The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-04-29
THE PENNSYLVANIA LICENSE LAW.

Wanted 10 cradle In lOvlngRI
The strongest and iraileat lives,
THE PENNSYLVANIA LICENSE LAW.
Its Injustice ~ Witnessed by n Correspond.
Discrimination In Favor Of the Rich'
AWorh About the Oklahoma Boom.
To The Edlior Of he IRLelligeHeT'
SIR:-In yesterdays issue and several
previous ones you express your approval
OF the Pennsylvania license law, and
wish to have it introduced N West Vir-
glnia, / am not in the liquor business,
nor are any OF my relations, ! am not,
therefore, biased In what have 10 say
on the subject. / lived In Homestead,
Allegheny county, thirteen months, and
left there last September, and know,
therefore, something about the Brooks
license law, That law might answer In
the Cars or Sultan's dominions, but for
Pennsylvania 1t is disgrace. Authority
and discretion is granted under that law
TO Common Pleas judges which no ruler
In Central and Western Europe would
dare TO exercise or off would come his
crown and with 1t his head.
The law as 1t now stands iavors the
rich and political hustlers as against the
poor and humble. In so.Called free
country such thing ought not to exist.
The Judges who dispensed and with.
held tayors In Allegheny county are
named Ewing and White, and look more
alike than generally do brothers, Gu
riOsity tempted me TO look in on two oc-
casions while the lottery was going on.
The first time / saw an old woman Ia
leading member OF the W. @. 7. U, sit
ting on the bench with the Judges and
every now and then whispering in one
OF the Judges ears. II was something l
never saw before in my life, The last
time l was there my stay was short; i'm.
patience overCame me. The questions
and bearing OF the Judges were imperti.
nenk and brutal. One poor woman,
widow with four little children to sup
port, was 80 overcome with shame and
indignation at the questions asked that
she burst into tears and fled. All ap-
pliCants except personal friends were
treated ESQ 1t looked to an Impartial OBJ
server US II they were criminals about
TO have sentence passed upon them.
They did not look 10 me like FREQ citi.
zens but seris; and that some ofthem did
not intliCt personal chastisement upon
their Honors, made me think afterwards
that my estimate was not far wrong.
How can one or two men out Of a pop.
ulation OF over half million OF people
know who should have licenses and who
notP From the prohibitiOnists came gen.
eral protests against, no matter who the
applicant was; on the other hand mum.
erously signed Ietitionsfo the applicant.
In Homestead eight drew prizes out OF
the wheel Of fortune, all wealthy or we'll
to.do, with the exception OF one. One
named Kilbourn was the owner OF twelve
two story houses, besides the one he
occupied, to say nothing Of about $50, 900
in cash. While another named SChwarz,
citizen Of the township for more than
thirty.fve years, who had the largest
signed petition, was refused. The latter,
Us everybody knew, had always kept a
respectable place in addition he was I'M
fit for any hard labor, having his spine
injured in the coal bank. Another old
citizen named burst was refused, because
bis house was too near SCHOOL house
(about eighty feet: In vain he declared
that he built his house long before the
school house was built, and II was there.
fore not his fault. The whole school
board, withouta single exception, signed
his petition, and sent as body q paper
requesting the court to grant the man q
license. 1t was done because the man
was highly regarded US a citizen and
having no other way Of making living
for himself and iamily-Could not work
ut Ills trade, suffering with consumption,
and Is no doubt dead by this time. On
the other hand, q square below, on the
same street, a young burly fellow who
kicked the beam Of $50, got license, not
having been a citizen OF the town year
vet, and 80 on dd libitum. File for such
law, and eternal disgrace for It's exc.
cutors.
In open court the Judges read the
School Board OF Homestead homily for
the pains they had taken in Mr.. bursts
case. knew oil, and as fur as morals
and manhood 90 they were without ex.
Ception the equals, II not superiors, Of
their Honors, Ewing and White. II /
had been one Of the members | would
not have tamely submitted TO the tongue
lashing; l would have given them Q
Roland for an Oliver. ! will only add
that II the majority OF Republicans Of
Ohio county are OF your way OF think
ing, II Is no wonder you remain In the
minority when election comes around.
While l am In a writing mood ! would
like TO say few words about the Okla
homa business. Don't you think II was
q very foolish transaction on the part Of
the Government 10 buy the land at 81 %
per acre and then give It away for moth
ing2 An individual would 80 bank.
rupt in a very short time. think our
land laws need amendments or changes.
I advocated years ago the policy Of
stopping land sales 10 any but actual
settlers and none 10 exceed one.hAlf sec.
ton, aud 10 none except he makes oath
that he 10 not the owner oil any land
anywhere else.
would repeal the homestead law.
That was all right In It's time, when an
empire laid open for settlement. Many
nations would be glad II they had re.
servatlon for unborn generations. see
no benefit arising by disposing Of every
aVHllADle acre WITHOUT ublHYJ All laws
granting land TO railroads ought 10 be
repealed; In fact they never ought to
have been passed. When men want 10
build roads let them buy tho land like
they do In the east, Many complain
about the immigration and perhaps Just
ly 30, but who 10 more To blame than the
Government for the inaux2 With the
liberal land laws and the princely gifts
10 railroads II Is no wonder the whole Of
Europe 10 suffering with tho enntnlgra.
ton fever. The projectors Of the roads
never expect 10 put dollar Of their
money In tho enterprise. The roads are
plastered over with bonds 10 they pro.
gress and the gifts Of Congress they want
Gs a "divy;" afterwards thOy don't care
what becomes Of the roads, In or.
der 10 realize as quickly a. posSib BILE, gor.
goouB maps are got dpi pamphlets by
the thousands are printed In all cont,
mental languages, describing their landl
as the VefItable EldoradoV and where
faaass Aasua NAn St.l,ata a. q