The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1882-09-22
ID. +. BENSON.
HAZEL DILL, near Bel Air, Nd, Aug %, 1882.

resides. Please be KIND enough TO give IL plac'
in The -EgiS, for the information of the people o
this county. Truly, yours. &c,
HAZEL DILL, near Bel Air, Nd, Aug. %, 1882.
MY DEAR Mr. BENSON: Your favor, making
inquiry as to the practical working of the law
known as Local Option" in Montgomery county
is before me. For many years In that portion OF
o1akers, about Sandy Springs, full trial of this
law has been made. If one may be allowed &c
Judge of the beneficent results OF legisiation IN
the line of prohibition by their immunity from
crime the absence of their names from the dock.
cts of our courts, both civil and criminal, the
presence among them of their own banking
their good turnpike roads, and in fine all those
critera of high civilization and general thrift
full homes well kept and Hospitality peopled, sure
the Friends themselves and their dependents,
doth white and black0 have gained much over
every other portion of our county, by the prohib-
itory Safeguards of this most excellent law,
viewed simply In the light of police regulation,
not to say anything of its higher aspects.
Last May one year ago, by special act of the
Legislature this law was applied to the county at
large The trial of the law, both as to its practi-
cality and general results, has been fair one, and
the friends of sobriety will be glad to know, the
State over that those who voted for Local OPP
tion, whether as total abstainers or as temperate
police regulation, are fully satisfied with the re-
suits. One thing beg you carefully to note in
our trial of this measure and it is that we secured
so large a majority for the law about 1900 as to
carry with 1t on the minds of the opponents land
especially that class likely to violate the same,)
such moral force as to inspire them with a whole
some dread of the Judge and the penalties. In
the counties testing the law, where the majori-
ties have been small in its favor, / dare say the
violations are more frequent. Among the protec-
tons secured to our people by this law, think
can claim as by far from the least the advantage
given us in sober and thrifty labour. Our colored
people and the poorer whites, composing our la
bor are not nearly so drunken us they were five
years ago. Surely this Is no small gain when es-
timated simply by the low standard of dollars and
cents When we think of the colored people of
our county, upon whom was tried the doubtful
experiment of an illiterate franchise at the ballot
box, slowly yet surely rising in the scale of Amer
lean citizenship gradually possessing themselves
of small yet comfortable homes, sending their
wel-clad children to the schools which the State
has so tenderly provided, and all this in no small
degree because this law has removed the tempta-
tion to indulge their race-fondness for drink,
surely no man among u.s. except the old vendors
of drink, would be willing to go back to the old
license system. In our county we were much
blessed in our ability to keep the question out of
party politics. Democrats and Republicans alike
intent upon protecting our sons and labor, voted
for the measure. If Local Option is carried by
n large majority, you need have no fear of its ad-
ninistration, while behind q small majority you
will find there will be violations not a few, yet
with our judiciary constituted as at present, the
majesty OF the law will soon be indicated.
Yours truly, JAMES B. AvIRETT.