48 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



successive Legislatures, and all possible measures have been taken to 

 render the law perfect. As it now stands, it constitutes an entire 

 chapter of the Revised Statutes, and embraces more than fourscore 

 sections. A glance at its provisions will show that it is stringent 

 enough to satisfy the most thorough-going believer in repressive leg- 

 islation. It absolutely forbids the manufacture, sale, furnishing, or 

 giving away of intoxicating liquors, among which malt-liquors and 

 lager-beer are specifically included. Cider must not be sold at any 

 place of public resort, nor may a man in his own house furnish any 

 liquors to minors. The penalties in all these cases are a fine of ten 

 dollars for the first offense, twenty dollars for the second, and three 

 months in the House of Correction for the third. A " common seller " 

 is to be fined one hundred dollars for the first offense, and two hun- 

 dred dollars for the second, and for the third is to be committed to 

 the House of Correction for four months. He may also be prosecuted 

 for maintaining a nuisance, and in case of conviction he is to be fined 

 from twenty dollars to two hundred dollars, and imprisoned from one 

 month to three months ; and his place of business is to be summarily 

 closed, nor may he reopen it before furnishing a heavy bond to aban- 

 don the liquor-traffic. A person bringing, or assisting in bringing, 

 liquor into the State, is to be fined twenty dollars for the first offense, 

 and fifty for the second, and for the third is to be imprisoned for three 

 months. A traveling liquor agent is to be fined one hundred dollars 

 for the first offense of selling, and three hundred dollars for the second, 

 and for the third is to be fined five hundred dollars and imprisoned 

 for six months. All liquors kept, or supposed to be kept, for purposes 

 forbidden by the statute, are to be seized by the police, who may for 

 this purpose enter and search, without a warrant, any premises, public 

 or private. A percentage of all fines imposed and collected is awarded 

 the informer and the prosecuting officer. The statute furthermore con- 

 tains provisions for the recovery of civil damages from liquor-dealers, 

 for imposing a heavy fine upon one who rents premises to be used in 

 the liquor-traffic, and for carrying out the design of the law in a thor- 

 ough and efficient manner. 



But the practical operation of this severe and sweeping law — there 

 is the rub ! It is a fact, which can not be controverted or denied, that 

 for all practical purposes the law is an absolute dead letter. Accord- 

 ing to the returns of the United States revenue officers, the Govern- 

 ment tax on the manufacture and sale of intoxicating liquors in the 

 State amounted last year to fourteen thousand dollars in round num- 

 bers. On the same authority, there are in the State at the present 

 time four hundred and forty-six places where intoxicating liquors are 

 sold ; and, though the population is well-nigh stationary, there is a 

 marked increase in tlie number of these places, last year's returns show- 

 ing only four hundred iand twenty-six, and those for the preceding 

 year four hundred ^tid nine. In the city of Burlington there are about 



