Daily American telegraph., 1852-04-08
Earth, Air, Water, and Liquid Fret

L lCOmmuniCAteuI
GENTLEMEN The proposition to supply TINS
city with water may be excellent; but as JUS
tee" remarks, wrong when left TO the manage
ment of corporations.
I beg leave TO remark that, as you very truly
observe water. like air ought to be free TO poor
40 we'll as rich and to add that men generally
overlook the fact that society mas certain natural
rights which no laws ought to inyade-such as
frea air pure water, free passage over bridges
and along roads, &C.. which things, being of pub
lie necessity and for public good, ought to be free
also, freedom to eat and drink as they like, and
| what they like-the cure of excess in either
case being, not in the law, (which becomes ty-
ranny, and cause of evasion, fraud, hypocrisy and
crime, than the excess ITSELF which is ndi-
vidual, but in the moral teachings and good eX-
amples of others, backed by reasonable restraints
and punishments such as come within the natural
jurisdiction Of the police and affect only the guilty
or unfortunate individuals.
The Maine law in this view is immoral and I'M
constitutional, and cannot be binding on society.
Ii society has the power to torment a whole COM
munity, and yet has not the power to restrain n
few hundred or thousand unfortunates, such a
society is mere miserable immoral abortion,
initiating the wholesale follies of European des-
potism, out Of wanton mischief or'ignorance, in
stead of applying moral remedy by watching
over, restraining or Furnishing those who are
going the wrong road.
In republican country there ought to be es-
tablished moral police, of higher grade than
the common police force, having power to examine
into all abuses tending to crime, authorizations of
food, neglect and ignorance among boys rowdy-
ism. Such o body should exercise moral power
by surveillance, persuasion, warning, preaching,
and only in extreme cases call for the exercise of
authority. Yours, with respect, L. o.
h,,y,, blx,
conceive, makes q very common error. If moral
suasion has been used, and the minds Of men are
established in opposition to the abuse believing
use to be abuse) of alcoholic drinks, such convic-
ton is of little avail without action. 1t is certain
that the bestial dram -drinker is not going to
change his course in consequence of moral sua'
sion on the minds of the intelligent and abste,
mious. The question therefore appears to be
not whether European tyranny may be exer
cised, but whether a republican majority, being
intelligent and abstemious, have right to pro-
| tect themselves and their children from the
| temptations and examples that surround them?
The office of moral suasion ceases when the
great majority of community becomes con-
vinced of the necessity of action. Until this is
the case, however, we think the self-exhausting
action of temperance men is unwise. They should
only aim at what they can probably accomplish.
In this matter might is right-the might of the
many.
Man has naturalright to air and water, and
to bridges and roads if he pays for them. This he
can do individually, or in community with his
| fellow-men. But he has no natural right to i'm
pair his physical moral nature, or to tempt his
| fellow-man to do so. This right proceeds alone
from the distorted opinion of man which the tenn
perance men are striving to correct. While it is
sustained by this opinion, it cannot be changed
in republican country. To change this opinion
is the high Office of the true philanthropst, to
whom we wish God-speed