The Hartford herald., 1885-12-09

Oi Judge LuctW> a.. IIttIe tO the Grand
sury Of Onto County. deiis-
cred November 25.

jury Oh" mode OF conducting their pro-
ceednes Judge Little said:
| next call your attention to some of
the matters which Nou will he called
upon Ca investigate. | cannot without
Obtaining you too long, indulge even
the hri"tc-t reference tu many of the
subjects in the calender oi crime, nor do
! deem II necessary.
Every intelligent man knows, and
certainly every one competent to serve
ou grand jury recognizes the common
and hnldcu iIncamruts of crime, II H.
needless to define such crimes a. mur-
der, robbery, rape. larceny, arson, bur
siarN. perjury or other felony Every
one recognizes them as hriuou- hrcarh-
ts of law, morals and good order.
All feel that thc security of society dc
mauds their punishment.
These nuihrraking cri ncs do not i'm
/ Yeril society 80 much a. "A class of oflrn-
/ Sos of less cnoimity hui of more frequent
[ recurrence. The class alluded Ia are
called ia legal parlance misdemean-
oi~ Then are not punished - severely
/ a. irlnnies. nut hy fine and imprisou-
mrut in Jail sometimes hy forfeiture nf
special privileges sometimes hy lu~~ of
! citizenship. These nnerSps, in degree
range themselves from the margin of
mere moral dereliction all the way 10
I the verge of icloniuu~ crime The dan
/ ger in them l. not their magnitude
unt their immediate effect hut their
/ frequent recurrence AMI their constant
! s ppiug the foundation oi public virtue
/ aud good citizenship.
No attempt will he made to discuss
| or even refer Ia all these minor nflensts.
| Ailu~iou viii he made To only few
] of common occurrence. The right To
sell Intoxicating liquors j. granted 10y
/ the State or local authorities 10 those
| who pay a license tax aud obtain the
/ privilege But accompanying this priv
/ ilege are certain restrictions which il
/ is unlawful To exceed. The retail dealer
| j. required t. ke, p an orderly house;
not To sell To- anyone more than j.
necessary; not to sell To inehriates or
minors, or keep open his place of bus
| ineS~ on the Sahbalh day. There is a
| tendency for persons tu gather az drink
/ ing resorts, and the tendency of these
gatherings l. 10 drink to excess.
When a crowd becomes drunken, then
disorder follows. Hence the restric-
| tion.
Some may regard the Use of intoXica-
/ ting liquor in any quantity as uunec-
essarN. The sentiment of the law max
| ing power l. otherwise. Vet whenever
- mans language aud actions are in
! iluenced hy liquor, II is manifestly un-
necessary 10 supply him with more. Ii
i not necessary, a. some suppose, To
constitute an inchriate that he reel in
/ gait or walluw IN the gutter. When
one hahitually drinks To such excess as
| to impair the mental faculties or phys
! lcal powers or overcome the will. he il
an inebriate in legal sense. IL does not
matter that he can walk and talk and
attend to business, or that he has inter
missions, II he hahltually returns TO his
excesses.
Ii WAS not the purpose of the statute
To prevent mere sots- already hopeless
~ wrecked from having liquor.
The object rather was Ia arrest the
work of self destruction with those who
had not passed the point of reformation
Ii was To restrain those weak social
natures, who partly fOm good fellow
shin and partly from love of liquor have
acquired an OVeTmastering habit they
cannot subdue
Selling or giving liquors To minors il
double wrong. Ii Is "A wrong To the
minor because OF its physical and moral
injury To him. II i also a wrong To the
parent, because it interftres with that
wholesome control 50 Indispensable To
the welfare of the young.
The liquor seller may furnish drink
tn the minor those rare eases where
authorized in writing 10y the parent
not otherwise.
In local option districts, OF which
there are some in Ohio county, the sale
of liquor i restricted To licensed drug
gists. They may only sell on the writ
ten prescription of a practicIng physi-
elan, and the physician can only pre-
scribe liquor for those actually sick. Ii
will rarely occur that the members of
an honorable profession will evade the
law, 80 that prosecutions in these local
titles must Toe rare.
Gaming is an ofitnse peculiarly the
offspring of idleness. The passion for il
j. easily acquired and difficult TO shake
oil. IL j. not only "A waste of time but
i demoIaiiZing i'm the eXtreme, espec
tally With the young. Its vOtaries get
the notion that there is some easier
way to get a living than the heaven-or-
dained one "by the sweat of the face"
II is an easy way to get money, but
money got that way will not be kept.
II takes to itself wings. The gaming
habit, persisted in, ruins the character.
The professional becomes but too often
adept i'm tricks and arts that are but
other names for theft and robbery.
Stealing cards aud stocking cards and
t.fa i.,s, afl nj lfAxasin.v
strictly of the same class of acts. They
differ in circumstances, but not in their
moral quality. | direct attention to the
various statutes on this subject against
faro banks and gaming tables-against
gaming on another's premises or suffer
iug il on premises in ones own control.
There was "A time when 10 carry arms
was the custom ofthe country, hut they
were carried openly. y newer civiliza-
tion and the dangers that attended il
afforded grounds for the practice. Even
then Ia use them on an unarmed man
was bv common sentiment condemned
as cowardly. Bearing arms openly is
still lawful, but il is IA privilege rarely
exercised, aud still more rarely is il
necessary. To carry deadly weapons
concealed, y unlawful, save in the case
VI OiAltNlN anu htitiN VIII art III
from their vOcations. Carrying arms
concealed is "A foolish aud vicious habit.
Concede that there are rare instances
when they might Ice useful, still the
good to be accomplished in those in
stances il so insignificant, compared TO
the grand total of evil resulting from
the practice, that all rejecting minds
must concur in condemning il. The
facility for committing crime, like the
edge of precipice, has a dangerous III
fatuation. Many lives are annually
lost because of the great convenience in
taking them, afforded 10y this vile prac-
tice | rejoice To think that the evil is
being diminished. But the foolish
stripping with his little pistol and the
ignorant Eegro with his razor, are still
abroad, and it will he your painful duty
to ''gather them in" | am sure, gentle
men, that you and have come here
this morning feeling quite safe, though
unarmed. In fact the law is quite suf
iii. 4 20