Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1897-02-25
AGAINST LOCAL OPTION.

l an abiIffh bElINtTeu tfrtbfG huE t8nstiih-
tiphai Convention by g. a. siiiiiBGton.
Special ctrrssponnenceot Gazoste and Journsi
Dover, Feb. % -FoIlowing is an adj
dress delivered by George A. Milling
ton, proprietor OF the Capitol Hotel, be-
fore the Constitutional Convention:
Mr.. Chairman and Gentlemen of the
Convention: Having had long expert
| ence in the hotel business and liquor
traffic, and consequently given the sub
| lect considerable thought and reflection,
| feel justified In presenting few facts
| for your consideration in connection
with the demand ON your honorable
| body TO insert local option CLAUSE in
the new Constitution. Now, ] want
| TO say right here, ] have only the
1 kindest feeling ard highest respaCt for
| the very estimable people who are ask
ing for this measure, that would de
ssroy my business and property interest,
believing that they are nctuHtsd by the
+ purest motives and sympathies for the
I weak sufferers from the drink habit
/ That there are erils and grievances
ebtailed by the drink habit, no oue can
deny. but think .bat thBEe est mable
I people are thoroughly impTacticable.
They take, ! claim, too narrow q view
| OF the question. Il is broader ard
more nbstruBe problem than they care
to admit. They claim LOCAL aption
cure. Panacea, for all the evils OF in
temperance. Now, il that were SO, you
gentlemen would he justified 10 enter
tanning this proposition. | don't know
il you would mt nave my support
but We know, ard you gentlemen can
readily find out by visiting our neigh.
boring counties OF Maryland that such
is not the care. Ii is social problem
that has exercised our rulers and
I authOritiea for ages, aud after numerous
changes and failures, practical states
manship has decided that under we'll
regulated license Law there are less
evils and abuses than under any other
system. Under Federal laws it 10 a
protected industry, and article Of com
meree. II you pass Loral Option or
Prohibitory law, you Canuot preVeBt
the manufacture or sale in gufn tieB
OF gallon or moro in your Iaidst You
cannot prevent the transm issiou Of it
into your State, and you know tho
facilities and eonYeniences OF our State
fo- its transportation.
Tho local option proposition il to
take 1t from legally, wisely rps.rictcd
channels. to Illegal, unrestricted ones,
where the drug stores, the blackamiths'.
the harness and Candlestick makers'
shop, are all speak .easies; as per
evidence of our neighhoring counties
in Maryland, where you know on a
visit to any of those Maryland local
option towns, you acc much mnre
drunkenness than you do in our towns
and learn that the principal iiem of
expense of the courts is in the prose i.
oution of cases Of Offenders against the
Local Option law: through their very
great eXpeIHea thereby, and the loss Of
income or revenue frnm licenss. thBir
taxes have become yery onUruG5 and
oppressive. They nearly double ours
lately had that unfortunate con
dition OF alfairs brought to my personal
observation, There was Northern
man lately stopping ut the housc,
down hero looking for a farm who
made The acquaintance OF an attorney
from Maryland, who on learning his
business solicited him 10 90 10 Mary
land, aH he knew some very nice farna
that we're forced to SALE. and could be
bought very chBaply, and assured him
further that landg in Maryland were
very much cheaper than IN Delaware.
, But the gentleman told him that he
could not think of going to Maryland m
account Of the taxes, and that vita
farming in it's present depressed cUnri.
ton the taxes would ruin him ! hups
you gentlemen will not By your action
reduce ia to that condition.
/ So high an authority as Chief Justice
Robinson of Maryland, some years ginCa,
r in charge to jury at ChestertoHn,
/ referring 10 the Local Option law,
( characterized it as very great mis-
take for tho cure Of the evils Of intem.
1 perance, as at that court there woFe iG;
witnesses in attendance in prosecution
! Of tho local option offenders, and he sun,
posed that they still existed innuucr
! ably that be was not so we'll acquainted
there, but in his own town, Annapolis
: under license law there were nino wei
G regulated places, but since local optior
q 10 was credihly Informed that thort
wrro Al unrestricted apeak-casies tina
o were especially reprohensible OF
D account Of their facilities far the de
, hauchirg of yuuths. And, gentlemen
: that 10 the history OF local option,
think, everywhere.
On the other hand, think we hay,
ono Of the bUat license laws 10 tn,
q country, ono learn that has been rat
{, isfart0rily copied by other States.
t produces a large revenue, understand
q about 500. 900, and that. too, psiC
i cheerfuly, voluntarily, for tho on Joy
@ ment Of a luxury. GentlamUp, il 80,
d destroy that how do you propose Ii
n replace it? Real estate under pfesen
. conditions cannot stand much more, a
i il is already seriously feeling the bur
= don of taxation How do you propos
: to supply the school fund thar is pro
!. vidHi by tho license system. You
gchoels must lie kept up to thei
present iiattoring condition. ! clair
under tho wise conditions Of our Icons
r Law. We are suffering from as fe,
n ahusea from the liquor habit as an
n c immunity. Certainly much Ieas tina
m our neighbOrlag local option counties
IF Under tho beneiiceGt workings Of GU
license law tho uea OF spurious liquor
has, am sure, decreased in 90 year
half; it is true the use of beer an
h light wines has materially Increased
+. and ] claim il Ia the highest evidence q
If the growth of temperance to SEQ bee
10 supplantiDg distilled spirits Iou a
ID know how rare it 10 to Tee drunke
man now, compared to few year
since. Under the wise provisions {
our license law, We are restricted frol
10 ceiling a man vsibly intoxicated
:, minor. or an habitual drinkartl, IN
u. theae restrictions are accompanied wit
70 PENALTIES 80 RGrcrea forfeiture q
80 iicense-that they are very general
observed
You would find that no such re
atrictions would prevail with tho speat