The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1852-03-26
THE TETOTAL WAR.

The war Oh. brandy, wine, whiskey and gin,
and the vast family of juleps, stone fences, z in
sings. punches and cobblers, ofwhich they are
the parents, is growing hot and wide at the
North. Nuch excitement is occasoned, and
the opposing parties exhibit great deal of
earuestness in the prosecution of their views.
Doe thing is very consoing, however, that nl-
though this war involves a vast amount OF
words, and is conducted with great spirit, there
will he no blood shed. Nobody will become
q martyr-lo heads will be taken off-and
nobody will be garoted. If the party opposed
to the Tetoialers is victorious, they will take
none Of their adversaries prisoners for execu-
ton or persecution. and will only, in their vcto
nv, preserve their right to drink when and where
they please, or not drink at all, if that be
their pleasure. If the Tetotalers carry the
day, why they will only force every body to be
sober whether they will or no; i. e., If they can
enforce their laws.
Upon his subject, as we before said. the
Dispatch is conservative. 1t could wish there
was no such thing as drinking on the face of
the earth indeed, that there was no liquor dis.
uftcu Wy tiht WOulu liIiu-tUtf
would impair his faculties-maddenj his brain,
and make him any thing but the being his ma
ture designed and fitted him 10 be. But as
there are such liquid distilments which it is
the habit OF mani all through the world to drink,
we are moi among those who suppose they are
to cease 50 long the art of distiling them is
known, or that men will discontinue the use of
item as long as they are distilled. In his pre-
sent state, cannot wholly discard ahis
vices. The most that refcrmers can do is to
moderate his excuses, and temper his indul-
gences with prudence, by the influence of edu-
cation and religion. The enactment of severe
laws against vices do not accomplish these OBJ
jects. The laws themselves become dead let
t,rs, because they attempt to eradicate what,
at best, can only be modified.
Moral lneans-the force of precept and ex-
ample and some discreet police measures
are all that would be prudent. Sometimes we
wish that something could be done TO retrieve
poor men from the vice altogether. Poverty is
not misery lnti the devil, in the shape of AL
coho, enters the humble dwelling. The poor
MIN eats his plain dinner with an appetite
whetted by labor, which gives him an enjoy
ment unknown 10 the rich. He is happy
with enough and his family around him but,
when be takes to drink, then, 10 poverty is add
ed wretahedness, and unrelieved gloom enyel-
Opes bis present aud his future. If it were so
that Intoxicating drinks were beyond the
reach OF the poor man, and were only luxuries
for the rich, how long would it be before the
two classes would change places-tbe poor
become rich and the rich poor? There would
be facility in this social revolution never be-
fore known
But mum can do nothing by magic. His
means mus, be rational and progressive. In
temperance in the advocacy of temperance is
one ofths most unwise aud foolish of all sorts
Ofexcesses Yet the very exravagant inca
sures proposed, show that the vast amount of
crime and misery caused by drunkenness, is
exciting the public inquiry as TO The best means
Of diminishing the evil. IL things take their
natural coarse, aided BY prudence and we'll
tempered zeal among the temperate, we may
expect, in q short time, very great change
for III. befter