Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-07-09 00:00:00

TIER MAINE LIQUOR LAW,

PUBLIC RECEPTION TO _THE HON. NEAL DOW.

Last evening, a public meeting of the friends and sup-
porters of the Temperance Alliance, with others who take
an interest in those and similar principles, was held at the
Concert Hall, for the purpose of giving a public reception
to that gentleman, as' the founder of the Maine Liquor
Law aii the 'United State's; inn also, for the purpose of
hearing other eminent and popular lecturers expound their
views on the subject, and also for agitating the queittion in
this town. As the object of the meeting hid been exten-
sively placarded throughout the town, there was, a long
time before the hour appointed for commencing the
business, a large gathering assembled in the- body of the
hall. The galleries were, however, not so fully occupied.
In the absence of Mr. L. Heyworth, from indisposition,
the X- v. R. S. Steinfall, the chairman, expressed his regret
at having to commence the business with an apology,
but
congratulated the town at having such a large assembly.
He then went on to say that as there were no doubt a
a great number in that hall who were not members of the
alliance, but they were not pledged to anything beyond
giving an attention to the arguments that would be
brought forward, and announced that there would be papers
for those who wished to joie the cause, distributed about
the meeting, and if they were signed they could be left,
at the door, and the collectors would afterwards call upon
them for contributienn He concluded by saying that Dr.
Lee's work would be distributed about the room, for
sale, to those who might be studious.
The SECRETARY then read letters from the Rev. Mr.
Birrill and Major Greig, apologising for rot being present.
The Rev. THOMAS nwALLow was next called upon to
move the first resolution, and, in doing so, sail that, he
was not so sarguine as many were es to the result to, be
obtained in England ; but if they could not get the whole
of that for which they wished, let them get
ss much as they could. He then • moved :
That this meeting,', deeply impressed with the varied and
manifold evils unavoidably atieidant upon the liquor
traffic, that fruitful source of pauperism, crime, disease,
and, death ; and believing that no measure short of the
total prohibition of the traffic can effectantly'eove the corn-
Munity from the eff"cts which that traffic .inevitably pro-
duces, gives to the II mouralne Neal Door,-of Portland, the
originator of the' Maine Law, its most cordial welcome a ;nd
sincerely believes that his visit to the land of their common
ancestry will not only be a source of pleasure and advan-
tage to laicaself, but also the means of bringing nearer to a
successful issue the movement in behalf of the suppression
of the liquor traffic, a movement with which the name of
the Hen. Neal Dow is gloriously and inseparably connected."
Mr. CsrrEer seconded the adoption of the resolution. Ile'
said he had for a long time seen the necessity of the adop-
tion of the suppression of intoxicating liquors, particularly
When he looked in at the doors of the gin palaces, and saw
the misery that there existed, and he had, therefore, for a
V
ery
his long timei, not permitted a drop of that filthy stuff to
enter dwellng. He was aware that the advocates of the
Main Liquor Law went a long way—but it did not go too
far. He did not expect that they would get it so soon as
some, but they must expect it before it would come ; and
then he had no doubt but that it would come. There was
one thing which was worthy of consideration, and that
was, that as they came there to dog od as well as to be
gratified ; he would ask them, would it not be as well if
they were each to give up their glass a-day for the good of
the thousands of their fellow creatures. That was a point
that was well worth consideration, and he trusted that
they would each and all think well of it. He would not
detain them with any further remarks, as he knew they
were most anxious to hear Mr. Dow. (Applause.)
The motion was then put from the chair and unanimously
adopted.
The Hon. NEAL Dow then came forward, and was
greeted with prolonged applause. He commenced by
saying
that .he was much laboured for some time ; but he
came to talk to them about what concerned them—pro-
teetion to themselves, their children, and the country, from
the dreadful evils of intemperance and traffic in intoxicating
drinks, Ile took a view of the • temperance cause in
America for the last 40 years, and said the movement in
this country should be sanctioned by the educated portion
and the religious portion of the people also. He called on
the clergy, by their powerful influence, to support the
movement because it was by such influence the move- inent must succeed. (Hear, hear.) He - alluded to the !
fact that the clergy did not go to theatres, balls, or circuses,
tot from any fear of personal contamination, but because
(Rsuch Places endangered the eternal welfare of the people.
ear, hear.) And yet they did not do the same in regard
to the liquor traffic, which, he was sorry to say, they ,
rather supported than otherwise, He said the influence of the clergy was potential, but they would not give up the
Wine glass; but this shouli be, and would be changed,
(Lboth for the temporal and eternal welfare' of the people.
oud cheers.) He gave an account of a meeting in his
native city, when the temperance cause was what he
called law, and gave an account cf two speeches, one 1
made by an eminent progressionist, and the other by
a conservative, and showed how the proere.sive
man was cheered and the other not. He illustrated
this by the story of oxen going down a hill
holding back, but whet was wanted was all up-hill work.
like the oxen going up with their lead. (Cheers.) He
regretted to say that the educated classes did not sanction
the movement. In regard to the slave trade, he showed
how the proposition for the abolition of that trade was
received in Liverpool, and then went on to the origin of
railways, and the opposition given to their introduction
at first, and 'when a Committee of the House of
Commons declared that they would have rejected '
the bill, if the engineer had said that a train
could travel more than twelve miles an hour. (Hear, hear.)
Re went on to the Atlantic Steam Navigation, which was
Pronounced to be impossible, and one man promised to eat
the first steam-boat that would cross the Atlantic. (Loud
cheers and laughter.) There was nothing impossible, and
he contended that in the end the movement must succeed.
Some people thought there was no law to prevent English-
men from doing what they liked— (hear, hear)—but there I
Was no Country in the world where laws were made to
prevent the people from doing what they liked more than
in England. People could not put two horses to hackney
carriages except they paid tax for them ; they could not
put a footman behind their carriages without paying a
tax for him. (Hear, hear,) And yet it was said there
was no law in England to prevent people from doing what
they liked. (Hear, hear.) Someime ago there was a law
that took up people and put them on 'boaad ships, (the
pressing system) and their families would not hear from
them for years, and then would be sent in his Maj-,sty's
service up the Mediterranean. (Hear, 'hear.) That and
other old systems had passed a.vay, and so would all the
opposition offered to the present movement. (Hear, haar.)
The temperance reform has been only for the last forty
years discussed amongst the people as a moral question,
but now it was one of political importance and a political
question, because it was for the benefit of the whole of
Mankind. It was so in America—it was so here; and be
could say that it was a question of more importance than
any other political question. And why ? B cause it
referred to the honour and the glory of this country; and
that was of more vital importance to the people and the
nation. He would say, that for every shilling that' was
spent in intoxicating drink, another
eshTlilfht
say two shillings—was thrown away
Or he
was enough for his purpose. At the I.a.te electoinons, a long
discussion ensued on the saving of six milliens of g
but the question they were then disenenng involved money,n
expenditure of £120,000,000 annually. Was net that worth
consideration ? Again, the physical powers of th people
Were of some consideration, and it was found
hate 60,000
lives were yearly lost from drunkenness and the traffic in
intoxicating drinks. Those men had wives, and mothers; •
and children, who were living in degradation and misery.
Was it nothing, then, to save £120,000,000 of money and
112,000 lives? (Cheers.) But why
wos it not done ? It
CI, said it was impossible. But it was not so. (Hear,
ear.) Let them look •at the credit side
of the
accounts,
and what was the gain by the use of
li', and he would say that there was not one
advantage to be gained by it. (Cheers.) Now the time
Was come when he people would be protected from the use
Of it. He denied that it interfered with the liberty of the
subject more in England than it did in his country. He
said it would and must come. The prisons and the jails
were the results of the grog !hops—do away
With them, and the jails and prisons would
Moulder and decay, the same as the old abbeys
and mansions, and would only be the resort of
jackdaws and owls. (Laughter.) The grog shops were
licensed to make drunkards, and drunkards it was that
filled the jails— (cheers) —and there they to be main-
tained at the cost of the people, and merely for the pur-
pose of putting thew
landlady's. Hen described
the daily scenes in a pollee
court, where the drunkard was placed in the dock, and the
landlady was in the witness-box in
but his State
the positions were altered,
dock, and the drunkards in thelandlady was in the
the way it should be. He the witness.box. That was
maintained that the law of
England with reference to drink was similar to the little
Child's version of the " Spider and the Ply." deg for
was made to eat the fly, and the fly was made foPr the
spider. The goals ware built for the drunkard., but if
there were no drunkards there need net he any goals.
(Cheers.) He advised them, for the honour of
theirteoun
Ir3nw to alter the same, and to try the same course', He
advised that all who sold intoxicating drinks shoield
Punished, and not the man who drank it. Let them try
that remedy, and then if it failed, let them try something
else' (Cheers.)
tended to b The government licensing iyatem only
and body-ofring rain, degradations and to destroy the soul
all, her Majes's bjects. That system &Aided in the dark ages, butt W 91114 not do on the pre-

