The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1850-04-23

should be burned who swervedI from tho
national faith or the lcgalized mode of wor-
snip. What is the argument to sustain idol
worship or the impositons Of Mahomct? And
yet all the learned men of Greece, more re-
nowned for its Philosophers than any or all
the other nations Of antiquity, "were wholly
given to idolatry" These illustrations are
int reduced to show, when community are
wrong, and wickedly or foolishly wrong, that
it is of.en difficult TO bring wise men and
good men to believe that their habits of reas-
oning, which they imbibcd from their pa
rents and their teachers, and which have
had the sanction Of ages, can be wrong.
These reflections may aid in accounting for
the comparatively slow progress of the Tenn
pcrance Reformation, ard why it is that so
many valuable men, even when they see
and deplore the evil, so hesitate to take the
only course that can remedy it. The evil
however, has been so great and the wretch
ednes' so manifest. that notwithstanding all
legislative regulations and they have abound
ed, many who have cast their thoughts about
them have become alarmed. But after
struggle OF twenty years, most persons, who
arc not influenced by fictitious appetite
or the hope of gain by the sale Of alcoholic
liquors. are taking the ground, and all hu-
name and foresoeing Legislators should unite
with them their energies to stay the desolat-
ing tide, which is sweeping over our land
While intemperance is the parent Of all
crimes, it brings on the community more
wretchedness than all the crimes prohibited
in the statute book. The ruin that intem.
perance brings on vast multitudes the ago
ny and onen wretchcdness it entails on
friends; the burden it imposes on the tax.
paying community are such, that in general
VIC have now only to gain and hold the at
ten,ion of the better class. If they have no
interest nor appetite to countcract, nor sin
lister ends 10 accomplish, we may expect that
in order to rescue our country from the do
minion of vicious appetite, they will coop
crate in all reasonable measures, till our land
can boast more noble freedom than that
which our fathers gave us, at the expense
Of so much suffering and so many battles,
Hence the attention Of the public is called
to the Report named at the head of this art-
Gle. 1t is one Of the most valuable documents
which have ever been published, since any
part Of the community have had the moral
courage to grapplc with this demon, and in
scribe on their flsg-UNcEAsING EFFORT,
TILL THE VICTORY is WON ASD THE
COUNTRY IS FREE.
Many thousands of the citizens Of New
York, who felt keenly the mischiefs and the
wretchedness, which resulted from the sale
of Intoxicating liquors. petitioned their Leg
islature for a law to prohibit the sale of such
liquors for beverage. The House OF Repre-
sentatives, or as they arc there called the AS
sembly early in their present session viz, Jan.
4, adopted resolution directing the wardcns
and keepers OF the several city and county
prisons to report without delay the number
of persons committed in 1S49, charged with
the offence Of intemperancc, and how many
other person. committed in 1S49 were of in
temperate habits, or were under the inhu-
ence of intoxicating liquor, when they COM
mitted the offences, for which they were i'm
prisoned. The chief OF the Police and Po-
lice Justices in the several cities were d.
rectsd to report how many have been ar
rested for intoxication or convicted for Of
fences committed under the influence of in.
toxicating drink. Keepers OF Aims Houses
and other institutions for the poor were di.
rected to report what number they had re-
ceiyed of Incorporate habits or were the
wives or children Of Incorporate persons.
[p. 93.
After obtaining vast mass of information
respecting the effects Of intoxicating liquors,
the commit ee say -
Had the petitioners in their memorial,
offered in the Senate, stated the number of
Incorporate persons in this State a! one
hundred thousand instead Of fifty thousand,
we believe they would not even then have
expressed the whole of the awful truth"
The State OF New York had, in 1910, a
population Of 2,42s, 1921 and Vermont 29l,>
94s. This would give Vermont, if reduced
to the same level as New York, 1903 in.
temperate persons. But though doubtless
their population has increased fas'er than
ours, and though the temperance cause may
have found them more debased or NAV have
been less successful there than here, vet af-
ter excepting their seven cities, we are not
probably in advance of them. And we GER
talLly owe much 10 them, that we nave at
tanned our present position. 1t appears then,
that with all the restrictions our legislature
have yet consented TO impose to check the
sale of intoxicating drinks, the venders of
Vermont have succeeded in extending their
sales, till they have made about 10000 in
temperate customers, in addition to the lar
ger numbers Of candidates for intemper-
ance, whom they have under training, and
are ready TO fill up the ranks Of the intem-
perste as they drop into drankard's grave
II alcoholic drinks have made about TO-
900 Incorporate persons in Vermont If our
government, as the Constitution snys, is "in-
stituied for the common benefit, protection
and security of the people" and "'not for
the particular emolument or advantage OF
any single man, family, or SET Of men +" and
il, as the same instrument asserts, "a firm