New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-02-28
Mas. Meeting Of Oppsnenn Of the Maine Law.

the Erst pubic appeal IN this City against the Ten
perance movement, We were early in attendance at
Metropolitan Hall, where We found, at quarter o.
an hour after the time Of meeting. an assembly o
about eight hundred persons, Of whom third were
BOYS of tender age, and at least two hundred
well known and active workers in the Temperance
ranks. There were, altogether, about dozen fs.
males in the house. As time elapsed the audi
euce srew larger, until it might have numbered at
the hishes, mark about $500 which may be CLASH
fed as follows: Women, IS; Boys under is, 500
thorough Temperance men, 500; disinterested spec
tators, 500 actual opponents Of the Maine Law,
nearly LOCO OF the latter the majority were German
and Irish porter house keepers. It will be recol-
lected that there were no tickets, the Hall being
omen to all who Oh ,se to look in. The audience was
very orderly while waiting the organization OF the
meeting, confning themselves to whissllns, beating
time with their feet occasionally calling for speak
ers, &c. A large nuaber Of pamphlets entitled "A
Rational Appeal &c, were distributed.
At S O'Clock the me citing was called to order, and
ROBERT II. MORRIS was chosen President. He was
received with loud cheers The following persons
were then chosen Vice Presidents; John Anderson,
Edmund Griffin, Robert b. Coleman, Oscar w.
Sturteyart Jane. s Libby, Richard French. A. +.
Vache w r. Lawrence, Chas. s. Francis, Robt. L.
Haws, Solomon Kipp, Andrew Hood, Elijah + Purdy,
w. S. Corwin, Nathan e. Ely, w H. cornell, Geo
W. jenkins, Augustus Emoury, Jno W. CuloerS,
Bradish johnson. And for Secretaries: John j. Her
rick John McMichael, Samuel Breyoors Jr., stephen
Van Nostrand.
Mr.. MORRIS then said that be had been requested
to state the object OF the meeting which he did as
follows:
FFILow. CITIZENS: am directed to speak to you
the object Of this meeting TO hight IL IS for tue puf-
pose OF expressing our oisapprobaton Of bill now
be ore the Legislature OF this State. which Is similar
In object and its details to law recently passed
in the State of Maine known as the Liquor Law,
and for the purpose Of sho wing TO you some Oh the
erormities OF that INTENDED bil-enormiIies to es-
tAbsh principle that is calculated to destroy indi
yldual incepenct nee ana our nousenold freedom
The FIRST section OF the bill is IN these words:
SECTION NJ rerson shall be allowed at any time to
sell BY himself his clerk servant or agent directly OF IN
directly sell furnish under pretense Of giving any
spriIuous intox eating liquors, or any mixed liquors
pat of whch sptusus or Intoxicating except as mere
Fellow-cItizens, you will find one word in this
section that In my judgment entirely breaks up me
foundation OF social intercourse, and invades tne
sanctty OF the domestic hearth. refer TO the word
furnish II you have friends TO call upon you and
YOU choose to extend toward them the ordinary ana
usual courtesies Of hie-if you furnish to them
glass of wine in your own house and from your own
stores-I will show you by subsequent section OF
this statute that by extending these hospltalres
in your own house you commit VIOLATION
of the law for which you may be imprisoned,
for which you may be fined, and prevented
from performing one Of the most important duties
of an American citizen namely to sit as Juror.
