One hundred thirty-nine residents of Kanawha County complain about grog shops and "pretended groceries" managed by persons who sell or trade liquor with slaves. They purport that their said county "contains a larger portion of slaves probably than any other transalleghany County of the state" and that "this population is confined chiefly to a small portion of the county & brings together a more dense slave population than perhaps any other equal extent of territory (exclusive of the cities)." They thus surmise that those who engage in this illicit trade make substantial profits "without ability on the part of the slave owner to repress it." The petitioners therefore request a law "prohibiting the sale of ardent spirits, or mixtures thereof, to slaves, without the written authority of the masters or their legal agents--and upon the violation thereof that the guilty person if convicted be sentenced to the Penitentiary."
Result: Referred to committee for courts of justice.
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Repository: Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia
