Fees in the American Colonies. 
105 
shop or house of common entertainment, tavern or a public 
seller of wine, ale, beer, or strong waters by retail, without 
the approbation of the selected townsmen, and a license by the 
county court, upon pain of forfeiture of £5 for every offence." 
This did not apply to wholesalers selling wine in quantities of 
not less than three gallons or strong waters less than a quart. 
A little later another act was passed which read in part as fol¬ 
lows: 1 “ And because it is difficult to keep order, and keep the 
public houses of public entertainment in conformity to the 
wholesome laws established, as is necessary for preventing 
drunkenness, excessive drinking, vaine expenses of money, time, 
and the abuse of the good creatures of God, it is ordered” that 
the license shall be valid for only one year, but may be renewed 
annually on application to the county court; for each renewal 
the licensee was required to pay two shillings six pence to the 
clerk of court. In 1661 it was deemed necessary to require 
distillers and wholesale dealers to obtain a license, for the rea¬ 
sons set forth in the preamble, as follows: " Upon complaint of 
the great abuses that are daily committed by retailers of strong 
waters, rhum, . . . both by distillers thereof and by such 
as have it from forraigne ports, 2 it is ordered” that etc. . . . 
Laws of this kind, designed to prevent drunkenness by re¬ 
stricting the sale of liquor to persons of good character who 
could secure the approval of the selectmen of the town, and by 
providing penalties against tippling and drunkenness, were re¬ 
peatedly passed by the colonial legislatures. As a sample of 
the latter may be mentioned a provision in a law of 1787: 3 “ Nor 
shall any person licensed to sell strong waters, or any house¬ 
keeper permit any person or persons to sit drinking or 
tippling strong waters or wine or strong beer in their 
houses. ” An act of the same purport was passed in 
1798 in Massachusetts Bay Colony, 4 which provided in addi¬ 
tion that no more houses of common entertainment should be 
licensed than was necessary for the accommodation of the pub- 
1 Ibid., p. 166. 2 Ibid., p. 84. 3 Ibid.,p. 15. 
*Acts and Resolves and Charters of Massachusetts Bay Colony , 
III. 
