Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-08-04
SALE OF LIQUOR TO CHILDREN

SALE OF LIQUOR T0 CHILDREN.
One of the departments of the Superior
Court of San Francisco is placed in per.
picking attitude. Two boys have been
convicted before it of robbery. They as
sauited and robbed child. The punish
ment for such an offense is severe. The
testimony was that both the prisoners are
peaceable, well-behaved and inofensive
and are related to respected and law
abiding families But it was also proved
that these boys visit corner grocery bars,
and have frequently been led into bad com.
pany, and when infamed with liquor are
wholly different beings in action, purpose
and thought. Under liquor they are
lawless, vengeful and cruel. Inquiring
into the reason why such lads are ever
drunken, the Court became satisfied that
their downfall was due to the corner
grocery with bar, that is kept open late
at night, and where Intoxicating liquor:
are sold to children.
What shall the Court do? If il
sends these boys to the State
prison as the law commands, il
| will be to confirm them in crime and
wreck them for their lives. iii fails to
do this it violates the law, and the Judge
is liable to impeachment. The Court can.
not reach the real source and spring of the
crime, the keepers of the bars who sold
liquor to the lads. In this dilemma it has
postponed action for few days to think
the matter over, in the hope to find some
possible escape from its predicament.
The situation suggests laxity in the
enforcement of the laws concerning the
sale of liquor to children that is not
creditable to the authorities. The statute
is plain and ought to be sufficient and Sc
we're, but it is not enforced. 1t is very
true it is difficult to detect the offenders,
but all the more reason exists for watch
fulness, and for severity when one of these
offenders are taken in. But the statute is
not sufficient Every man with spark of
humane feeling in his breast, will say
that the creature who gives or sells
liquors to the children ought to be held
accountable for the crime that results.
More than that, the offense ought to be
accompanied by the penalty of forfeiture
of license, with the provision that never
again should permit TO deal in liquors
issue to him. The being who is so de-
graded as to put the bottle to the lips of
boys ought to be branded as an outcast,
and every mans hand turned against him
armed with lash for his scourging.
He does ones son less injury who strips
him of an arm, who burns out his eyes
indeed, who renders him hopeless, help
less cripple, than the man who feeds him
strong drink Society should punish such
offenders in way that will make them
fear the rigor of the law as they would the
gauntlet of savages and the knives of can
nibals. We have the word of the Courts
of the land for it that majority of youths
brought before them for crime have been
led to their deplorable condition through
the use of liquor. The youth, the aged
and the helpless are the special wards OF
the law. Society owes them protection in
a sense that is parental. 1t owes it to
itself to save them from the assaults of the
mature and the willy, and in so far as il
fails to do SO it is guilty of offense against
itself.
There is not, probably, in all the State
town or village, certainly not a city, in
which the crime is not repeatedly com
mitted of selling or giving liquor to chill
dren. Arrests and convictions for tn,
Tense are rare and punishment is no
often of character that is deterrent. The
law provides that whoever sells or gives t.
person under sixteen years of age any in
toxicating drink is guilty of misde
| ueduOI thdtJ anu tiio SAtiSHo pcu
atty is fine of 500 or imprisonment il
the County Jail not exceeding thre'
months. But it must be proved to the
satisfaction of the Court or jury that tn
liquor was sold or given away ito b.
drank al the time as beverage" 1t is
therefore, no ofiense if the child buy
the liquor for stated different purpose
and not to be drank at the time. A hottl,
of brandy may be sold to child unde
this law if the buyer says it is for som'
other purpose than use as bever
age. This is defect. in the law that i
pretty nearly fatal to it and needs correc
ton.