Litchfield enquirer., 1881-09-15
"No License. a

stitutional amendment in kansas, the recent vote in North Carolina, unsuccessful though it was, the stringent laws passed in many states holding the liquor dealer responsible for the damage his liquor does, all indicate the tendency. In our own county the increase of 'tno license" limit, and the readiness- with which iuries now convict on sufficient evidence, show the like tendency. The practical ques- tion to be decided in the twenty-six towns of our county within a few weeks is this: "Can we carry and enforce vote of no license P" Foc carry such a-vHe and make no attempt to enforce it, would be to vote free rum; 10 tempt every oyster saloon to become a groggery ; in short, to increase the number of places where liquor is dealt out, now somewhat lessened by the license system. sa
 The usual arguments for and against "no license" may be briefly stated thus: The ad- vocate of ''license" says. Prohibition cannot be enforced, license can be enforced; it is bet ter to have the lesser restriction than none at all" The advocate of prohibition replies, Neither calB the laws against theft or murder be always enforced, but that is no reason why there should be no laws against theft or mur- der" The truth has always seemed to us to lie between these extreme views If, for in stance, vote of no license would not only be often broken or much evaded, but would lie utterly dead, then the advocate of license would have the advantage in the argument. The reply of the teetotaler would then fail, simply because the two cases would not be parallel. Imagine for instance, republic in
 which the majority of the voters were habitual thieves or habitual murderers. In such a community laws against theft or against mur der would be worse than useless; they would breed contempt for all law. So in town where clear majority of the voters are habit ual users of intoxicating liquors. and have 10 intention of giving up their use, but pass a vote of ''no license" merely because it seems a moral and proper thing 10 do, such action is predestined failure. It hurts rather than helps the cause of temperance; it is fraud, an hypocrisy. .'~s.r
 But where the majority are not themselves habitual offenders against their own law 1; where there is willingness to do and suffer something with view to the execution of the law then there IS the material where
 with something may be effected. Whenever, Tn short, an open, defiant, easily proven vio- lation of the law would pass unpunished, we think it would be worse than useless to pass a vote of "no license" Where, on the other hand, such palpable violation of 8 prohibitory vote would be brought to the test of prosecu- tion, and pushed to conviction, then the pas sage of such vote would do good.
 We would say precisely the same of laws against theft and murder. There is no Amer ican State in which any theft which could be proved would not be punished. There is no American State in which the perpetrator of most species of murder would not be promptly prosecuted if he could be discovered. There are many states in which the most defiant vie- lations of prohibitory law would never be prosecuted. In the one case it is the difficulty of procuring evidence of the crime; in the other it is the prevalent pubic feeling that what happens to be prohibited in the statute book is no crime, which prevents the enforc. ing of the law. .a'... .......
 We are far from believing, however, that a vote prohibiting the sale of liquor would be useless if not completely enforced The crime of liquor selling is most difficult of proof. Il is something if the traffic is put to conceal ments, to evasions. The mere belief that oper violations of the law would be prosecuted would drive all reputable oeaIers out of the business. The man who frankly defies wha he considers an unjust law may perhaps pre- serve his self-respect and the respect of others
 but the man who sneaks. and cheats, and llei under oath, as liquor dealers must do in places where there is any serious effort to enforce g mo license" vote, becomes a criminal even ir the eyes of those men to whose appetite he panders. The business in such place be- comes criminal business it's methods crim. inal methods; and Ione but the worst men vii engage in it. There will still be temptation for young men, but not for young men of re. putable life. The class of habitual drinkers will dwindle down to the old topers who are themselves daily warning, and to reckless youth already criminally inclined.
 We cannot conclude without brief reply to letter published in the Enquirer two
 weeks since, and favoring license in our owr town as the best measure of practical reform
 within our4reach. The first argument therein advanced-that men would be likely to lay ir
 stock of liquors in advance, and be thus
 tempted to excess-could hardly prove more
 than a temporary objection. Our boys-the class for which we fear most-would scarcely do this even at first. Cub-rooms, even ii
 started, would probably be open to prosecu
 tion.s :'.. , u @
 We think, further, the writer of that lette,
 is under misapprehension of faGt as to the practical effect of prohibition on tie amount of liquor sold. There is certainly some con. flict of testimony regarding this question in Maine, aud still more ip states where it has been more recently tried. Yet, on tie whole, the weight of evidence inclines decidedly to
 the view that prohibition does prohibit ; We clip the following extract on this subject
 from arecent Kansas letter to the Tribune:
 Maine passeda prohibitory law years aeo, and her citizens are probably situated so as to judge of its results. They have had a score of opportunities to repeal it, and have inn proved them by making it stronger. The tes.
 timoqy of Members ei Congress Governor: and Judges of that State, that the law is
 success, will certainly outweigh that of ths whiskey-makers and sellers of the conntrv
 who unfortunately for the value of their l>s
 timonY are compelled to view1he subject iron a foreign coast. In this State we have haG the law three or four months. In nineteen twentieths of the State it is just as we'll en forced and scrupuioQsly observed ga the law. against other offences. ,Ths open saloon. ( place of public resort for the manufacture e druakards, has ceased to exist iu Kansas, ex cept in four or five of the largest towns. Il
 no other good, were accomplished, we are
 amply repaid. for all our efforts. We have ir
 this town 5, 1000 people. We haze not had {
 licensed saloon for three years. 1t cost money and effort to teach some of our .citizeus thai