Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1892-03-31
lcoxxuxicArED.
TAe Hixh Liesnss Qusxsion.

Messra Editors tia our leaders Of the
high license movement the spirit Of true
citizenship has been TOO long and boo ofsen
tested 10 doubt either its purity Or il alsili-
~; bat o. citizen interested most In prac-
teal results with the highest regard for the
Judgment Of the venerable authcr of the
high license Law. would respectfully sug-
gest what / deem few inadeQuacies OF
law - now proposed 10 effecs tn declared
end. and thus In measure vindicafe the
misunderstood attitude towards II of the
disciples Of the old order Of things can
not but consider IL an injustice upon the
whiskey selling merchants 20 read them
indiscrizninateiy a. opposers OF the law, So
briefly and family affection, and believe,
could the certain extinction Of wbiskey
evils be brought o question Of their dccis-
ion, there would be scarcely voter among
thess gentlemen who would not give his
voice 10 such salutarv change Bot the
question is-does this new Law as now pro-
posed promise such result ~ eeriainsys
Does that eS2 Increase In the liquor tax
bar OF enough dealers 10 effect any mate.
rial withdrawal Of temptation to our weak
morallet drinkers g-and will not the deal
er in seifdefense throw this increased bur-
den upon the consumer. making the weight
Of the law fall most heavily up,n the very
parties il seeks 10 prosecsg believe Il 10
In the scheme Of The high license law, by
these new measures. 10 protect the general
store, and only % operate against the riot
breeding shanties on the river, which they
imagine this extra tax viii force out of the
business II may not perhaps be known 10
these gentlemen, as Ii Is 10 me, that the
whiskey sales alone in these places often
exceed per week the sum total Of sales in
the general store. They. therefore, ought
and will with more gfaciousness pay this
extra tax than the merchant whose sales of
it is less, and whose other stock lie already
too closely margined to balance this nc.
count with his riverside rival. Thus will
the evil still live. even IL the general mer.
chant fromImoral or financial reasons quits
the business. The general merchants pro
fits now are small, from competition and
the credit system, and IL this additional
tax II put upon him. and the sacrifice
proves unavailing, the high license party
will be responsible for just 30 much extra
and ineffective burden upon the merchant
and consumer. and must expect to suffer
the resentment of the injured classes. $50
is considerable aggravation. but Ia no rem
edy for the whiskey evil. The end which
the high license proposes can only be &C.
complished by prohibition. or raisil q the
license SD high, say $500. ii viii be virtual
ly prohibition 10 our merchants Of small
capital. l am not against sobrieiy, high
license or any measure that can give NOR.
al good as q certain result, but to demand
Of our merchant class cheerful submis.
sion of $s2 more for the farmers good than
his own, and with no better end accom-.
plished 10 justify the one-sided Sacrifices, Is
to demand of him an unreasonable and un.
wise extortion, and 81 fasten upon Its pro-
jeciors the odium of an unjust law and a
Notifying failure.