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Show A TERRITORIAL LIQUOR LAW. A prohibitory liquor law for the Territories Ter-ritories of tbc United States has been prepared by the National Tcmperaoco league, that is vfry stringent in its provisions, and is somewhat similar to the law of congress of forbidding the sale of liquors under any circumstance, circum-stance, to Indians living io the Territories. Terri-tories. A powerful organization, combining com-bining religious and political influences, has boon effected to secure the passage of the bill by congress; and it is a;.-Fcrt- d that the f.icmisof the measure are couliJent of success in their efforts to have it become a law. The bill only permits of the sale of liquors by druggists upon a physician's prescription which mut also be a certificate cer-tificate that the liquor is necessary, and only for medical purposes. To guard against any abuse of this frar,-ohiso frar,-ohiso bestowed upon the doctors to prc-scribo prc-scribo the arden'; and to prevent pre-vent them from whipping the i devil around the etump, by ordering or-dering a beverage as a medicine, acvere penalties are imposed. To make possible the discovery and punishment of any violation of the law in thia respect, re-spect, a section of the bill makes it the duty of the druggist to keep a record of all liquors sold, tho namo of tho phy-Bician phy-Bician who prescribed and the party for whose use they were ordered. This record is to bo forwarded every six months to Washington for examination, examina-tion, and it is supposed will lead to the discovery of any serious infraction of the law. This movement of the prohibitionists is a shrewd one, and may bo successful. success-ful. Congress cannoC enact a liquor law for the states, but it can for the territories; and as the latter have no vuiuo in me national legislature, it is even probablo that the bill may bo 'passed to win the support of tho temperance party. This party holds the balance of power in several of the States, and jields an influence worth while for the dominant party to secure in its favor; especially when it can be done, as in this case, without running the risk of alienating the support of the liquor ioterest, except in the Territories where it has little other than a local influence. It is a splendid opportunity to carry water on both shouldsrs to be hale fellow, well met, with each of two parties in bitter hostility. The supporters of the bill, aside from the moral argument io its favor, can strongly plead that as long as white men in tho Territories can purchase pur-chase liquor at pleasure, the Indians arc euro to obtain it, and hence tho ftrict Jaw of JS34 prohibiting the sale or even the giving of it to the latter is inoperative. They might probably in their zeal nowadays, when the doctrine of human equality is the supreme law. accidentally find themselves on the other side of the question, contending that if whisky is good for a white man , it must be for an Indian, and demand ing b implication that tho restriction imposed by the prohibitory law of 1S3-1 upon the bibulous propensities of the latter, be repealed. |
