Year: 1867

= nc N ENTERTAINMENTS 10 tne Liquor Law.


The Bangor Whig comments upon the
amendment to the liquor law now pending
before the Legislature, as follows: j


Upon a careful consideration of this bill, we
are impelled to say that we doubt the expedi-
ency OF its passage; and we know that this is
the feeling of many who are known as "Maine
Law men" and have always given their most
earnest and Jealous support to the policy of
"legal suason." Among these we have rea-
son to know are more than one of the Judges
of the Supreme COurt-perhaps all of them.


The prominent and practical objection to
the bill, in our mind is, tie probability-al-
most certainty-that it would be generally in
operative, from the difficulty of procuring con-
vic.ions, where the penalties are SO stringent.
Persons indicated would be likely to contest
almost every case to the extreme end in hope
ofgetting off by disagreement of juries-and
in the mean time continue selling, and make
enough at least to pay expenses.-It is
Thought by those well qualified to judge, that
it would he very rare to find jury which
would not contain one man at least, to hold
out against conviction in a case where impris-
onment is the penalty. The cases of cOnvic-
ion would, Tin the opinion of many sincere
temperance and Maine Law men, be the ex-
ception rather than the rule


There are other objections to the bill-among
them to the destruction of condemned liquors,
rather than their forfeiture to the town agen-
cies at present-but We need not enumerate
these -rF - -.


Some provisions of the bill are good, and
would serve to render the present law more
effective. H-a I.1 1855


Friends of the present law seriously fear the
effects of the probable or possible failure to OBJ
tain convictions under such law as that pro-
posed by this BILL The danger is great of a
reaction and the opening of the traffic entire
ly by license law. The present law though
not entirely effective in large places, has yet
completely stopped the traffic in numerous
towns, and will in almost all, if fully enforced.
If we pass the new bill, we may not only find
it utterly ineffective, but be unable to get back
the old law which certainly has stopped a vast
amount of liquor selling.


We throw out these ideas for the considera-
tion of thoughtful friends of temperance in the
Legislature, in the hope that they will at least
fully satisfied that the objections are ground
less before they pass the bill.-We must speak
what is our honest conviction in this matter,
at the risk of misapprension and censure.
We believe there is great hazard to the cause
of temperance in passing the bill-and thus
believing, it is our duty to say So


The objections of the Whig to the passage
of the bill are entitled to serious considera-
tions. There ought to be no risk of misap-
prehension or censuse attending the discus
sion of so important a subject but il there is,
1t is risk which all who meddle with it must
share alike. The substance of the Wings OBJ
jections may be expressed in two PROPOSE
tions: .. ... .


l. That the present law Is reasonably eff
fective.


q That It will be difficult to procure con-
yictions under the new one.


We think the Whig uses very mild language
when 1t describes the present law as mot en-
tirely effective in large places" Intoxicating
liquors are sold openly in at least hundred
places in this city. The fines are simply car
ried over to the account of the consumers and
the sellers lose nothing in the long run. The
State convention recently in session at Au-
gusta pronounced with the greatest unanimi-
ty for the amendment. The conviction IS
very general, that the present law, even IL IL
could be enforced, could not prevent Illegal
sales.


The main objection, that Jurors Will per)ure
themselves because they may regard the pen
a,tv as excessive, it is rather imaginary than
real The purpose of the law is to transfer
the sale of this article to the agents designat-
ed for the purpose, just as license law would
put the whole business into the hands of IL
censed venders. The people of the State. for
satisfactory reasons, choose to limit the sale IN
this way. Their right so to do is complete
and indisputable. If anybody chooses to en-
gage in a business which is thus put under the