Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1839-04-11

tention, we claim from them candid
and honest consideration Of the conse-
quence which must inevitably follow u
they persist in the course which they
have adopted. We speak only to the
Wings, the few Of the other party who
are engaged in this movement are OF
course acting for the good Of their side !;
they are perfectly consistent, they are
strengthening their own party and weak
ening ours, and the more local questions
they can mix up with the great princ'-
pies Oh which tho contest ought 10 he
conducted the better for them and Tor
their cause. We speak TO the Wings.
What tbon is the object of this Prox ?
how is this object TO be accomplished {?
and what will be the effect Of the noni-
nation The object, we understand, Is
10 effect change in the present license
law, which refers the whole SUBJ jeci to
the people the regulation of The sale
Of ardent spirits has always been con
sidered subject Of purely municipal
egsation, and has always been placed
under the management Of magistrates
elected directly by the people, and con-
trolled, in this matter, only by tho gene
raj law of the State. This cannot well
be altered the old law vested the whole
subject in the people, by vestng il in
the town councils; under the old law the
people Of each town could decide for
themselves whether they would have
licenses granted or not, by electng town
councils who would grant them or refuse
them. Different towns might decide
differently and dit decide differently
upon this subject, and all the evils Of
inequality which are complained Of un-
der the present law, existed to the same
extent under the old law. So far as
HJeraiiiy is concerned, the advantage is
on the side Of the present law for un-
der il licenses have been gvanted in
every case, with a single exception, in
which the question has been tried !;
whereas, under the old law, several
towns refused to grant licences, which
under the present law have voted to
grant them. TO change the law only
changes the form in which the matter is
submitted to the people instead Of vot-
ing directly upon it, they vote indirectly
by the election Of town councils and
Aldermen, with view to that question
How then do the two systems differ =
Why, simply in this, that uader the old
law the license question was mingled
with politics, and under the present law
it is kept entirely distinct, and comes up
on its own separate merits. Is not this
change desirable Is it not better that
question of purely municipal regulation
should be kept clear from the exciting
topics of political strife
i Bot how is this object to be accom-
plished 1t cannot be supposed that
the ticket headed by Tristan Burgess
can bc elected the most that can be
done will be to defeat tho election, and
by holding the balance Of power, dictate
terms OF compromise with one of tho
other parties. Is not this precisely what
the Loco Focos want ? IL they had
themselves the managemen Of the whole
affair, could they have conducted it more
completely to their own advantage, and
are any portion Of the Wings of this
State ready to adopt the political meas
ures of the Loco Focos
What then will be the consequences
Of this movement If it effects any
thing, it will effect the overthrow Of the
Wing party in Rhode Island if it sue
cecds at all, its success must be cotempo-
raneous with the disaster of The Wings.
If the election is defeated, the Wings
dispIhed and broken down by the at
tucks of their old friends, and The State
finally carried for the Loco Focos, what
will be the effect upon the August cleo
iion With all tho patronage Of the
State, with all the advantages Of recent
success, and with an organization so in.
calcnlably superior to that of the Wings,
our opponents will very probably, in that
event, elect their candidates to Congress
and the State Of Rhode Island, with a
Wing majority Of one thousand strong,
will sink back again into :he arms of
Loco Focoism Are the Wing portion
of the Liberal Prox prepared for this ?
Are they willing to lose the State ad-
ministration, to change the political char
acter of our Representatives to Congres SIS
and to leopard the Wing majority in the
National House Of Representatives, and
all upon the question of regulating liccn
ces for the sale of ardent spirits : We
answer for them; they are not we
know the men too well, we have proved
them too often. And now we ask them
candidly 10 consider if all this may not
follow from the course which they are
taking =? We ask of them if they are
willing to sacrifice Wing principlcs and
the supremacy of The Wing cause in this
State, and not only in this State, but
to hazard it in the Union, for no one can
say that the vote of Rhode Island may
not be necessary to secure a majority in
The lower branch Of the next Congress,
are they willing to sacrifice ali this to n
local and temporary question 4! Is il not
assuming great responsibility :
We make these remarks To our Whig
friends who are advocating this move
ment we do not fear that our motives
will be misunderstood, however much
they may differ from us VIC have the
highest respect for them, md we know
that none would more sincerely than
themselves lament the state of things