The Cecil Whig., 1886-06-12
Ihtlleoplts Qo|""'n
THE MURDER RECORDS IN CECIL.
Under License, and Under Local Option
DispassionateIy Compared.

upon to vote upon the questions of Ii
cense or prohibition, every thing whiCl
tends to enlighten them upon the opcr
alton and results of these measure
ought to be candldly examined.
| assume that majority of the Cit
zens of the county desire to vote intel
ligently and honestly on this question
and if the conclusions drawn in you
editorial OF last week are legitimate
and the present law is justly chargeablt
with the increase of murder in tht
county, then they ought to weigh wei
their actions as they go to the polls.
Is it true that prohibition has in
creased murder?
The present law has been in opera.
ton a little over five years, or sine,
May 1881. You have taken a perioc
of two years, from July 1884 to Jul,
1886, and if it is fair to Cha1-9c prohi
btion with the crimes of those two
years, then it is certainly equally fair t(
credit prohibition with the exemption
from crime Of the other three years.
From may 1881 to May 1883, | be
lieve the records of the Circuit Cour
for this county show but single mur
der case viz; the state against Arrant:
for the murder of Nolcker.
You have given no reasons for the
broad assertions you make.
You simply say, there are two year
of prohibition and eight murders
therefor prohibition increases murder
without attempting to trace any one o
them to prohibition | say there arr
three years of prohibition and but sin
gle murder, and | 20 further and say
you know that prohibition had nothing
whatever, to do with that one.
But you say this is no comparison
with the results OF license.
Let us now look at that side of tht
case.
Antonio Nardelo killed one man il
Cecil county where prohibition is the
law. He killed another in Baltimore
and third in Washington, and in boil
the latter places, the law licenses The
sale of liquor. You will say that IS no
argument, nor even legitimate inference
against license. From my standpoint
| think you are correct, but from yours
how tremendously does it op rate Il
prove that license provokes two mur
ders against one that occurs in a com
munity where prohibition is the law.
Don't run away to Baltimore ant
Washington you will say-test the two
systems at home accept the chal
lenge.
Between September 1873 and Marcel
1874, period of six months, while Ii
cense was in full operation, the crimi-
nal docket of our court shows three
prosecutions for murder, viz: Wasl
Hinton, Robert kearney and Richar,
Brown. DO you reply 70 this-we pro
pose now high license law with re-
strictions which will insure the preserva
ton of ordero
Has Ii passed from your recollection
that there was a high license law il
Cecil county from 1870 to 1850?
The restrictive features of that law
were in some cases more severe than
those of the one now proposed
Double license, recommendation by
twelve free holders in the election dis
trict, bond of five hundred dollars
affidavit, and such other proof as tht
clerk might require, OF good faith, pro
hibitio IN of all games of chance or ski
on premises where liquor was sold
and no license to be issued to sell Ii
quor in any house after the license o
anyone living there had been once
suppressed.
Dad that law lessen crime, or pre-
vent murders?
In July, 1873, Mech! shot and killeC
Thomas and James Armstrong, anc
then put an end to his own life. II
September of the same year, Ned Larue
was convicted Of murder, and in De
cember Similar verdict was rendered
against Medford Waters. Here were
five violent deaths in six months, undei
a high license law, and /0U- 0/ hirN.
a'rrc directly h,aCCabh' 10 dIUNhcN
ness. Daring the operation OF tha!
law there were three other prosecutions
for murder, and six prosecutions for as,
sault with intent to murder. During
the same period also occurred the cele-
brated riot cases i'll Port Dtposi,
where the whole town was terrorized by
4 mob OF drunken men, and yet you
now propose to restore that law and
claim that it Will restore the good order
which you say, was broken by local op,
ton.
Is it possible that when you wrote
your article of last week you forgot the
murder and riot which characterized
the four years of that high license law
and the peace and order and almost
total exemption from crime which were
the marked features of the first three
years of local option?
| presume no one ever supposed that
prohibition was a remedy for all the
evils of society, but a m"j .sGy Of the
people of this county have heretofore
believed that the open sale Of lntoxi-
eating liquors, the setting up of saloon:
with the allurements to ?ice, which are
their sole object and purpose, and the
encouragement to idleness and di5sipa-
ton, which are their legitimate and
only results, ought to be prohibited by
law. Against this reformatory moye-
ment the more vicious portion of the
community have set their faces, and, as
you say, have engaged in the Illicit
traffic or aided and abettcd' it. With
a determination to tramplc law, and Or
der, and decency, and morality under
their feet they, as you again say, have
''blackened their souls and hardened
their consciences with innumerlble per
juries and lies"
These are your words, not mine.
As between these two classes, | know
your sympathies are ali with the former,
and that if you could do SO, you would
gladly put a complete stop to the sale,
both legal and illegal, of all intoxcat-
ing liquors as a beverage in our county,
You agree, am sure that such sales
tend to allure the young into bad hab-
its, to encourage idleness, to blight do