that restric- ton is removed by grant of permission, It is so with the licensing of lawyers, ministers, auctioneers, etc. This liquor license law says, '"The county commissioners shall E- cense, etc, to sell intoxicating liquors. s; Every person 10 whom such license. is grant. ca, Snau. pay. not less than one hundred dollars nor more than five hun edred dollars therefor, for each year. and in the same proportion for part of a year-and the commissioners shall pay all sums received for licenses to the town in which the busi- ness authorized by such license is to be car Tied on." You see by this that every man. must pay at least one hundred dollars for 8 license to sell Intoxicating liquors. And what comes next? Sec. 8 of the law says tsWhen any person shall complain to any of the &C., lectmen of any town that his or her father. mother, husband, wife, or child is addicted to the use of intoxicating liquor, and request sald seiectmen, In writing, to notify the Ii censed dealers in said town not to sell. ex. 1 change, or give any intoxicating .iu,ior to such father, mother, husband, wife, or child, such selectmen shall forthwith notify, in .wri- l ting, every licensed dealer in said town that such request has been made, and that. the sale, exchange or gift of intoxicating liquor;; ale, lager beer, or Rhine wine to such father. mother, husband, wife, or child is forbidden I by law" 1.,.0 ..f!s9.. Sec. says, "Whoever shall sell intoxica- ting liquors to any person who thereby be- fcomes intoxicated, and while so intoxicated shall, in consequence thereof, injure the per- Eson or 'propertysof another shall pay just Edamages to the person injured, to be recover l ed Tn an action on this statute and if the person selling such: intoxicating liquor is Gs oensed, the rsceveryot judgment for such damages shaTf& bez cohelusive 'eEidence3 of $ breach of the bona,n Now, if this Is not a. swlndlng operation, then | do not under stand what is swindle. Notlce, that after
 
 hls license, by complaint to the selectmeu. he may be forbidden by law to sell intoxica. ting liquor to anybody and everybody, and there IS not one word about paying back; to him any part of the one hundred dollars. II want to see consistency in all things: A law without moral honesty is & shame to any State. Nocivl government can prosper or endure in so complete denial, or conternptu- ous neglect of that divine reality, moral hon. esty. Violation of law is criminal whether that law is divine or human. Inasmuch as the State has violated divine law in the fram- ing and by the working of this license law, she is criminal, Then look at sec. @ of this law and you will say at once that this law was made to be violated and not to be kept No man would pay one hundred dollars for a license and take these chances if he expected that the law would be strictly enforced. Agaln the statute says aa importer max sa,I, intoxicating liquors ln this State ir the or;g. lnal packages, and he shall Tot be reuuired fe procure license for ..s.le sale thereof so it is Iet m here Tee. Is this moral honesty. to s@s- that man who does a wholesale iouor business shall not be required to procure a Ii. eense, neither can he be held responsible for damages done by his business, while the re- taiier must procure license and risk the chanoe of having it taken away from him and get no money back again, and also he ,,must.I pay all damage done by those who buy his liquors Is this justice2 Is this equal pro- tectioh.of the law? The peculiar character of this law influences men, yes, say more; 1t almos& forces men to violate the law. And what then9 Why, then comes in the stat utes with ira7 prosecuting agents, who shall diligently inquire into and prosecute Slliviola- aens Of the laws relating to the sale 6 intos- -a icating iquors exercising all the powerS St grand jurors. But notice this: a grand yuf or's pay Is only one dollar aday and six .cspts l a mile travel to court, while these prosecute ing agents draw ten dollars for. each case, They are the men that get the money in flpre ways than one. Such law is not what rlakesf men true men. We want honest. laws with-f out respect of persons. Let us repeal our Ii. cense law. think it is inconsistent, it is | contrary to the, moral or divine law, it is wicked, unjust, dishonest; every act, every | law ought1to be repealed, which contravenes ! any divine precept, or which is contrary to | the duties which men owe to each other. II want to, see things honest and consistent :: Il want to see no partiality shown between men l of large business and men of small business; want to see all law as it should be in its \ character, no respecter of persons do not | want to see liquor sold as beverage; want temperance, but want it to be honest tenn. law. P C. CuNNrNss.