The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1890-02-20
Che Of the Mnin and Lead
ing Reasons Why The
Damnabae Wl;iskey
Traffic Continues.

GaNt1bI6tSNS
Traffic Continues. i
EDfToR BANNER
Having so often heard the
question propounded by 20 many
Df our citizens, "why is not the
illicit sale Of Intoxicating liquors
in our county supp.c: S d. dc
sire to cali attention to one Of the
leading and main reasons why this
evil is not more fully and efiectu-
ally abolished, and in doing SO ]
shall not abuse nor ostracise the
great benefactor of mankind, the
efsstlfe thief that enters
the mouth to steal away the
BRAIN" because if | were to at
tempt to pay my respects to him
from moral standpoint | would
do SO without regard to whether
he was licensed by law to deal out
his venomons poison to his VIC
tims, or whether he carried on his
nefarious traffic contrary to law,
for the evil resulting from the use
of liquor is the same, whether
dealt out by the licensed barkcep-
err or by the Illicit vendor. The
! paying revenue tax and placing
. stamp upon the head of the
+ vcnomous reptile does not tame
the monster nor connteract his.
deadly poison.
So, now to the subject. Is the
failure in the remedy, because our
law has failed to impose the pro-
per penalties OR on account Of
the grand juries failing to dis
charge their high and responsible
duties Or inthe-faiill lure of the.
petit juries to conyict2 Or in the
failure of the Court and other Of
iicers to impose and exact the
penalties prescribed by law No.
the main, leading trouble is not
in these for the law prescribes
heavy fine and Imprisonment; the
grand juries labor faithfully from
four to- six days at each of our
three terms of the Circuit Court.
held every year, trying to set on
foot prosecutions for this and 9TH
er offenses the petit jurics readi-
ly discharge their duties in re-
turning verdicts of guilty. when
the evidence is sufficient; the
Court is not 10th to impose the
penalties prescribed by law, when
the yiolaters are convicted, and
the Sheriffs andzother officers are
prompt in exacting the penalties
imposed by the law and court.
But the great secret and trouble
in the failure, lies with the major
ity of the parties who buy and
drink the spirituous liquors, iEic-
lily sold, in their refusing 'to tell
the truth, the whole truth and
nothing but the truth, when call
: ed before the grand and petit
juries in our Court.
Now while the grand and petit
juries, the court and other officers,
as well asthc community at large,
know to a moral certainty that
whiskeyis being sold in our midst,
year in and year out, because it
is shipped in by the bottle, by the
jug, By the keg and by the barrel.
and in great many cases Govern
ment license are obtained, yet the
offenders can not be indicted.
nluehless- convicted oh this kind
of knowledge or information, but
there must be proof before the
,juries Of a more positive and
direct nature, because the State,
on the trial, must make out her
sase beyond every reasonable
doubt, by the facts and circum-
stances surrounding each case,
and not from mere public opinion.
And from whom must the facts
come but from the party who buys
the whiskey? We can not expect
the party who sells to disclose on
himself, because, he, hot7only uses
every precaution in his power to
evade detection. can not be com
PEELED, by the State, to testify at
all.
Now suppose that l open up a
moonshine erog shop, and sell
<whiskey 10y the barrel, who alone
can make the necessary inferma-
tion=te= indict and convict me
Why, no one, but my customers,
and while the community at large
may know to. a moral certainty
that | am thus dealing out whisky
by the barrel, yet how can l be
punished, when the man who buys