The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1890-11-01

nly hotel licenses may be issued, and
these must pay $3.50. The law submit
ted to us provides that hotel licenses
may be issued for $3.50, if in an incorpo-
rated town or within two miles thereof,
or Tor $50 in the country-how tender
for the welfare OF the farming commun
ity-while only those need pay $3.50 who
do not make even the poor pretense OF
keeping a hotel which the law requires.
3. TIE Havre de Grace law, section
1875, says, mo license for the sale of
spirituous or fermented liquors shall be
granted to any female, or to any person
under the age of 81 years; nor shall any
person licensed under this subtitle OF
this article employ any female or minor
as bartender, agent or clerk, to sell,
give or deliver spirltuous or fermented
liquors, or Intoxicating drinks of any
kind or description, to purchasers or
others, at his place of business" The
law proposed to us says, section AS, on
this point, "No person obtaining license
under this act shall knowingly permit
minors to enter the bar.room where
liquor is sold, unless said minor is ac-
companied by the parent or guardian of
said minor, or is an employe of the per-
son holding said license"
3. The Havre de Grace law says, sec
ton 1877, ut shall not be lawful for any
person having license to sell spirituous
or fermented liquors in said city to per-
NIT any game of chance or skill for profit
or amusement, to be played in the bar
room or other public room Oh the prem
Uses occupied by him or under his con-
tract" Will the voters of Cecil please
see if they can find any similar clause in
the act proposed to US, anything to pre-
vent bar-rooms from bsing made attrac
tive places of resort, centers for gaming?
1t is not there and the liquor interest
know full we'll why it is not.
4. One section, 422, of the law pro-
posed for us has no parallel in the Havre
de Grace law and is a tub thrown to the
temperance whale in the hope that it
will let the whiskey traffic alone. By
the way, the act as published by our
good sheriff has two sections numbered
422, and what effect that may have |
have too far forgotten what | ever knew
of law to be able to say, but l refer to
the first one. Any vender of spirituous
or fermented liquors sold in Cecil county
shall be liable to pay damages to any
husband, wife, parents, child, employer
or other person injured by reason of any
person being intoxicated by liquor sold
by said vendor in violation of any of the
provisions of this act, to be recovered IN
the same manner as debts for like
amounts are now recovered by law"
Why, there are loopholes enough in that
to drive Buffalo Bili's Wild West show
through. In the first place the plain
spirit of it refers only to those who are
vendors within the meaning of the act,
those who have taken out license, and no
action would lie against illegal vendors,
any more than now. Again. no matter
how much damage may be inflicted be-
fore evidence to prove its amount can
come into court-or at least be consid-
cred by jury-the plaintiff must con-
clusively prove that the liquor was sold
on Sunday, or election day or between
midnight and 6 a. NJ, or to one whom
the vender knew to be IA minor or intox-
icated, md must further prove that that
liquor made the person drunk who did
the injury. What a roaring farce.
5. One point more and | have done.
The Havre de Grace law, section 1875,
provides punishment for the man who
buys of an unlicensed vender. There is
not hint of that in the license law pro-
posed for Cecil. True it is not in our
Prohibitory law, but if the temperance
men of Cecil will stand to their guns in
this battle, not staying at home and
Sinking the issue, and then work to-
gether we may get that wise provision
put in. The man who is impatient be-
cause the Upas tree Of ages growth is
not totally uprooted at once and proposes
to stop the stump puller and license the
tree is surely not wise, especially when
the license law is such a poor thing as
that presented to us. j.
Port Deposit, Md, Oct. 30 1890.