Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1883-09-07

in which people learned to Violate law. | be
licve it to be crime in n State to put or retain
a law on its statute books which Will not Ne or
is not enforced, but hnbitunlly violated. lt
bcgets in its citizens habit of disregarding
and violating law.
Compare my Democratic friends, the state
OF things rs they were before with what they
are now under the Scott Law. Think OF the
s.. 100000 collected annually from the traihc,
with but fraction OF mill on the dollar cost
for its collection, large number OF the lower
saloons which did the most damage TO society,
closed up, your local taxes reduced S2OOO,OOo,
with the power OF controlling the traffic IN
your own localities, and then tell me you have
an honest purpose to vote for party that pro-
poses to repeal the law rs soon rs they get into
powcr or so amend II as to make IL inefficient
and worthless The saloon-keeper, with three
hundred per cent. profit ON issnles, can much
better afford to pay the tax 20 repair the dam.
age done 10y his business than you can ont OF
the proceeds OF your lnrin, your store, shop or
assessment on your house aud lot And, surely,
there is no injustice to the saioon-keeper In the
matter.
But some people tell MS that by taxing the
traffic We recognize IT. Why, my blessed
friends, the United States taxes the traffic, and
don't We, as an integral part of the United
States, recognize it2 When we tax the prop
crty engaged therein on the hass Of its value in
money, don't We recognize itP When VIC as
scsscd a fine on the saloon-kecper, we simply
assessed tax on him ana his business There
is, my friends, nothing In this idea of respon-
siblity on account of recognizing business
for the purposes of taxation. The recognition
of the traffic for the purposes of taxation is not
a recognition In the sense OF justifying author
izing or becoming responsible for IL. Ii We
licensed the traffic We would then not only
| recognize, but authorize, and become morally
responsible ns a State for the traffic. as well as
| its consequences.
| 1t was hoped when this measure was intro
duced in tho Legislature last winter, on aC-
count Of the fairness, equity and Justice Of its
provisions, II would not only be salutary in itS
operation but acceptable to all reasonable pco-
! pie and parties, and remove the vexed question
from the arena OF politics, nj least for years 10
come. But that was mistaken hope ior ns
soon as the hill came up Tor consideration oll
the Democrats in both Houses took decided
stand against il and voted against its enact
mcnts, except two, who voted with the Repub-
licaus for il.
After the bill became law some of the
brewers and saloouistS appeared in the Su-
| preme Court and resisted its enforcement
through Judge Iloadly, their attorney, who
used all his legal ability TO have It set aside on
the grounds that 1t was q license law and ia
conflict with the Constitution. Four OF the
five judges on the Bench decided that the law
was not license law. but law, os declared in
its title, and authorized by the Constitution
| To provide against tho evils resulting from
| the traffic in intoxicating liquors.
Judge Okey, the Democratic member on the
! bench, dssented By tho by see By the papers
Judge okcys dissenting opinion is 10 be pub
! lisl"d rs a Democratic e.rupaign documenr.
On The 2lst ot June when Judge Iloadly r.
ceived his nomination aud commission NJ Co
! lumbus from the old Democracy 10 organize
and lead New and Living Democracy 10
victory, he declared himself in favor Of li-
ccn-c law. In the Court the Judge opposed the
Scott Law because il WAS Z license law. Rather
parndoSiual. But lot that 70. Let us examine
the Judges demand Tor q License law. Did not
Judge ioadly know when l4e made that decla-
ration 10 the Convention that q license law was
impossible under our present Constitution
That the question OF amending our Const'tu-
ton so that hceu>e might be granted had been
submitted 10 the people more than once and
largely showed under? Did he not know that
last wintcr. when the constitutional amend
mcnts were under consideration in the House,
Hon. @. H. Rargar, oi Coshuctun, now Chair
man Of the Democratic State Executive Com
} mittea, submitted to the House proposition
= as a substitute Tor the first amendment, now
pending before the people rs follows viz.
