The Express.
London, England, 1864-03-21 00:00:00

BAIT ,NNI!1,

Tins Evratnio, EVIL II ANDS AND HONVIT HEARTS.
Mr. 3. Lone.—A GRAND CONCERT. Heart Monte, Steele.
Bostilloo. Plo IV houtkinl : tl6a U. Covooey. Re--Doming by
Ldße.Stephan—And SHAM CAPTALN.

NIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
rain Day morning. lb. 3m Afternoon. lb. ^_3n.
To-noluml— Morning., lb. Abersoos. lb. bun

LONDON, MONDAY, MA RCS 21.

SOME of our social critics have remarked
the growth amongst us of a disposition to rely on
purely legislative weans for the production of
moral results, or, in other words, to attempt the
propagation of virtue by force. The instances ad-
duced in support of this sweeping generalization are,
it need scarcely be said, not only few, but of the
very vaguest kind, and, when arrayed in their
strongest form, quite incapable of investing the
statement with even superficial plausibility in the
eyes of those who are accustomed to take a wide,
impartial, and intelligent survey of current events.
The mistake of confounding the allied, but per-
fectly distinct, provinces of morals and legislation
is, indeed, ono hardly likely to be committed in a
country where the sphere of government and the
true ends of legislation are wont to be thoroughly
discussed, and where the utmost jealousy exists
as to any undue interference on the part of
the State with the full liberty of the
subject. Tie Dill relating to the common
sale of intoxicating liquors, brought into Parlia-
ment by Mr. LAwSON a few days before the recess,
appears, however, on the face of it, to be founded
on this confusion, and were it possible for it to
become law we should undoubtedly be fairly ex-
posed to the charge of endeavouring to effect by
legal machinery results which it is wholly un-
fitted to secure. This measure virtually proceeds
on the principle that it is right and expedient to
employ coercive means for purely moral purposes.
The principle is not new, although it may, per-
haps, be a little out of date. Sanguine legis-
lators of extreme views hare before now endea-
voured to enlarge the sphere of government, so as
to include within its regulating power the common
relations and activities of social and domestic life.
The experiment was tried by the early re-
formers at Geneve, and by the first Puritan
settlers in the New England colonies; but
hax lug conspicuously failed in these and
other cases, it has been gradually abandoned in the
more enlightened and better regulated legislation
of modern times. Nor is there any good ground
for anticipating really useful results from its re-
vived application, even in a very modified form, at
the present dry.

The object Mr. Lswsots has in view will, of
course, commend itself to the hearty sympathy of
every patriotic citizen and every good man.
He wishes to diminish, if possible, the fearful evils
resulting from the common vice of drunkenness,
and many v.ill no doubt be so absorbed in the
paramount inqsortanco of this end, as to care little
or nothing about the means employed for the pur-
pose of securing it. Those who share the respon-
sibilities of government and legislation cannot,
however, bequite so indifferent on this head. They
have to consider tho question of means, and
to decide in every case whether those actually pro-
posed are riolit in themselves, and whether, if so,
it may be wise or expedient to adopt them. Mr.
scheme is, we think, not well fitted to
pass successfully through this preliminary ordeal.
He proposes to diminish the evils arising from
drunkenness by the simple but sweeping expe-
dient of altogether :oppressing by law the common
sale of intoxic iting licluors. Under the terms of
the present Poll this coercive principle is, indeed,
to bo appla:d eu:r locally, and under conditions
which are evidently designed to soften as much as
possible its arbitrary anri oppressive character. The
Act empowers the thts payers of every town and
parish in the 1.in0...0t0 to decide the question by
vote, enabling a majority of two thirds amongst
the actual voters to prohibit the sale of intoxicating
liquors within the district. This local and per
character of the Bill will no doubt be ad-
duced as a strong momment in its favour, but we
must say that in our view these alleviations of the
measure tau: i. .werfully against it. Drunkenness
is not a local evil, and all the arguments adduced
for the purpooi of showing that it is right and
expedient in any partienlar district to cot off the
drunkard's sopplies by inflicting severe penalties
upon the sober, apply with at least equal force
to the king•ison ot large. If it be right and ex-
pedient in any isise to abandon so important a
question to the local decision of voters habitually
subject to the prosoire of strong local influences
and exclusive loc.:: organizations, it must be still
more right and still more expedient to entrust its
decision at once to Parliament on behalf of the
whole kingdom. Vie cannot but feel, however,
that it would be a serious mistake for the Legis-
lature to reca,a•ise such a coercive principle at all,
or to permit its application in any shape. The
atts mpt to r, form the vicious, or to reduce for the
moment the evil effect of their vices, at the
expense of the natural rights and social
liberty of the virtuous, appears to es
essentially or; ressive c,..1 unjust. We have little
doubt that if the proposed measure were to become
law the perniisrive power it grants might be em-'
ployed with success in souse few cases. Its suc-
cessful application would be attended in practice
with evil results which the friends cf the measure
have probably not considered and do not anticipate.
AVhile the mess of dependent voters who, in any
locality, had helped to swell the majority iu favour
of the prohinitery measure, would inwardly resent
its provisions, those who had openly opposed it
would naturally regard themselves as the victims
of an arbitrary and tyrannical enactment. No
reasoning would ever convince the actual sufferers
under such a s.•tielenvine ordinance, that because
sonic. of their neighbours had abused their social
rights and others were di:posed voluntarily to re-
linquish them. it could possibly be just or equita-
ble to deist He the remaining class of their
rights by force. Itesides, if the princi-
ple is rioht and expedient at all, it is
evidently one of the very widest sweep, and once