The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-03-14
TIE GENERAL LIQUOR LAW.
A Liquor Dealer Severely Criii-
ciSeS it.
Editors Herald ::

Inc ACT ncenlnS and regulating
the manufacture and sale of intoxi.
eating liquors. approved March g h.
1882, has few features which nat
urally interest one engaged in the
liquor business. With Herbert
Spencer | realize that. "Where per-
sonal int rests come to play, there
must be, even in men intending tC
be truthful, a great readiness TO see
the facts which it is convenient tC
see. and such reluctance to see OPP
posite facts as will present niue b
in seeking for them.
Hence it can hardly be expected,
that, being All in crested party |
should not be more or less warped
in judgment.
L fully comprehend that, "a large
discount has mostly TO be made from
the evidence furnished by institu.
tons and societies in Justification OF
the poiicies they pursue and advO-
cate" Bearing these facts in mind
L shall endeavOr to free myself from
while bI lefty noting a few
Of the salient points of the new
liquor law of this territory.
| note first, that section 2 author
ICES "rhe county courts in their re-
spective c.unties, and the city
councils in their respective cities,
to grant licenses ITO any person
over the age of 81 years" 1t pro-
vides that be give a bond which
"shall be in any sum not less than
800, mol more than $1,000, with two
or more sureties to be approved by
said judges or mayor" 'Said
sureties must justify on oath before
some officer authorized to admins.
ter oaths." "Such justification shall
be in writing, signed by the persons
justifyiDg, and certified to by the
officer VINO administers the oath
and attached to and filed with the
bond"
Beyond the fact that this pro
vides for liberal number of not
airy fees, and involves a great dea
of trouble, it amounts to nothing al
all, as any person of experience i:
aware.
Section provides that mo license
shall be issued for longer period
than one year, nor for a less period
than three months" AS the regu
lar period for issueing license La:
been three months, and it is reason
able to suppose that the custom vii
be continued. it becomes necessary
to go through all this ridiculous rig
marole four times a year. The
effect of all this is, simply to cause
three or more people to engage in
the liquor business instead of one
and three, who from the nature o
the case will be no more responsible,
than the one. A responsible pro
prietor can give responsible surety
and an irresponsible one will hav
sureties Of a corresponding charac
ter. 1t is a scheme with no res
training influence, no guaranty, bu
full of injustice because it diScrimin
ates in faver of a bulldoZer, anC
against one of more modest charac
teristics. 1t naturally will produc
results, exactly the opposite of thos
intended by the legislators.
Section 4, is mass of words con
Guiding with the declaration tina
the license is not transferable. Cor
siderlng the vast number of change
made in the propriatorship @
this class of establishments and tn
loss nsequent upon such provision
to men who usually are unable t
bear it, this is refined robbery.
Section 5 provides severe pena
ties t"r certain acts, but one wOr
therein makes it unobjectionable.
Lo, king at this section from ar
other standpoint, a dealer would b
in quandarY if he had to decid
what is an insane person in th
meaning of the law, particular
with r .erence to the Guiteau tria
1t is made unlawful to sell TO
minor under II years of age
Minors over Il y ears OF age are CIV
IDENTIFY exempt. Perhaps the VOL
should have been spelled miner.
The concluding phrase, making
dealer label to ''pay all costs
prosecution" smacks Of perSec1
tiO7l.
Section 6 pertains to the suspel
sion Of business on Sunday.
Section 7 makes it lawful for ar
married woman TO institute al
maintain in her own name, suit c
any such bond for all damages su
tanned by herself and children,
either, on account of such traffic
Should any woman, married
otherwise, institute a suit und
this section, she will have to pa
the lawyers fee in advance, HGle
he should prefer to black-m2il
dealer.
A paraphrase on this, might reaC
"It shall be lawful for any marie
woman to institute and maintain
Iher own name a suit against h
husbands father, for allowing
Icreature Of such character to be
father to her children
This section should be amendC
and read: at shall be lawful f
the Creator to allow the birth, Onl
of creatures who are free from Il
weaknesses Of human nature, al
whose parents will give boz
for their good behavior before the
debut"
Section s. like Shylock refers OF
to 1.-THE bond
Section 9 declares that ''no suit Fl
Liquor bills, when sold in lei
Quantity than five gallons at ar
lone time, shall be maintaine
| in any court in the territory" x =
"except such sales be for medics