The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1847-06-11
Apology far Drunkenness.

Apology far Drunkenness.
It appears from the public papers
that the Synod of Pittsburgh have
prohibited the use of ardent spirits,
and have thereby condemned drunk
ards to suffer everlasting thirst ;
for, if they cannot obtain ardent spir-
its in this world, it is rot probable
that they will obtain any in the world
to come, however great their thirst
may be. But, with submission TO the
Synod, we would venture to alledge
that, before they pronounced SEN
tence calculated to place drunkards
in pnrgatory before their time, they
ought to have given them fair trial.
| For whatever the merits or dement's
of those men may be, they are enti-
tied By the constitution and the law
to trial by competent judges, and a
! jury of their peers; and drunk
ard has no peers in, above, or I'M
der the earth, except drunkards :
therefore he cannot be condemned
on constitutional and legal princi-
| pies, but by the verdict of a jury COM
posed OF twelve drunkardS, they on
ly being his peers. Yet, in the case
in question, drunkards have been
condemned without trial by jury of
their peers, and by judges incompe-
tent to the task, being destitute of
that experimental knowledge of the
subject which would have led them
when decl1ing on drunkenness TO
make a liberal allowance for the
thirst fthe drunkara-an important
point in the case and that a gtner-
Gus allowance ought to be made for
the thirst of the drunkard will ap-
pear evident when the influence and
operations Of that thirst are taken
into view. Now il is well known
that these are men who have drunk
their horses, cows y, sheep, hogs, hon:
and still they are dry--extremely
dry and ie they could have distilled
their wives and Children as easy as
they can mash them, they would
have drunk them toe. Surely the
thirst cf such men is entitled 70 seri-
pus attention. On these principles
we move an arrest of judgment (;
nd, with the most profound humili-
| ~, submit to the consideration Of the
venerable Synod, the following state
nent Of the advantages of drunken
ness, supported by facts within the
knowledge orthe court
|. Drunkenness has a legal and
patriotic tendency; Because drunk
ards pay their debts according TO
law, and furnish abundant employ
mrnt for lawyers and sherif!s, JUS
tees and constables and they sup
port the government generously. by
paying more excise than any other
class Of citizens.
2 Drunkenness promotes liberty
and equality: Because it disposcs
the subject Of it to spurn all re,
s,raint human and divine and il
brings down the proudest gentleman
to a perfect level with the greatest
ruilian, and their company equally
agreeable and entertaining, as they
are equally disposed TO pour out a
deluge ornonscnse, billingsgate, and
blasphemy.
3. Drunkenness promotes Legal
science: Because drunkards obtain
an interesting knowledge of crimi-
nal jurisprudence, and number d
of them study the penal statutes il
those legal seminaries, commonly
called iais and penitentiaries.
4. Drunkenness promotes domes-
tic government: For if you follow {
druukard home, you will generally
find him raging and foaming, bias
pheming and abusing his innocent
, Industrious, and miserable wife ant
children, who stand before him will
fear and trembling, horror and an.
guish, as silent as the grave and "a
. submissive as the slave chained e
the oar.
5. Drunkenness is subscryient {,
orthodoxy and virtue Because
drunkards demonstrate the doctrine
of human deprayity aud degradation
r by arguments tha most convincing
/ and unanswerable and they diSpla,
, vice in an attitude and dress The
, most odious and disgusting.
) 6. Drunkenness promotes relig
, ion in general, and humility in par
. ticular: Because some men have M
: religion until they obtain stiff grog
t and their religion increases in pro
| portion to the quantity of spirit
, which they may imbibe, until a
: length they become 50 religious ent
: humble as to wallow in the mu,
= with the hogs, for tho cdifcation o
t the spectators.
, 7. Drunkenness sircumscrihes In,
+ agency Of the prince Of darkness