The Somerset reporter., 1897-12-09
Licence or Prohibition, Which?
(Piltstield Advertiser.)

Is intemperance an evil? If it is not an
evil. what is the use of prohibitory law
If II is not an evil, why enact license
law?
Good things are rot intended TO be
legislated against. | claim that the go,
OF the nation, that the good of the State.
the good of the town and the best good OF
each individual in the town will be con
cerned wht n any restrictive or prohibitory
law is enacted and enforced, and | claim
that partial enfort ment, when full enforce
ment cannot be attained is a benefit TO
the people to the extent that it is enforced.
1t is claimed by some people that pro
hibitoIy law THAT does not prohibit is
worse than no law at all, but the people
who generally make these claims are not a
class of people who tumble over each other
in their eager efforts to exteiminate in
temperance, though they may be temper
ate men.
The law against larceny in this state,
though it is intended to prohibit the crime
of stealing and protect the peope-"does
not prohibit" Arson, burglary, forgery,
assault al all crimes down to, and includ-
ing murder, against which the most strin-
gent laws have been enacted IN the state
to try and prohibit these crimes but they
do not prohibit. and no law ever has, or
ever will, however strict or severe the pen
atty, do away with all crimes. Yet.
claim that all these laws have been, and
are protecting the people of the state
against criminals who can only be restrain
ed by law, and sometimes to only limit
ed extent. even when all good officers and
good people are willing to use their best
efforts to enforce these laws. Now one
friends who believe in license law would
ask us to repeal the prohlbitory law and
in its place enact a good license law.
They always say "a good license law"
What is good license law 1t is repeal
ing the laws which have been enacted
against wicked crimes, and in their places
make laws that certain persons shall be
allowed to commit these crimes, and shall
not be punished for them If they give a
portion of the money that they shall obtain
from the people to help pay the expenses
Of the town, the county or the state. But
if any other person who has not so paid
a portion of the money into the town, the
county or the state, shall commit these
crimes he is liable to be made to suffer
for his crimes. This is the theory of a
license law, the fact of the case is that in
most towns in Massachusetts, where license
has superseded prohibition, the license
law has been much more difficult of en-
forcement than the prohibitory law which
preceded it, and in every instance there
were increased sales.
There are few crimes in this state
there are no crimes in the State. that are
so far reaching. that bring misery to sc
many people, that react on SO many in
nocent people, and blight so many lives
as the all pervading curse Of all nations
liquor selling.
Now is it not, at least, an absurd thing
to say that because the crime of making
drunkards, paupers and criminals to fill
our poorhouses, jails and prisons, have
failed to suppress every crsminal who is
silly and mechanically running the
nefarious business TO a greater or less ex,
tent in spite of what honest law abiding
people can do against it, that we shall
cease all effort which has accomplished SC
much, and which is causing these Grim.
inals to shake in their shoes each day oil
their lives, and to hide their poisons in
out of way holes ard filthy places, where
no self respecting person would be willing
to risk his character or his body, for they
are both in danger of polution-and allow
license law to be passed which shall
give these same INSCRIPTIONS persons the
right to do this thing openly and freely
and without restriction or limit, and in
the broad light of day, and the artificial
light of night, before your eyes and my
eyes-before the eyes of children, openly
and unobstruc,edly to carry on tenfold
larger business than ever before and lei
him make drunkards to his hearts content
and you cannot help yourself if he taunt-
ingly asks "what are you going to dc
about 1T
No, hope that the talk of a license law
in the State of Maine will forever end in
talk. II. A. M.