Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1840-07-21
TO tie Honorable, the Council and Hons"
Of Representatives. Of the Territory OF

TO tie Honorable, the Council and House
Of Representatives. Of The Territory OF
Wisconsin:
The undersigned, citizens o."
county, would respectfully represent, that
it is now about twelve years since the pub
lie mind was particularly turned to the doc
trine and practice of voluntary abstinence
from the use of intoxicating liquors as
age-in which time, in all the depart
ments Of labor and business, under all the
vicissi,udes Of climate and weather, IN the
Army and in the Navy, it has been amply
demonstrated by hundreds of thousands In
our own country, and by multludes in Eu-
rope, and other portions of the world, that
Intoxicating liquors form no necessary or
beneficial part Of MANS 5ecerGge; but, on
the contrary, it has been as clearly demon
strated "by facts and arguments spread
out before the people," that its use is iEjst-
yioua to mans mental and physical pooers;
causing the premature death Of thousands,
and an immense amount of litigation, pau
perism, crime and taration; and an untold
amount of DOMESTIC MISERY! Al
though it is very generally admitted that
these temperance demonstrations have been
productive OF much good-many drunk
ards having been reclaimed, and the evil
.ide Of intemperance greatly stayed--yet
we feel assured that while the laws of the
land sanction and sustain the traffic in al
C0hollc drinks, the temperance retorma-
zion cannot be brought TO that happy and
speedy termination which humanity and
the best interests of all require.
In free and elective government it is
not 10 be expected "that the people will be-
come better than their laws" Should it
he otherwise supposed, II would of necessi
~ involve the retormers in an attack upon
the erroneous statutes and the authorities
that sustained them, and is their cause pos
sessed sufficient validity, they would event.
uaIiy succeed in bringing them both into
Jjsrcplte-which course, as good citizens,
your memuraIilies would deprecate, unless
compelled thereto, as a dernier resort, af-
ter petition and remonstrance should fail.
1t will be admitted that the laws for the
government of u state should be Of such a
character as that the people should feel I'M
ser moral obligation to respect and obey
them. Can this be said of the License
Lac! For more than century past it is
been aware of the evils resulting from an
excessive use of sprituous liquors, hence
they have humanely endeavorcd TO mit-
gate those evils by restricting their sale,
under certain penalties to a licensed few,
and those few, to be persons of I" good mo-
raj Characters" thus supposng they would
at least, make it difficult for the drunkard
to obtain his destructive element.
But all the restrictions and penalties, to-
gether with the "good moral character" of
the vender, have proved abortive. The
license laws now impose no practical re-
sttont upon any person ordinarily ATTAIN
ing the means Of intoXicotion, because the
licensed few are able TO supplythe demand.
Therefore, instead Of permitting; as was
the design, they in effect, do Iegaize the
business of DRUNKARD MAKING And not
withstanding all the light that has been
thrown upon the immortality of this traffic,
there are now thousands of men who gra-
duate their morals by their laws-who are
deaf 10 all the appeals Of humanity, and
VIII IN no wise account themselves their
brothers keeper; but for paltry sum, will
take advantage of their neighbours appetite
which they themselves have been instru-
mental in preventing, and will sell to the
destruction of the miserable mans proper
~, family and life!-we, therefore, ask
your honorable body to repeal the laws re-
gulating the sale, as a beverage, of all in
toXicating liquors. Then will our princi-
pal obstacle be removed; that now greatly
retards the progress Of temperance reform
upon the voluntary principle.
But the repeal of the license laws above
is not all that is required at the hands of
the law making authorities. Your memo
rialists have not those exalted views Of the
intelligence, rectitude and virtue of man.
kind, as to suppose the good mass Of those
now engaged ip the "time honored" traf-
fic and use of intoxicating liquors, can be
induced by moral sudSion alone 10 give I'D
their inveterate practices: Consequently
without the strong arm of the law being
interposed, the evils will be perpetuated
from the father to the son TO the latest ge-
nerations.
Should the converse Of this position be
argued, we would reply that the same ar