The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1897-12-10

! l
ton to Princeton Iun, except lnat the
latter is owned 10y the wealthy alumni
OF the college who maintain IL not Tor
profit but III oTler that The college
town may have an inn suitable Tor the
entertainment OF the college visitors.
Princeton Seminary, where Piesbyje-
RAN miiisUtIsrccrINc their thrDlogI Cat
training, has no connection whatever
with the college or inn. DR.. Shields
is IL minister of The i'rea1y terrain
Church, ami il Is Oh The strength Ol
that tact that Il number OF HresbN ter
ian bodies have undertaken to cehsuTe
him Tor signing the Princeton Inn ap- |
pIicatiOu for d license. SludTJmS III !
der ii sel-se OF injustice, he has ALI
uounred his Intention TO Withdraw |
from the presby terlau Church. We
hope that Oh further It llectlOm he Viii |
not feel obliged to take this extreme |
step ANA that anything Ike Il conflict
between Princeton University and the |
Pres L yte.Iau Church may toe avoided.
Princeton is not ii sectarlan institution |
Duu II WAS founded by Pre>byterlans !
and has lways been associated WITH |
that Church III sympathy aud Inter |
est.
Dr. Shields is great and good man,
highly conscientious i'll al the ruIa- |
tious of life and OF Il singUlarly gentle |
aud uon-nillJant disposition. Prop |
ably not one OF the many thousands |
whom he Taught at Princeton College !
but holds him il affectiOnate remem-
br4uce. The persistent and bitter as
saults which his signature IL the
Princeton Inn license has Grawn upon
him and the university with which he
is connected have, naturally, panied
| and grieVed him beyond measure.
Hence the announcement % his with
dra wal from the Pres hyterian Church.
The issue raised is Il most regretabie
one. Since Princeton Inn grill room
| has served the cause of real temper,
ance in Princeton ii ought 10 be con
tiuucd, Pity it is that AN uuaccom-
modatiug ordinance made it necessary
for Presby terrain doctor OF divinity
to sign the application for Il license
and thus give oifense 70 thousands OF
! Presbyterians who, without appre-
ciatng or understanding the facts in
| the case, see i'll DIR. Shields act, some
thing only for condemnation and even
adherence, and express themselves
accordingly.
The above comment from the Phil0-
| deiphju Press, which was republished
in the -1luH,ni PriItcctpltiGH, is SO
apropos to the position taken by THE
-EgjS upon the subject of HighsLieense
! hat we give it to our leaders, in fol. 4
cl4L 0PTi MN THE 6o1KTIIsS
/ -lIin e member of tiAG eonntfess of
Mar ylssad loeal option f1ss reeeis ed
1 what appears to be Il thorough test, !
! the a$tempt to suppress the liquor
! traffic by statute having extended
over period OF years. There is 40
evidence to show that the officials ell
trusted with the execution Of the law
were Gerelict in their duties. 1t may
therefore be assumed that within the
limits of their authority they made
every effort to carry out the will OF
the people as expressed i'll the act OF
General Assembly.
In view of the Importance every
where attached to the temperance
question, it is interesting TO note what
has been the experience oflocal-option
counties.
The testimony offered by various
newspapers which seem to take an
impartial survey Of the situation, and
the opinions expressed by fair
minded citizens who maintain no con
nection with the liquor business, are
distinctly unfavorable to a contin-
uance of the prohibitive experiment.
As far as can be determined by the
means at hand for gauging results,
the legal restrictions imposed have
failed utterly to TO accomplish the
purpose underlying their enforcement,
Although many indictments have
been found against persons for alleged
violation of the law, it has proved
well nigh impossible to secure con
victions. In communities which
voted for local option "A practical trial
has revealed the fact that the pur-
port OF the statute is not supported by
public sentiment sufficiently strong
to give it effect.
Men who crave iutoNicants are 10th
TO appear against those who dispense
them, and do not consider themselves
to have been guilty of any otfense
that merits punishment. Thus it is
that while the greater part of court
dockets is taken up with liquor cases,
the accused generally escape.
In none of the local-option counties
does it seem difficult to obtain a!co-
hole beverages, the law having been
direct incentive to the multiplicu-
ton of speak easies, or places where
stimuIants are secretly sold. The eX
istence of such establishments is gel
| eF3lIy Known, anu YET lltN lland8e
to supply the wants Of Il large custom
without much molestation. This
fact alone should satisfy the public of
the impossibility of suppression.
The evils that grow out of manifest
failure are varied. In the first place,
if respect for the constituted authori-
ty is allowed to suffer in one particu-
lar, the feeling nearly always com
municates itself to others. \ single
statute cannot be permitted to fall
into inuCcuous deSuetude without
detriment TO the whole machinery.
Nobody hal come forward TO assert
that local option elevated the moral
tone Of counties. Secondly, Is be
teen licensed and unlicensed saloons,
the advantage j. with the former.
Their business is conducted openly
and admits of regulation, while the
speak easy" is productive of very
undesirable Developments. Thirdly,
the element of revenue remains to be
considered. Locai-option counties
derive no income from licenses, but
the administrative expenses are in
no wise lessened. Courts, aimshouses
, and prisons must he maintained.
Theoretically, prohibition relieves