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Office is immediately authorised to carry on a business the nature of
which if he is a bad Man leaves him at liberty to give facility to the
Commission of Crimes and to cheat and oppress the ignorant the indigent
and the unwary and it is believed that most of the acting
Magistrates who have attended minutely to the conduct of Pawnbrokers
will agree in opinion that much injury arises to the Community
from the want of that proper Controul by which they would be restrained
under the variety of temptations which offer in assisting the views of criminal
People by receiving every thing that is brought them without asking
any questions. It is true that additional regulations may be introduced
such as have been very judiciously proposed but without that Species of
controul which is the principal feature of the Bill it is greatly to be
feared that they will go on with impunity and also without fear or
dread especially when no means of detection shall be established by
any regulation of Inspectors and no dread of Losing their Licenses
for any irregular conduct on a succeeding Year. It is indeed much
to be lamented that electioneering influence and other causes have
frequently occasioned improper conduct on the parts of Magistrates
in granting Licenses to Publick Houses but with all the mischiefs
attendant upon that System it is clear to Demonstration that
were Publicans at Liberty to apply for their Licenses in the same
manner as Pawn Brokers without the Controul of Magistrates
the Irregularities the Crimes and the Profligacy which would
universally pervade every part of the Country would soon overturn
the Government. The principal objection objection against the Magistrates
Licensing the different Trades which are meant to be regulated
seems to be limited to the Circumstances of its being considered at
this Time as a strong Measure to increase in any degree the power
of Magistrates but when it is explained that this power is to extend
only to the most fraudulent and most mischievous part of the Community
whom it is not possible to Controul without such power &
Identifier: | JB/149/024/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 149.
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