Morning journal and courier., 1893-12-19
DIR. smYTH,s ADDRESS.

LIZ NEWMAN SmyGu'6 AuOTosb DoIOEo tho
Congregational club last evening on 1.-THE
Present Uses of the Pilgrim" is given in
Full below:
propose to speak this evening Of but
one single use for the Puritan at the pres
ant time, namely, the use of whatever
Puritan virtue and strength may be left
In this commonwealth for the purpose of
good local government. In
the oath which all the freemen took in the
year 1889 are these binding worde: "And
II you shall know any person or persons
which Intend, plot, or conspire anything
which tends to the hurt or prejudice of
the same (this jurisdiotion), you shall
timely discover the same to lawful au
thority here established, and you
shall assist and be helpful in all
the affairs of this jurisdiction, and
by all means shall promote the
public welfare of the same according
to your place, ability and opportunity"
Upon that original freeman's oath take
my stand in speaking, as proceed at once
to do, of some facts concerning the adj
of law in this jurisdiction,
and of some things which we should I'M
dertake to see done, or else stop congratu-
lating ourselves upon our forsfathers.
According to this freemen's compact we
are under obligations to fascist and be
helpful" in all the affairs of this jurisdio-
tion. But men now say that the admins
tration of local government belongs to the
authorities, ard Is not their busi-
ness. Suppose, however, that sea wall
IL built capable of sustaining by it's own
weight certain number of pounds of lat
eral pressure. Suppose that it be left
standing unsupported, without any back
ing of rock and gravel ON the land side.
Suppose, further, that the waves are driven
upon 1t with increasing force Per square
foot of area-whst might the adjacent
property owners expect from that stone
wall? That Is the problem, mechanically
stated, of good local government. It is
fair question to raise, What have we right
to expect If the administration of our af-
fairs be left exposed to all the inhu-
ences on the one hand destructive
of good government without
felt and constant backing from the
solid citizenss Suppose that a man of hon
est intentions is appointed as a county or
police commissioner or prosecuting officer.
Every Illicit interest will be on the alert to
use him, to bride him indirectly, If not d.
rectly, to pull his administration enough
to leave loopholss open for illegal gain.
And while he may endeavor to throw off
these pulls and to do his duty like a man,
we, the righteous public, go on our way,
minding our own business, and satisfying
our ancestral virtue by being occasionally
shocked at some disclosure of vicsl If it
be true, as commonly reported, that in
this town every kind OF illicit bust
ness Is on the make; that in many places
liquor is sold contrary to law to young
men and girls-fourteen girls under TWEEN
hn1, 1no ko1 rv0frr tnk0
inent drinking resort in one evening; that
at least ak saloons of social uncleanliness
thrive unwashed within half mile of the
town pump; that ten policy shops continue
to rob the wages of the poor, while one
convenient roulette wheel offers an cleo
tive not put down in the college catalogue;
that with the increasing number of young
men who are gathered here under little
outward restraint there has been also a
painfully noticeable increase of the I'M
fortunate "chippies" that futter around
certain fatal spots; then, If these be the
facts, the responsibility for this state
of things rests primarily and ultimately
with those classes whom Cicero called the
goodwill the merchants, the professional
men, the faculty of Yale, and with every
citizen of means and influence.
am not here, however, to deal in gen.
eralities. Neither would I appear as the
champion of any pct scheme of reform. I
do not believe in over-legislation even in
behalf of the public morals. But we take
fair ground, upon which We may stand
fairly together, when We hold that our ex-
listing laws were made to be executed and
that we were born, among other things, to
see them executed.
make haste, therefore, to call your at
tention to certain facts in the present stu
alton. take up first the license laws for
the sale of liquors. These LICENSES are
granted or revoked by county commission
ers who are appointed by the legislature,
and who appoint their own prosecuting
sgent-to prosecute, or not to prosecute,
that's the question. This system of ap-
pointment is itself vicious. Thefe are two
sppointive powers which on the whole can
be trusted, the people themselves or sin
gle individual, governor, judge or mayor.
But the legislature as an appointing power
just what the little girl was looking
for who said, II have seen live chicken and
live lamb and live beef, but I have never
yet seen live hash" Now then, let me
read one of the laws under which the
county commissioners must act, 3075 OF
the revised statutes as follows: "Whenever
any person licensed to eell spirituous or
intoxicating liquors shall have been con-
victed of the violation of any of the provi
sions of sections 3087 to 31O1 inclusive, he
shall in addition to the penalties for such
offsnse incur a forfeiture of his license and
all moneys that may be paid therefor,
and the county commissioners shall there
upon revoke his said license, and he shall
not thereafter for the space of one year
from the date of said revocation be capable
of receiving any license to sell spirituous
and intoxicating liquors.
I put now before you these facts, for
which I have documentary evidence. In
one town in the county of New Haven ten
liquor dealers within the past year paid
heavy penalties for violation of the law.
But not one of their licenses was revoked
by the commissioners, as the law directs
not one I have In my pocket letter
signed by the county commandments
letter in which they blandly request
certain remonstrants to withdraw
their objections to The application
of one Of these convicted dealers, in order
that for the month of November, during
which he had continued selling, by courte-
sy, as the commissioners call it, they
might grant him license, and that in spite
of this law which should have led them in
stantly to revoke his license and reject his
renewed application. In this city an ex-
animation of the records shows that five
revocations of licenses have been made
during the past three years; the number of
convictions has been a large multiple of
that number. Only the other dsy in the
case of an application by saloon keeper
who had plead guilty to violation
of the law, as reported in the
papers, our astute commissioners ruled
that isasmuch as the conviction had been
obtained subsequently to the date of his
application they were not prevented under
the statute from granting him license,
which those careful guardians of the law
proceeded to do. Some persons convicted
during the past year have applications still
pending; others have taken cover under
applications by the brewers associations.
In behalf of some it is alleged that since
the prosecuting attorney of the higher
court has nolled their cases on payment of
the fines and costs there Is no COM
pleted legal record of their con-
viction to deter our brave coun.
ty commissioners from venturing to
renew their licenses. If this legal bubble
be used by these ingenious commissioners
to thwart the plain intent of the law, and
the prosecuting attorney of the court of
common pleas Is to be made by them the
scspegoat for this miscarriage of justice,
there is food here for serious reflection
which I would commend to Mr.. Gums
prompt attention. Wherever the wheels
are blocked in the administration of law,
there is the exact point where the people
should put in their jack screw, aud pull
out the obstruction.
Before turning for the present from the
administration of the law by our interest
ing county commissioners let me beg leave
to assure those honorable gentlemen that
If these failures to applv the statute ao-