The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-05-22 00:00:00

THE NORTHERN ,TIMES.---LIVERPOOL, FRIDAY, MAY 22, 1857.

verified by the facts which were made palent 'to"
their senses on Wednesday. On this question
we have no sympathies, no special friendships.
As public journalists we have done our duty to
the community of which we are members. We
indulge in no idle boasting ; we have no desire,
in the plenitude of our strength, to triumph
over vanquished opponents —fallen, indeed, they
are--for the moment. But we do hope that there
are amongst them men who will risessuperior to
wretched faction, and boldly and openly declare
that they have been deceived, and that they have
done wrong, This is the course—the only course
the Pikeists can now pursue. In fact, we hope,
after the experience of Wednesday, that a Pikeist
in Liverpool will be as rare an animal as a Corn-
law Protectionist. We have much—very much
to say on this subject, but at present we are con-
tented to be strong and merciful.

OUR neighbours on the opposite shores of the
Mersey are very active just now in propagating
amongst the people of Birkenhead the principles
of "teetotalism." On Tuesday night, the leaders

of the Temperance cause held a meeting in the
Argyle-rooms, for the purpose of hearing a lec-
ture by Mr. THEOPIIILUS JONES, enforcing the
necessity of Parliament putting down by legisla-
tive enactment the traffic in all intoxicating

liquors. No one will question the vast import•
ance of having a sober population, but we doubt
whether sobriety can be enforced by Act o

Parliament.

Unless a man or woman is temper•

ate from other motives than the fear of the

penalties of infringing a criminal statute, we fear

the praiseworthy desires of the temperance party
will never be realised ; morality by compulsion

is impracticable. The requirements of the

Maine Liquor Law have not put down the vice

of drunkenness in America; and any one in the

habit of glancinz at the police reports

contained in the American papers which

reach us, will see that " tippling "
is a crime of frequency in every part of the

American Union. Moreover, the existence of
such a law as that of which the Hon, NEAL now
is the author, tends to inculcate feelings of

immorality, for we know that all sorts of decep-
tion are practised in order that both the vender
and the consumers of alcoholic drinks may carry

on the traffic—the one to realise gain, and the
other to gratify his animal cravings.
_

It should be borne in mind that it is not in
the mere use but the abuse of intoxicating
liquors that the evil lies. Taken in small
quantities, the advocates of temperance would
have great difficulty in proving any injurious
consequences to society, and they might as
well urge that the chemists and druggists
should not be allowed to sell poisons, many of
which are celebrated medical remedies. Shut
up the public-houses, and render the trade ille-
gal, the days of the smuggler would be revived,
and very probable we might have a nation of
opium eaters like the barbarians of China.
We agree with Mr. J ONES when he tells ns
that " half a pound of soap will not clean a
man's conscience," nor do we think that half a
dozen azts of Parliament would render the people
of the United Kingdom a nation of teetotallers
It is a matter which you must leave every one to
settle between himself and his own conscience.
Society can do much to discountenance the use
of ardent spirits and habitual intoxication, and
we think that it should be rendered a misde-
meanour to sell any strong drinks to a man when
he has become tipsy. Besides, the penalty for
being drunk can be made heavier, so that there
will be greater caution to evade the penalties for
getting inebriated.
But legislation, such as is desired by the Bir-
kenhead teetotallers, is not wanted by the people.
Let such a bill as the Maine Liquor Law be
introduced into Parliament, and you would see a
commotion which the military force of the
country would not be able to quell. The power
and force of the petitions of the temperance party
would be equally as insignificant as the fly when
it lighted on the chariot wheel, and exclaimed, " See
what a dust I raise." Millions would indignantly
protest against legislation of such an un-English
character, and claim their undoubted • right to
drink what they please so long as they do not
perpetrate an injury upon society. No demon-
stration has been made either by public meetings
or petitions to Parliament to warrant the passing
of such a law as would exterminate all the public
houses from the face of the earth.
We also object to the proposed prohibitory law,
on the ground that it would be a complete
robbery to abolish the publican's calling. Every
one who has entered the business has invested
large sums of money, and to take that
away from him, without an equivalent,
would be rank injustice. It would be
taking from him capital employed, and the means
of future earnings. When slavery was abolished
we voted the slave-owners an indemnity of
twenty millions. Are the advocates of total
abstinence prepared to vote a similar sum to
indemnify the publicans from the loss which
their proposed law would inflict upon all
publicans ? And if they agreed to that amount
being granted, is it likely that the people at
large would consent to its becoming law ?
As we have already said, we approve of the
efforts to induce the observance of temperate
habits, and should gladly see every man, woman,
and child in the empire free from the debasing
practices of intemperance, but we fear that
it can only be attained by moral force and per-
suasion. To regulate the peoples' tastes and
desires by Act of Parliament is inexpedient, par-
ticularly when no desire has been manifested for
such a change as that aimed at by the advocates
of the Maine Liquor Law. On the ground of
inexpediency, and the injustice which it would
inflict upon a large and respectable class of our
fellow-citizens, we cannot approve of the project
of rendering it criminal to deal in intoxicating
liquors. Other means can be devised to promote