Claiborne guardian. [volume] (Homer, La.) 1877-188?, 1882-05-10
THE GUARDIAN.
A Judges Sentence.

man aud two men, were indicted
and convicted of selling liquors TO
minors. Hon. j. n. Reading, the
presiding judge, 10 pronoucing the
sentence of the court, used the fol.
lowing language;
"Tbe jury having found you gull.
ty Of selling intoxicating liquors to
u minor, it remains for the court to
pronounce the sentence Of the law.
The penalty of this ofiense, fixed by
the legislature. indicates that il con.
sidered the crime to be of serious
Character. BY the law you may sell
to men and women if they will buy.
You have given your bond and
paid your license to sell them and
no one has right to modest you in
Your legal business. No matter
what the consequences may be, no
matter what poverty and destitutiOn
are produced by selling, according
to law; you have paid your money
for this privilege and you are licens.
ed to pursue your calling. No mat.
ter what families are distracted and
rendered miserable, no matter what
wives are treated with violence.
what children starvc or mourn over
the degradation Of II parent; your
business is legal, and no one may
interfere with you in it. NJ matter
what mother may agonize over the
loss OF a son, or sister blush for
the shame OF q brother; you have II
right to disregard them oil and rur
sue your legal calling; you are Ii.
ceused. You can tit up your lawful
place of business in the most entic
ing and captivating form; you can
fornish it with the most elegant and
costly equipments for lawful trade;
you may I'LL it with allurements
and amusements, you may use all
your arts to entice visitors; you may
skillfully arrange and expose to view
YOUR choice wine and most captiva.
ting beverages, you may then induce
thirst by all contrivances, TO pro
duce a raging appetite for drink,
and then you may supply the appe
,ite to the tull-bccause II is lawful; |
you have license. You may allow |
boys, almost children, to frequent
your saloon; they may witness the
apparent satisfaction with which
their seniors quaff the sparkling
glass; you may he training them for
the period of twenty one, when they,
too, can participate; for all this is
lawful. You may hold the cup tn
their very lips, but you must not let
them drink; that is unlawful. For
while you have all these privileges
for the money you pay, this poor
privilege of selling to children is
denied you. Here parents have the
right to say, Leave my son to me
until the law gives you a right to
destroy him. DO not anticipate that
terrible moment when can assert
for him no further right of protcc
ton. That will he soon enough tor
me, for his mother, for his sisters,
for his friends, and for community,
to see him take his road to death.
Give him to us in his childhood, at
least. Let MS have n few years of his
Young life, in which We may enjoy
his innocence, TO repay Us IN some
degree for the care and love we
have lavislied upon him. This is
something you who stand as prison
ers at the bar have not paid for;
this is not embraced in your license.
You have your bonds to use in its
full extent, but in thus taking your
pound of flesh you draw the blood
and that which is nearest the heart.
The law in its wisdom does not per.
nit this, and you must obey the
law. By the verdict of the jury
yOu have been found guilty of trans.