[No. 21.]

REPORT of the Select Committee to whom were referred sundry petitions, praying the repeal of the License Laws.

The select committee to whom were referred sundry petitions, praying a repeal of the license laws, have had the same under consideration, and would respectfully submit the following report:

The selling of wines and other spirituous liquors as a beverage, has for a number of years agitated, not only the public mind of this state, but also that of many of the others. In this state as well as many others, much legislation has already been had upon the subject; many measures have been adopted which at the time of their adoption, it was thought would effect the object sought, viz: the suppression, to some extent at least, of the traffic in ardent spirits; and your committee, as also the petitioners, are of the opinion that much▸ very much has been done by legislative enactments, to do away with and prohibit the vending and improper use of spirituous liquors.

But the petitioners seem to think, as do also your committee, that still further legislation upon the subject is necessary. The evil does not seem to be fully cured. Spirituous liquors are still sold as a beverage, and that too in towns where the people at the ballot box have said it should not be sold. It may be asked by some one who knows what our present laws are upon this subject, why is it in such towns that people permit its sale? Your committee answer, simply because the laws upon this subject, are by most of the legal men considered so imperfect that but few dare to prosecute, and those who do, seldom succeed in convicting

It has doubtless been the intention of the legislature, to prohibit the sale of spirituous liquors as a beverage, except in towns where a majority of the voters at the ballot box vote in favor of it, but it would seem they have not fully accomplished their object, or at least the petitioners seem to think so, and hence a large number have respectfully asked some further legislation. Some of the people of almost every county in the state have asked this of the present legislature. A large number of petitions have been received, and no less than fifty-one have been referred to your committee, and signed by nearly

two thousand persons. Your committee feel that the character and number of the petitioners are entitled to, and should receive much respect at our hands. It doubtless will not be denied that the friends of temperance, in a moral point of view, are of the number which make up the most worthy class of our fellow citizens. A majority of the petitioners, it would seem, are members of the institution of "Sons of Temperance," some of them however are not. A large number of other tax payers have signed the petitions. The petitions are as follows, to wit:

Petition of P. B. Ring and 45 others, Michigan Division No. 1

Petition of J. J. Wright and 25 others, Wayne Division No. 77

66

In addition to the above there have been referred to us, ten petitions from the county of Lenawee, signed by three hundred and ninety-six tax payers; also three petitions from the county of St. Joseph, signed by eighty-three tax payers; and three from the counties of Cass and Berrien, signed by one hundred and sixty-nine tax-payers; making in all nearly two thousand petitioners.

Most of the petitioners ask for the passage of a law prohibiting the sale of wine or spirituous liquorsas á beverage under all circumstances; taking the matter entirely out of the control of the people of the 'several townships. Whether this, at this time, would be good policy, we are inclined to doubt. Such a law would, in our opinion, be far in advance of public opinion, and if this be so, then as a consequence, such a law would be inoperative and of no effect. Public opinion is stronger than law, and any law that has not public opinion to sustain it must be and continue to be a "dead letter."

The committee are well aware this subject is a very difficult one to legislate upon. It has been found to be so in all the states where the subject has been agitated, and hence in many of the states they have legislated year after year for many years, but have not in any one state (so far as we can learn) succeeded in making a law which has fully met, in its operation, the wishes of the friends of temperance and morality.

That the improper selling and use of spirituous liquors is a great social and moral evil, will not at this late day, we trust, be denied by any one. The subject has been agitated for more than twenty years; much has been said, and much has been written upon the subject, and many expedients have been resorted to, many means have been tried, and many associations have been formed, for the purpose of correcting this great evil.

More than twenty years ago the question was asked: "What shall be done to banish intemperance from the United States?" and the question has been asked by the philanthropist, and all true lovers of

their race, from time to time, ever since. In answering this question, some have said that we must use moral suasion and that alone, without the aid of legal enactments. Enlighten the minds of the people, say they, convince men of the detrimental effect which the use of spirituous liquors has when used as a beverage, let them know that the use of strong drink does not conduce to health or happiness, but on the contrary that it is condusive to ill health, much misery and consequent unhappiness; let the people know all this, let them know that their health and happiness is not enhanced by the use of wine and spirituous liquors as a beverage-and this is all that will be necessary to cure the evil. Once the public mind is fully enlightened upon the subject, it has been thought by some, yea by many, that no legislative enactments would be necessary to suppress the evil of intemperance. And hence this class of community have made use of many means to enlighten the public mind, much time and money have been expended in the accomplishment of this object, publications have been gotten up and circulated among the community, public lecturers have been employed and sent abroad among the people, many facts and statistics have been collected and spread out before the public which go to show conclusively that the use of intoxicating drink as a beverage, is in no case beneficial but in all cases injuri

ous.

The efforts of this class of men commenced more than twenty years ago. At that time (as had ever been the case before) it was the impression of the people generally, including most of the medical men throughout the length and breadth of the land, that ardent spirits, if not absolutely necessary, were, at least, of great use and importance as a support during mental, or physical labor; and that moderately used, were conducive to health and strength, or at least, that it was an innocent stimulus. But this idea has long since exploded. It seems now to be well settled and established, and that too, in the minds of the laboring classes themselves, that the impression is unfounded, that there is no opinion more fatally false, than that which attributes to spirituous liquors any power of promoting bodily strength, or supporting the system under labor or fatigue. Experience has in all quarters most abundantly proved the contrary. The fact is now well established, that none labor so constantly, so cheerfully, and with so little exhaustion, as those who entirely ab

stain; none endure so well in heat and cold, hardships and expos

ure.

We say that through the instrumentality and efforts of this class of temperance men, the public mind has become well convinced that the use of intoxicating drinks as a beverage, is not only unnecessary, but actually injurious and hurtful, and still the evil exists; and still men use this poison as a beverage.

Another class of efforts and arguments have been resorted to by this class of reformers, which has tended to show men that the con ́stant use of ardent spirits, is attended with great loss of time and money. The cost of the liquor which the so called moderate drinker uses, annually, has been shown to be immense; allowing to the moderate drinker, or to him who uses liquor regularly and constantly every day, that the cost of the same is but one shilling per day, and the amount will be no insignificant sum, and particularly so, to the poor man-to the man who depends upon his daily labor for his, and his family's support. Carry this farther, and compute the value of the liquor used as a beverage in any one state, allowing that not more than one in ten thus use it, and the amount will be found to be astonishingly large. All this has been urged upon the minds of temperate drinkers as a further inducement to them to break away from the control of their appetites, and abandon its use. These arguments, together with others that have been used, have had to some extent, the desired effect. Many men under the influence of the light which has been shed upon their minds, have abstained entirely from the use of intoxicating drinks, and have become out and out "tee-totalers," so that now we find, in almost all the states, and particularly so in those in the north and east, large numbers who are strictly temperance men, those who touch not, taste not, handle not this destroyer of human happiness, except as a medicine.

A computation in some states and towns, showing the amount which has been saved by individuals abstaining from the use of ardent spirits, has been made, and the amount has been found to be very large, surprisingly large. In one town in the state of Vermont, individuals bave saved, by abstaining one year, the nice little sum of $8000. In the state of New Hampshire, they saved in the same way, and in the same time, more than $100,000. And a proportion. ate sum in some other of the New England states. A computation