The True Position On Temperance

Hoving been requested to give a definite answer to the question, to wit - "YVhat precise Legislalive action is needed now to promote the causë of Temperanee" - we shall respond to' the' inquiry without any apologies on the score oí modesty: for our opinión asks confidente according to its worth, nothing more. By the laws of Michigan, the Iicensing of public houses and grocerios in each town is left to the discreiion of the Supervisor, Town Clerk, and the four Justices of the Peace, who constitute what is called the Township Board. In incorporated villages, ihe Iicensing of the Grogshops is entrusted to the judgment of Trustees, who are elected annually at the Charter Elections. Through these township and village boards, a vast number of places for retailing intoxicating liquors are kept open, to the great damorge of the cömmunity. The people have no' chanco for expressing a choice whet'her ihese places of retailing shall be opened or closed.' Il would be vain to a-itérfi'pt to' decide the question through the polls unüer the present state of 'thtngs. The only process would be by nominating a regular Temperance ticket for members of Township Board who would not grant Hcense: and it would usually receive but a meagre support while conlending against two or three well eslablished and organized political parties. The slightest reflecüon shows that the Temperance feelingof the whole town could not be concentrated in this way. The consequence is, that the Township and Village Boards h.ving no real restriction upan them, license as many places for drinking as they please. often without the least reference to" the characters or circumstances of the appliplicants. The law needs an alteration. The question whetherany licenses for the sale of intoxicating liquors shall be granted should be decided at the Annual Town Meetings by a separate vote of the freeman of the town the ballots to be inscribed LrLicense" or "No License." If therebea greater number of those entitled "License," then the Licerises may be given out as usual at the discretion of the Township Board. But if there be a majority of ballots inscribed "No License," then no licenses for retailing intoxicating drinks shall be granted by t'he Board during that year. The same process to be observedin the caSe of Charter eleclions.The law shoold also be thnt any person may obtain an innkeeper's licence, without being authorized to sell liquors. Public houses are bighly conducive to the public welfare: but the sale of intoxicating drinks add nothing to their usefulness, but on the contrary is a large subtraction from it. There is no necessary connection hettoeen Tave'rns and Rumselling; y et they have been connected in fact for several generations, and the legal provisions respecting bolh have so' intimately conjoined, that it has sometimes been difficult to keep a public house without being also legally licensed to sell spiritous liquors. All that is needed now is, that provisión may be made for licensing public houses icllhout any reference to the sale of liquors in thém. There should be an entire divorce between Rumselling and Tavern-keeping; oiy if a practical union should tak'e place, it shculd be a unioti sécured by the individual choice of tlie keepei1. A third provisión is necessary. That in all cases where the people by their voteshall interdict all liceiices for the sale of intoxicating drinks, the Township Board, if they see fit may license oneor more druggists to sell all kinds of alcoholic liquors for otker purposes than ihose ofabeveráge. By this means they can readily be had for every medicinal, chemical of Other parpóse; & the great objoction; that ;:nonccnn bo hadfor medicine," will be successfully obvi aled. These are all the olterations in the laws that we deern now desirable for thé Temperance cause. We are opposed to stfdden and hasty legislation in most cases. Laws of every kind should be al. tered as little ns possible, and every al teraiion should be clearly for the better. Such, we think, would be the result of the simple alterations we have proposed. They would satisfy Temperance men In thöse towns where a majority of the voters were for License?, the present law would be effective. ín the others, the Temperance men would be gratified by a general closing up of those places where drunkarda had1 been' made. In every town, fhe majority woüïd rule respecting thequestion of Licenses, which is óften far from being the case now. The proposed alterations would stimq. late Temperance men to the use of moral means, in all towns in which they úroulct be a minority. They would havo their work laid out tangibly before tnerh- to bring overa majority of thé votér1 to their side, and this could only bé done by facts, renson and argument. Finally, the alterations suggested would injure'i.o one - would interferO with no one's vested or inalienable rights- but fcould place the question whether a great pgalized public' nuisance should be con. linuedor not, in the hands of those whose condition is to be made better or worse by the decisión.