The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1886-10-23
The Objections to Prohibition and License
Both Considered.
BY TIE REV. i +. OTIS

Is SOOu-L IUbSs. -, ~
We are not here taught to venture
| into every enterprise winch invites us,
much less is there any Endorsement of the
Sowing of wild oats" or of the young
venturing into paths of sin and folly that
they may "see the world. But We are
exhorted to subject all plans and meas
ures to the test of sound reason that we
may out of the experience of the past
| find materials for future improvement.
1t certainly forbids us to discuss or
decide upon the great interests of society
upon grounds of prejudice, passion and
seltishness or without diligently gather
ing and impartially weighing the tac,s
and principles involved.
1t has seemed to me that the advo-
Gates of License have signally failed to
| heed this precept. Not that endorse all
that has been said on the Prohibition
side or claim nfallibility for myself but
that the main argument for license. in
SO far as it has yet been placed before
this immunity seems to me to consist of
fallacies. Now there is a vast difference
between a tree which has here and there
all imperfect branch and one whose roots
are dead.
1t is difficult to make any systematic
presentation of The fallacieS of the H.
cense argument because it is to so great
an extent in the form of special pleading
1t may however, be said, in the first
place that very uusound reasoning has
been advanced concerning the nature and
past working OF Prohibition.
1t has been called a sumptuary law.
This. however, displays an ignorance of
the history of society which does not
give us confidence that those who say SO
are wise guides. A sumptuary law was
a law regulating what the citizen should
consume, more especially as to matters of
costume: and the purpose and effect was
to emphasize class distinctions. Now 1t
is true that We claim and believe that
prohibitory laws do reduce and will, in
conjunction with other wise measures. ul-
timately extinguish the use of Intoxicating
liquors as a beverage. But our license
friends voclferously deny this and assert
that under their scheme of license less in
:oxicating beverages will be used than
are now. If they are sincere in this claim
they must admit that their license law
has more of sumptuary character than
Prohibition. But the truth is that the
attempt to enroll that ghost of the mid
die ages IN the ranks of opposition to
18th century reform is nonsense.
prohibition does not prohibit; more
liquor is sold now than ever" But the
first attempt to produce statistics | have
yet to see. No one. presume, has ever
\ 81 - 1nt -,
a considerable extent at three or four
points in the county, but We can point
to whole sections of our territory where
saloons formerly existed but where no
liquor is now sold. whether illicitly or
otherwise. We believe ourselves justified
in saying that at no point is more liquor
consumed and that in the whole county
there Is far less. They make a most i'm
proper application of the maxim from
| one learn all.
"PrOhibition infringes personal liber-
ty" That is the fallacy of begging the
question: for personal liberty does not
include the right of doug that which is
pu olic M chef. Hence, If the liquor
traffic be public mischief it is not in
cluded within the scope of personal lib
erty. and personal liberty is not touched
by Prohibition.
1T breeds perjury" Well. We have
had Prohibition accused of breeding
nearly all the mischief that has RECENTLY
been affecting our communty-perhaps
the diphtheria will be ascrlbed tn it before
We are through. Why not charge the
law which requires witnesses in court,
cashiers making banking statements. &c
to take an oath with breeding perjury?
If there we're no oaths there would he
no periuries! OF course it offers another
opportunity for the base and false to
perure themselves, but so, and in far
greater degree. does the modern practice
CT allowing criminals TO testify in their
own behalf. A great English jurist has
said of this, that while no doubt there
would be much perjury there would also
come out of it much assistance in ascer-
tanning truth. Let those who so eagerly
press this fallacy have a care, lest they
send abroad to the world the impression
that the population of this beautiful
county is largely composed of people " no
love whisky more than their honor.
"Prohibition debauches our boys" 1t
is alleged that they are led by 1t into
secret Indulgence in drink. We charge
that the time never was when minors
who bad got beyond parental control
could not get drink In 1858, in time
when the average character of those " no
would sell liquor was far higher than it
ever will be again, two terms of court
in Cecil county yielded sixty one indict-
ments for the violation of the license law.
including among them selling to minors,
on Sunday, and to negroes. The truth
is many of our boys are so unfortunate
as to have fathers who know not where
they are one-half of the time, from that
period when they are able to run the
street;is it anticipated, no matter what the
provisions of the License law, that, after
the first few mouths when public inter
est is awake, we will have d race of bar
tenders more careful of our boys than
their own fathers. or that such boys will
not procure by indirect means what they
cannot openlyo When such bar tender
is found, tor it is possible he may be,
bring me with him the first white black
bird you shoot on the marsh.
Not less uns"und appear to be the ar
gu,nents offered in favor of license.
1T will be easily executed" But the
instance above given shows that we may
expect many violations of the license law.
while statistics given not long ago and
never yet disputed show conclusively
that it is easier to convict, on the aver
age, under Prohibition than under license
The fact is, that just in proportion as
license law is ''high' and restrictive, Just
in that proportion it initiates the charac.
ter of Prohibition, and in that proper
| ton will be as hard to execute, will as
| much invite base men to violate it as
| Prohibition. We occasionally hear it
said that the men who will be licensed
| will help us execute it. Do our license
friends expect that the high minded gen
| tiemen who will then, they assure us,
deal out liquors, will turn themselves
into detectives and informers Nav,
verify; the liquor dealers of Philadelphia
have already refused to do so.
LESS liqnor will be drank" This has
already been alluded to, but in their eff
forts to make us believe that under IL
cense law there will be less liquor sold in
E kton, North E st, Chesap eake City and
Port Deposit, they neglect to tell us how
1t will reduce the sale of liqnor to plant
saloons at our crossroads where now 10
liquor is sold. When they point with
exultation to the reduced number of sa-
loods in High License Missouri, they for
| get to find out how many unlicensed ones
| there are. | happen to know something
about how this works: | lived not long
ago in pretty rural village where for a
| term of years there was but one licensed
bar at one end of the village luz every
body knew perfectly we'll that at the
| other end there was an unlicensed bar.
Eve will get revenue from the sale aud
make it help run the government" Yes
and that is what ails our politics now, all