The banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1844-1847, 1846-09-02

when we are told tha, the "policy and ar
gumcnt Of AMo THEos arc to divest d.
l.. of some of the highes: duties and
dearest privileges Of citizenship" What
does it mean when we see asserted the
right OF temperance men and town coun-
Gil men, to indie, sas citizens" when
we never impugnrd that right, but sim
ply urged the bad policy Of them indie
ting as h"'l"rs Of the temperance reform
aM1 rs a menn tor the tuhheramcc o.
temperance primcipicS Has D. l.. fairly
met the issue rendered, and argued the
propriety or cxpediency of Legislation?
Has nc not rather played the "wily Jc-
suit" in harping upon words, and caut-
ousIy insinua,ing (by infcrcncc) that the
end sanctilicd the means, instead Of
coming up boldly to the mark, and lea
ding out his 5uct! We take it as an
evidence Of weakness in his cause,
when he makes these shifts in search OF
argument. But probably it is policy
not to lead out on lcgislat on, since the
people might become excited, and play
Mgh, io,r umd the game.
But by far the highest grounds taken
in the reply, is to deny that moral sua-
sion was instrumental in the reforma.
ton. Affirming that {: it was not the
work Of lUTIIEE, Of moral suasion &c.
but of the spirit" Now it strikes us,
since this position is taken, that it might
be better to submit the temperance cause,
to the esprit" If the reformation was
the spirit, LUTHER was certainly the
agent, and moral suasion the agency.
If the progress of the church be the
work of the spirit, the apostles or mini
stcrs Of Christ were its chosen agents,
and moral suasion its agency, or tho in
strumcn,alty through which it was ef-
icctcd. Consequently the examples gi-
ven to sustain the power and efficacy of
pcrsuading. preaching, and convincing,
! arc not at all weakened, but rather
strengthened, from appearing as the
chief means by which God extends the
work Of his salvation! Will tempe
rance men reject the weapon of God, as
too weak to fight their battles! We feel
fully secure in saying rs we said before,
that "LUrnER inculcated doctrines,
which laid the foundation for the worlds
reformation, unaidcd by any other pow
CT than that Of "mofaL SuaSi0n." We
say it is the great instrument by which
| the world has been enlightened, rcvolu-
tionizcd, and reformed; and all the
quirks and Vaccinations of those who
sIclien at the term, ,and are disposed to scoff
its power, can never smother the fact
crushed to earth it will rise and impress
itself irrcsistably and visibly upon the
public mind.
We had intended when we wrote be-
fore, to have noticed another branch Of
this subject, viz: Is the present policy
Of refusing license, a good onc2 Is the
quantity of spirits consumed, diminished,
and temperance thereby advanced Is
there not as much drinking in Abbevilc
District now, as was under the license
system-does the policy of refusing it not
| throw retailing into the hands of ire
sponsible men, who sell regardless of
law and who, when indicted, are una
BILE TO pay fine, but must be imprisoned
only to run the State to expense
and be turned loose again to pursue
their work of corruption Docs it not
encourage these same characters TO sell
in neiehborhoods, at their private houses,
where they sell to negroes, and associ
ate with them as fit compccrs-and are
these not equally the "sinks Of lniguity,
which corrupt the purity of elections,
the slave population" Sc. as licensed
grogshops2 Is not the State, then, de-
prived of that source Of its rpypnur to hnt
little purpose? We throw out these re-
hrctions for the consideration Of tn .
public without urging them as an argu:.
ment-
We pass by the "gr0nM conspicuous
distinctions" between "public and pri-
vate morals"-S temperance and social
order"-the dissertation on the relative
duties Of " husband and wife"-the Al.
ken and Grecnvillc resolutions-andth the
m tho cE ~,