26  Experimental  Xegislation
The  only  fault  of  the  experiment  consists  in  the
possibility  that  the  thieves  and  roughs  migrated  ;
but  this  difficulty  would  be  less  serious  had  the
experiment  been  tried  in  larger  towns.
What  little  insight  we  can  gain  into  the  operation ­
  of  the  Licensing  Laws  is  mainly  due  to  the
considerable  differences  with  which  they  have  been
administered  in  different  places.  Such  is  the
latitude  of  discretion  given  by  the  law,  that  magistrates ­
  can  often  make  very  distinct  experiments.
A  short  time  ago  the  magistrates  of  Glasgow
intentionally  and  avowedly  made  the  experiment
of  locking  up  in  gaol  all  the  drunkards  brought
before  them.  When  I  last  heard  about  this
experiment  it  was  on  the  point  of  failing,  because
the  gaols  of  Glasgow  were  all  quite  full,  and  still
the  drunkards  were  coming  to  the  bar.  In  1863
the  Licensing  Magistrates  of  Liverpool  commenced ­
  a  most  interesting  experiment,  by  declaring
their  intention  to  adopt  “  Free  Licensing  ”—that
is,  to  grant  licenses  to  any  suitable  persons  who
applied  for  them.  The  publicans’  licenses  were
increased  from  1,674  in  1862  to  1,940  in  1866.
The  system  was  abandoned  in  this  last  year,  owing
to  a  change  in  the  constitution  of  the  Bench.
None  of  the  magistrates  who  advocated  the  change,
we  are  told,  ever  recanted,  but  some  who  supported
the  change  to  a  restrictive  policy  have  been  disappointed ­
  with  the  results.  The  teaching  of  this
real  experiment  has  been  carefully  discussed  by