The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-04-03

TEE LIQUOR LAw-PRorABILIrY OF IFS ADoP-
rIoN-WHAr THEN From indications in the pro- {
ceedings of the New York Legislature, IL is
likely that some kind Of liquor law win be ,o...
in this State. The whig members seem .,.rr,;n.a |
to pass it, whatever may be the conse .oenca. AVA,
though it should lose them the ST. a. ~, c.n I,
the Assembly, the liquor law oas been ordered TO
its third reading, by vote II 81 to RS OF tbe5I
ayes, Al were wings, and o.oly 10 democrats There
were 40 absentees II Is vote is indicative of the
passage of the bill "a the House. Out of the 40 abb
sentees only IA are necessary to make majority Of
the whole house in favor Of the bill and there is
little doubt that than that number of the alb
sentees csn easily be procured to vote for it, while
there is just little doubt that the 81 who have
already votsd will stand firm when the final vote is
taken Greeley is hard at work at Albany, supply
ing the members with ammunition, and is endear
voring to make up in that city, and through tho
State, for the blow he has sustained in having his
paper kicked out by the whole of the business COM
munity of New York. Strange enough, the Anti
Maine Liquor Lew Central Association of this city
seems perfectly inert, as if they had got stroke of
paralysis, though they made such noise in the be-
ginning. Perhaps they think it the best plan for
the liquor interest, to let the bill pass. If they
|
Joseph Surfaces try their hand at this blue law,
and mark the result. So far from stopping tho
grog shops, it will increase them twofold; and in
stead Of l00 600 in New York, shall have TO- 600.
There are things that laws cannot prevent,
though they may regulate; and spiritueus and malt
liquors are among such necessary evils.''
in Connecticut, also, the ant-lquor men will pro-
baby carry the election; and the coercion law will
ha assed in hats fafa in Moi
is great important interest affected by it, SO as
10 form an eaectual opposition to the fanatics In
Pennsylvania, Massachusetts,, and other States,
where there is extensyeinterost at stake, the
Maine law, some similar enactment, may possibly
be adopted because, after ALL the liquors. but iso
lated interest," with, of course various ramications;
and the other manufacturing interests will take no
part in the struggle, not being themselves involved
in the ISSUE either one way the other, except SO
far as their individual tastes may be concerned.
People who are moderate drinkers, and have no
direct pecuniary interest in the liquor business, will
not go'riuch out of their way to oppose the bill,
because they do not like to be placed in the position
Of being on the same side with drunkards and rum
holes, and to be called hard names by the organs of
the fsnatcs and they calculate that even if the bill
should be passed. it cannot be carried OUT and they
viii get as much drink they want, somehow or
other 1t probable therefore, that in several States
the Maine law will be carried later because
the liquor interest, being only Of limited extent and
not joined by the other interests, will fall by its own
weakness before the repeated assaults of naticism
the most persevering and pertnacous Of all the
isms under the sun.
But will this make men temperate? Al well
might laws be passed to make men and women
angels The fate of all such laws will be like that
of the gambling &C. now in operation in this State
which, instead Of breaking up gambling hclls, has
greatly increased them, that the vice is more ram
pant than ever. What is the cause! 1t is very
obvious-there are too many who indulge in gam
bling-men Of all ages, conditions and degrees, not
excepting "grave and reverend seniors on the
bench, who administer the laws-to permit a pro-
. hibitory enactment to be carried into execution
1t is completely dead letter, though not yet more
than a year old. The Maine law, should it be
adopted by the Legislature, ill be dead letter in
its cradle, in this State, and above oil in this city
!, for the very same reason. There are too many
who drink, from the Governor of the State down to
the policeman, and from the sage Senators and As
!, semblymen, who a short time since, became glor
: ously drunk on Blackwell's Island, to the lowest
rowdy politician who reels out of three cent grog
gerry, ever to give such law the slightest chance
of living 1t will be strangled in the very moment
Of its birth. The judges, the jurors, and the
! lawyers, all drink, and must have their LIQUOR in
despite of any law to the contrary, notwithstanding
This is free country, and whole code of laws can
not prevent free indulgence in the use of ardent
drinks. In fact the laws passed against it. and
the more stringent they are made, the greater will
/ be the amount OF liquor consumed, the more drink
i ing dens will spring up, and the more extensively
will drunkenness prevail 1t is in the very nature
OF human passion to seek with greater avidty that
) which is prohibited for its qualification which
, will be especially the case with this measure
! as It is partial in its operation, and gives monopoly
OF drinking to the wealthy, who afford to pur-
chase sprituous liquors wholesale; and in ad-
dion to this incentive there will be sort Of feel
ing that resistance to the Maine law is resistance to
tyranny, and the most conclusive evidence Of pari-
otism and devotion to freedom Such will be the re-
suit OF the mischevous meddiing of fools and fana-
tics, knaves and philosophers, black spirits, white
spirits, and gray
The VIRGINIA DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION, AND
YOUNG AMERIcA.-Two very significant resolutions
were adopted by the late State convention Of the
democrats Of Virginia. In the one, they declare in
favor Of continuing in force the two-thrds rule at
the Baltimore National Convention, which, we
doubt not, win be done. In the other they protest
against squandering the proceeds Of the public
lands, directly indirectly for purposes of internal
improvement Now, the two-thirds rule will ope-
rate to secure candidate acceptable to the South,
as in the case Of Polk, in 1874, against Van Buren,,
when the rule was first adopted, as the only way
OF defeating the Little Magician But the reso-
luton against approprating the public lands to in
ternal Improvements is fatal to Young America"
as far as the vote of Virginia is concerned. We
presume that all the Atlantic States especially of
the South, will side with Virginia this question,
against any candidate who will squander away the
public domain--the property ofa the States--aInong
the railroad stock jobbers of the West. This looks
bad for Young Amerca"-bad even for Cass-
and is almost tantamount to n positive declaration
IN favor OF buchanan, by Virginia and the Atlantic
States Stick pin there.
SEWARD VERSUS FILLMORE-QUARRELs AMONG