Frho General Assembly may. b. law provide
for the regulating uf t'n traffic ~ intoxicating
liquors by liccasc w and that only eleven out
of the thirty-iye Democrats ia the House
= Voted foF ii, eleven against it, and the re-
I mninder dolgcl. The Judge certainly knew
ell this, and set lac talks license las Is though
one could he picked mp NJ his bidding. II j.
true that under the first amendment submitted,
= and 10 he voted ou this fall should il he rati-
fed, the Legislature would he authorized 10
enact license law; but Judge Hoadly tells us
! in his Piaun speech that he vii! not vote for
that amendment, and in thi7 he Is backed by
the Liquor Dealers Convention; which met IN
c Joh-do ON the Sth inst suppose their reasons
|; are that " gives authority 10 tax as well as
: license the traffic.
/ Judge IIoadly, in his Piqua Speech tells his
: hearers that the Senate last winter puSsed
t Constitutional amendment which wnsa square
y license propositions. ana denounced the Re
: publiCans ut the House for voting against il,
< but did not tell them that this proposition.
: came TO the House some three or four days Of
: tor the first amendment which authorizes tho
d granting OF license as well as taxation, had
n been submitted 10 the people Tor their ratifca-
Il tion OF rejection. Judge Hoadly knew very
- well that the Republicans OF the House, what
Il ever their views were on the subject, could not
n vote 70 submit proposition which was sub
IS stantially covered in enc already submitted,
e without stultifying themselves They were
! willing 10 let their record rest on this subject
II as it was made on tho Bargar proposition days
II before either OF the amendments were sub
u mitted
), The Democratic party in their platform de-
u clare also in favor OF license, ana against
i sumptuary laws, two propositions rather in,
d congruuus. But that don't matter. II they had
e declared in favor OF the first proposed amend
u ment, and showed desire ard willingness 10
II make il possible under tlic Constitution to get
e q license law, then some confidence might be
V placed in their sincerity. Two years must nee
e essarily pass away before another amendment
r, ran be submitted, yet Judge Hoadly and the
.e leaders OF the Democratic party would demoi-
D. ish the tax system, which is w9rking 50 nc,
le any possibility Of testing or adopting the IL
d censo system, which they propose. 1t seems to
T. me that all this talk about q license system is q
N pretense, the real object being return TO Tree
at trade and let the traffic go scot free.
te 1t is amusing 10 hear our Democratic friends
70 talk about "sumptuary laws" and personal
is liberty of the citizen. The law OF 1884, passed
IL by the Democratic party, provided that liquor
s. should not be drank on the premises where
le sold. II it were, the seller should be fined OF
el put in prison, both, at the discretion OF tho
o. Court. Now, the result OF this law wns that
e. every person who drank glass OF liquor be-
We came an alder, ii not an abettor with the
Id saloon-keeper in the violation oi the law OF
NJ took his glass out on the street or in an alley
IN and drank it. How was that for 'sumptuary
st law" and where was the personal liberty o.
IT, the citizen to drink when and where ht
Id pleased2 This was ''sumptunry" law; and
n ii 1t had not been dead letter, might have
" broken up the retail trade mt saloons 10 grea
~ extent / only mention II TO show the bun
I'd conbe OF the Democratic party in their ha
o. rangues about ''sumptuary laws and persona
ut liberty OF the citizen"
II. 1t is alleged that while the tax law may b'
n good for revenue, it has not decreased the nun
ber OF saloons in the State. II this were so i
would show that the saloons are not oppressed
by the tax. But this notso, Statistics SHOW
that, under the operation of the law, over on
thousand saloons have been closed in the State
de- If it had not been for the payment OF the tai
ay for many Others by the brewers Judge Hoad
ly's clients) who took chattel mortgages OF
ur their fixtures and household goods 10 keel
ly themselves safe, more would have been closed
nd Judge Hoadly gives us in his Hamilton speecl
~. one Of the reasons why he is opposed to the ta'
i"s system and in favor of license. He says "
Get belieyein license system because know tina
Ter the control which society exercises over IN
| 81 ,l,o trafl lfa ia far GRE