Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1840-01-01
Communications.
Ar. Editor:

has reported u.Iav0urably. and has sci
furIh The rea.ons for such aRcpnri nt SOM,
length. 7 he Ct that This report comes
ftm The Legislature, wells it in sort oI
mystery 10 the cnuIlnnn eve. and gives il
tirlilinus importance with rIlnse ho are
ignorant of the details of business, and
the tricker> of Legislatnn. .Surh persons
seem 10 he iguorauI "f The facl, thai lhi>
Report is. after all. hui the produrIinn OF
n single individual a man, perhaps, for
whose opinionsus un indiuiduai. they have
no respect. aud To whose authority they
al ali events. acknowledge M Difference
Siripped then of lis imaginary importance,
Juill exan7ine Ibis Report, touching ito in
rrinsic merits. Respect for the source
whence il comes. hui still more respect
inr mvself. forbid my charnc:erizins this
Report in the terms which il merits.
shall therefore endeavor 30 give III respect
full and candid examination.
The Report declares "lhat any prnhibi-
tory legislation upnn this suhjecl (reIaliug)
al This time. is not advisable" The reas-
on assigned for this opinion is, that such
legislation would produce angry feeling.
auI party strife, which, in The opinion nf
Ihe Chairman, would he greater evil
than all the drunkenness. crime and mas.
cry !groping out Of the retail system. And
this opinion is based u,nn the fact, that
the Parliament of Great BriIain passed
m ac! in thr wear 1876. PROHIBITING THE
INTRODUCTION OF LIQUon INTO THE
COUNTRY and this ac, could moi be en-
forced. 0ne hundred gears ago, in Grea.
Britain. Is this all that our opponents
ran bring. from their iahnriuus research
among the laws of naions and The re-
cords Of antiquity, to answer Our memo
rial,! Then, truly. may the friends of re.
form rejoice. Our efforts, then, have The
sanction of antiquity other ages, and 9th
er people, have Jeff record, on The page
Of history, Of their wisdom aud their vir-
tue. which trust " III nnt br lost upon
their descendants in another lard.
But what dnes the re'y learned argu-
mrnr. from the English statute book.
amount 10! More thnn century ago. the
people Of Great Britain were So intem-
peratp, that The great moral reform, which
was then attempted by the few virlunus
and wise. did nor succeed! INcrefo the
effort to reform. in the opinion of the
Chairman. must nerer again br made
H. IS than Il century since, Missionaries
were scur 10 preach the gospel 10 the
he :th II, some we're received will in
difference Others were pu, to death; there
fnre, (sccording 10 the logic Of the Chair.
n,an,) you should Ie !aneer preach the
gospel to any one. That nlv illustration
of The i'ltaipnan's argument il uOt forced
or unfair, will refer to all anecdnte told
by that great man, John Foster. in his
work nm up 'pular Ignorance" About
the year 1880. just al The tilne this law
was passed, u Minister Of The Gospel, in
one of the parish churci's IN England.
curailcd the morning service of The church
go muri,, as IL excite The curiosity Of his
congregation, apnn which h. explained
the circumstances thu: 4" Brethren, as
nrishheur Sailh's BUD EaiIins comes nn
his afternoon, | shortened The service
as ,,urh as pu,sibIe. that The cougrpgaIion
might have good Time for the spnrt."-
This circumstance actually occurred in
ERrtHna. NOT more ihal one hundred
years ago! This was the stale nf morals.
aud these the people who refused TO IL
handnn lll"ir dram shops, and their bull
haiIirgs "n the Sihhah. " IraI mus, have
heen the morals of that l.pnple s. hose MiS-
lsTER WAS A BuLL-BAlrER! Aud ,hrS,.
aee the people who are held up, by the
Chaii man, as our prototype. These are
the people with whoa we are compared.
aud whose example the Chairman s,ippns.
"S we will foIInv. The m.inullion is
an insult 10 the prnpie Of South Carolina.
Dues the author of this Report, regard
the people uf this State. as IA SET OF Bear.
baitiug--SabbaIh breaking heatl,"ns!-
a seIni-barbarnms people ou another con-
tinrnt. century ago, refused to submit
t" The restraints OF law; and it is taken
fur grained by The author Of the Report.
that The people of out Car n WON
he regards, >uppr e, cq al ly aarha-
ru>, will rvince The nhe resi>, -" Ia ihP
laws. is This an argument worth, Of the
high place whence il CONES! is his The
answer the prople had fighI 10 expect,
lHhn 'ne " UHlTlildn bl II Lepl~idilVp S,Ofn-
mir,ce! We asked for bread, and b. has
given Us Il sionp." Is it the spiri, nf a
Man 10 conceive such nm argument! Was
il ii spirit like tnS. thai arruaterl the great
RrnrnsrS of the world. and that has a.
rIlirvrd all that is great anl glnriuus in
lime! In the 10th century, the sublime
truths of the reformation hurst upon the
vision nf Marlin Luther. Did he cuw-
er and quail before the Pope, because
John Hmss and Jerome nf Prague. huf The
century heiore, had mrished at The stake,
for proclaimina the like truths? No.
With heart that lourd truth better than
life. with ii soul that hrfied The malice
oil powers and municipalities. hr burned
The canons. and hurled defiance in the
teeth of The Pope. With The craren spirit
Of the present dug, uartin Luther could
haus died a monk. and the worli might