The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1909-12-09
Dry States to Be Drier.
This Due to Revision of Penal cod<

TO Une shipment u intoxicating liquors
into dry territory contained new leg
islation, the result of which will be to
make the United States a factor in
thickly settled communities like New
England, the local authorities, as rule.
are able to deal effectively with Offend
ers, but in the South, where settlement
is sparse, the task is not so easy, and the
Southern members insisted that the Fed
eral Government should come to the aid
of the local authorities.
NEW LAWS ON LIQUOR.
Three sections of the new codifcation
relate to the liquor traffic. The most i'm
portant provision is that on and after the
list of January every shipment of intoxi-
eating liquors shall bear the name of the
consignee, the nature of the contents of
the receptacle and the quantity contained
therein. 1t is a notorious fact, so say
persons who have had experience in at
tempting to drive out ''blind tigers, :"
that practically all the liquor now ship
ped into prohibited territory is labelled
as some other commodity, or not labelled
at all, and frequently addressed to per-
sons other than the consignee. Here is
what Congress says shall be done after
the LIST of January:
Whoever shall knowingly ship or cause to be
shipped from one State, Territory district
of the United States, or place non-contiguous
to but subject to the jurisdiction thereof, or
from any foreign country into any State, Ter
ritory or District of the United States, or place
non contiguous to but subject to the jursdic-
ton thereof, any package of or package con-
tanning any spirituous vinous, matted, ferment-
! ed, or other intoxicating liquor of any kind,
unless such package be labelled on the outside
cover as to plainly show the name of the con-
signee the nature of the contents, and the
quantity contained therein, shall be fined not
more than 5000; and such liquor shall be for
feited to the United States, and may be seized
and condemned by like proceedings as those
provided by law for seizure and forfeiture of
property imported into the United States con-
trary to law.
LIQUORS MUST BE LABELLED.
The Federal authorities already have
sent out notice to all manufacturers of
intoxicants that their wares must be
labelled on the outside of the package
on and after the first of the new year,
setting forth the nature of the contents
and the exact amount in each package.
The authorities at Washington take
it for granted that the manufacturers
will pass the word down the line to the
wholesale and retail dealers that the
Federal Government intends to see that
this new law is enforced; for the Govern
ment does intend to enforce the law to
the letter. Violations of this section will
be looked after as conscientiously as vlo
lations of the internal revenue law are
now. Of course the Federal authorities
expect the cooperation of citizens In
communities where there is reason to
believe blind tigers exist. Nothing will
be more agreeable to the Government
than to receive information that intoXi-
eating liquors are being shipped to any
dry village, city or town, without the
label provided by law. 1t would seem
perfectly easy, agents of the Depart
| tigers under this new legislation. 1t is
pointed out that from now on they can
not exist without violating the Federal
statute, and the assumption of the De-
partment of Just &c is that W on d-be vio-
/ lators will not care to take the chance of
/ falling into the clutches of the Federal
! courts.
TROUBLE FOR BLIND TIGERS.
1t is anticipated also that men who are
running blind tigers will not care to have
the wares in which they deal come to
them addressed as the new Federal law
/ Bays lIItN SIlill NC eSoStt- IlC Nv al
Of intoxicants at the railway freight sta
ton would be give away" and it may
be said in passing that the Department
of Justice is very likely to have men on
the lookout at freight stations.
Sections 238 and 239 of the new code
are designed to make it extremely diff
cult for the railroads to show the viola
tors of Sect. 240 any favors. For in
stance, 236 provides:
+ Any officer, agent or employee of any rail-
road company, express company, or any other
common carrier, who shall knowingly deliver
or cause to be delivered, to any person other
than to the person to whom it has been con-
+ signed unless upon the written order n each
instance of the bona tide consignee, or to any
fictitious person, or to any person under fic-
! titous name, any sprituous, vinous, matted,
fermented, or other Intoxicating liquor, of any
kind, which has been shipped from State,
Territory or District of the United States, or
place non contiguous to but subject to The
jurisdiction thereof, or from any foreign coun
try into any State, Territory, or District of
the United States, or place non-contiguous to
but subject to the jurisdiction thereof, shall be
fined not more than $4,000, imprisoned not
more than two years, or both,
REGULATION OF CARRIERS.
1t has been alleged from ime to time
that in some of the States where the sale
| OF intoxicating liquor has been prohlblted
in one way or another the railroads and
express companies assisted the violators
of the law by acting as buying or selling
agents, or both. Congress, with the
idea of putting stop to this practice,
provided as follows in Sect. 239:
Any railroad company, express company, or
other common carrier any other person
who, in connection with the transportation o.
any spirituous, vinous, matted, fermented, or
other Intoxicating liquor of any Kind, from one
State, Territory, District of the United
States, or place non-contiguous to but subject
to the jurisdiction thereof, into any State
Territory or District of the United States, or
place non contiguous to but subject to the jur.
isdiction thereof or from any foreign country
into any State, Territory, or District of the
United States, or place contiguous to but
subject to the jurisdiction thereof, shall COL
lect the purchase price any part thereof,
before, on, after delivery, from the con-
Slgnee, or from any other person, or shall in
any manner act as the agent of the buyer or
seller of any such liquor, for the purpose of
buying or selling or completing the sale
thereof saving only in the actual transporta-
ton and delivery of the same, shall be fined
not more than $4,000.
The railroads, as a rule, were perfectly
willing that this legislation saying what
they shall do and what they shall not do
in connection with the transportation of
intoxicating liquor in "dry'' territory