Flour. 490 barrels. 770 sacks.

LONDON MINING MARKET.—JULY 8.
The market for home mining stocks remains quiet, but steadiness
prevails. The a ate still inquirir for Alfr .d Consols oh aces, which a. e
mdea:lktct ei.
iln7i..he%sitoeckal
EM.itertyanAgne a. 6
na4reial_o in demand, and have been
United Mexican therm aro marked 3a. Foreign descriptions are
generally dull.

SALFORD CATTLE. MARKET.—JULY 8.
The supply at to-day's mallet consisted of 680 beasts 7110 sheep
and lambs, and 133 calves. The following we; e the prices t nrrent
glee. 71 to 724 ; middling, 64 to 60; cows, 5 i to 6d; best
wedders, 8d to aid; ewes, 6id to 6i.1; lambs 8d to 9!d; calves 6d to 7d.

CORK BuTrER •MARKET.-JULY S.
The supply at to-day's market consisted of 250 i kegs and firkins;
which sold freely at the follcwtng prices:—Firsts, 1003; Seconds,
953 ; Thirds, 91s ; Fourths,' 82s ; Fifths, 701; and Sixths, 58s per cwt.

GLASGOW .CORN MAURET.-JULY 8.
The market was very thinly a'tended to-db.y, and trade was
s'aggis'. at the prices of thin day week. el Cana lan wheat s ,Id at
31s ex ship. Flour receded is per sack. Harley was quiet,
but
firmly held for former prices. Oats were in general request, and the
turn in the buyers favour. Beam in demand at 3d attv4/10,. peas
rather cheaper.

GLASGOW PIG IRON M ARKET,_JuLT 8.
We had a quiet market to-day at the follording quotations :
ed Nos., buyers 745, se'le's 751 ; i, o. it i-,oye„ 7GI, sellers 77s ;
"O• a. buyers 713 6d. sellers 7?s pi' On.