Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1851-04-24

@ We are frequently asked by ou,
friends, why we do NOT say something or
the Temperance provisI on to be submi,led ,c
the People as part OF lbe New Copstilu,ion
We can very easi y answer this question:
|" The reason has beer simply because we
differ in our views of the Temperance ques.
lion from The large body Of Temperance
men, and we have long fell Iha, a man is moi
considereda friend ef the cause, who does
not come up 10 the popular standard of opin.
ion on the subject. Not wishing to incur the
censures Of the u4hinking, or of those inca.
Pable of thinking nationally on any subject,
we have remained quiet, content with such
good results as may accrue from the efforts
IN the cause, rat her than sedk TO direct those
efforts in chahnel consonant TO our con.
vlc'ions Of wha is exPedien. or polite.
Our opinion in relation to all reiorma,o.
ry efforts is, that whatever steps you can in.
duee society p take by appealing to its sense
oil moral obligation is for the belter-has
Permanence and sh eng,h, and whatever
steps you JORGE them 10 take by the power
ot law, in tie absence Of moral conviction,
is injurious, will react and in the end cause
a retrogradc movement in the masses.
The provision referred 10 in the New Con.
stituIion reads as follows:
"No license TO traffic in intoxicating lio.
lors shall Hereafter be granted in this State,
but the General Assembly may by law pro-
vide against evils arising lhereirom."
Now should the New Constitution be adop.
led with ths provision as one of lis sections, |
here would be an end TO restrictions on The
rafhc in intoxicating drinks. Every man
n the State would then be at liberty to set up
doggery on his own premises, and the
lands Of the Legislature are ,ied-al II can
10 is to enact law making him liable in
amages, for any evil which may resul, from
rs sales 10 individuals Such provisions
ray DO severe, they may be all that the
fiends Of shis measure can ask; We, the
isiances Of their enforcement will not be
the proportion OF one TO thousand com.
ared with the cases that may come under
le law. il -.tts. . L.t t...l't
We cannot but look upon the experiment,
one OF fearful peril 10 the welfare of so.
ETY.. We are ready at any time, 10 Sec Z
nd the adoption Of law, as an expert. I
en,, that will not make matters worse than i
ey now are, but we cannot give our assent
aProposiiion in our organic law, which
rows open the traffic TO every unprincipled
an In the State. and then saying thar he
all never be prohibited in it. The provis-
n for "providing against evils, is too CHI I
erical. Our criminal laws now, are too
fficul, to be enforced, to warran. such a
p. One year of this indiscriminaie traffic l.
II do more in besot,ing the moral percep- ii
ms Of the people than ten Of The bes, d.
tied efforts for reform,
These are our opinions--we know they
Fer from those of the great body of tenn.
rance men, yet they are honestly enter.
ned, and as ingenuously stated. Under
'se convictions we shall vote against the
've clause al the election in June, believ.
that we'll regulated system of license %
rs is better for the present age than free
de in alcoholic liquors. ne
So far as the recent law passed by the leg. ca
iiurr is concerned, we are willing 10 see Gu
eaecls fairly tested. The friends Of pt