eleventh SeCtlOn
voters III the town city where the complaint shall
De made, shall before any Justice of the Peace, or
Judge of any Municipal or Police Court make COM
plant under oath that they have reason to believe,
and do believe that spurious liquors are kept or
deposited and intended for sale, contrary TO tbs pro-
Visions Of this act by any person not authorized 10
sell the same &c, said Justice or Judge shall issue
his warrant Of search to any Sheriff, City MarsnHl
or Deputy, or to any Constable to be appointed BY
the Judge Of tho Court who shall proceed to search
said pre- misses described in said warrant and II sven
liquors be found therein ne shall seize the same anu
cary them TO a proper place OF security, where no
shall kee them until final action 10 had therein &c
You will see gentlemen, that the law contemplates
that all the officers elected by the people are 10 %
dlstcted in the performance OF the executive part
OF the law, and to the magistrate is given the full
and principal power to deputlze person TO perform
a function, one of the most delicate OF all
TO perform that of search SO you observe
gentlemen that all the three persons nave 70
90 is to make oath that in your dwelling
there is, they believe without giving any reason
for their belief and without furnishing any facts
that your dwelling is stored spirtuous or Rtoxi.
eating Liquors. the Judge shall issue his warrant OF
search Everything that will give intoxicaton, even
If q will drink n hogshead OF 1t, comes under
this clause There is no Judge whether man drinks
as much less but If IL will give intoxcation that
is the liquor which he makes the man search your
house and punish yeu for. "They Will be authorized
TO take il from your dwelling and keep 1t In safe
place until he adjudcates upon the subject" Now,
Gentlemen consider those words In the llth section,
with the words have referred to in the LIST section,
and it is shown that the furnishing of liquor Is the
az the selling Of IT, and # one OF your domestics
crnks too much, or perhaps the liquor working With
the less OF what he mad drank the night before ia
stead Of pleading guilty OF being drunk from the ef
ects OF the last nights debauch he canlay the blame
at the ccOr Of his neishbor, and from under the st
section state that you did what the statute considers
tantamount selling, furnish the liquor upon which
he got drunk and you have been guilty OF violating
the law and perhaps when your guest shuts the
door, you would have an officer coming TO execute
this process OF search and take from you II you did
not Drink 1t up, all that left But that 10 not all
DlshonOr would be cast on you. and you would be
prevented from performing that DUTY the most sa'
cred 10 all Americans-tbe right to cit on jury.
VOICE." That 8 worse than the blue laws OF
Connecticut. daughter
Now, fellow. citizens, the law provides that when
your store has been robbed and you are swept clea
that the man who takes taway, II be knows you 70
give you Eotice TO appear snd defend your liquor ou'
II he does not know you, he gives you no noslce,
and If you don't appear the liquor Is condemned and
not coming forward to pay the costs and charges,
the magistrate may imprlson you All this can DO
done without even any notice being given. Bat II
he does know the person against whom he prefers
bis charges, what then is 10 be done Then the de
feDdsnt Is appear before the magistrate and show
cause why his property should not be destroyed
And what is the cause 10 be shown IL he to prove
be did lot sell it On, no that amt the issue, Is
be to prove that he has not drank i'll No that 81.
the issue either Is it to be proved that he sealed
up his cellar. and did not wish to open 1t until the
law should be repe aledl No That is no defense.
A fact is established. That man swears that he or
three other individuals believed that he was selling
It, according TO the first section, the word tanta
mount to il, namely-furnsh il. Then what is he to
do All that the law permits him to do Is to prove
that he bought and used the liquor IN pursuance OF
the statute. But how is he to prove that nhe to
prove that he bong 1t from an importer, that amt all,
but he must prove that he bous from the importer
medicine or for orjust purposes, and
he proves tina! he bought II from an importer or from
the agent Of the city 10 an who is appointed TO sell
II aud intended TO 1t as medicine. Unless he ire
movaby establish all these facts the LIQUOR Is for
felsed and destroyed and mis- reputation is damned.
No, gentlemen, you will observe that in this Law
Wherever spirits ale found, the presumption OF the
Law is that he guilty when standing at the bar the
judgment of the Court Is tina. he is guilty, and he has
10 establish facts that he is not We all know that
person is never called upon to prove negative We
all know that the most conspicuous felon, who has
hCt oLct but two ihTe times stands the bar nno
cent until The Government can establish mis- guilt l.