Monongalia mirror. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1855, 1852-06-05
1foraantorun, (ba. saluoap Sumo s, 1859

tain head of intemperance.
Nor is this the only fallacy connect
cd with them. They are most obvi
ously inconsistent with tho genera
tenor of the code of Virginia, ifno
with common sense. In one section
of,he code we have fine forprofant
swearing, in another the sale of al
articlei is authorized, which is the cause
of more profane swearing than a!l 9th
er causes together. Here wo have
penalties for breaches of tho peace
There q traffic isicensed which lea.ls
to nearly all the assaults and butter
les, riuts, and breaches Of tho peure
TINT disturb and disgrace the commu
nifty. We eend the convict to the pen
itcntiary; and yet legali4e the trade
which made him a felon! We hang
the murderer, whilst we protect BY
law the very agency which caused hin
to imbrue his hands in his brothers
blood! Our code taxes tho people fol
tho erection of alms-houscs, and fol
tho support of raupcrism, whilst il
sanctions the use of II beverage which
produces three.fourtlls Of the panper.
ism in the STATED Is it not a most sin
gular proposition, that in order to res
train tipping, it should be authorized
'by lawi That to prevent vico it is
unly necessary to justify 1t by legal
sanc,ionsl Howdocs our legislature
suppose that licensing traffic would
lessen i'll Such Legislation carries
fallacy in its face. ltproposes to cor
rect vice by a compromise with til
This is unphi1osophical. 1t is dawn,
right folly. 1t is impcached by all
experience. Tho history Of every
moral reformationihat ever succeeded
will show that it was never consum-
mated till all connection with the er-
ror proposed to be corrcctcdis dis
solved. So, that elegant historian,
Mr.. Prcscott, in his reflections upon
his researches, ennnciates this princi,
pie, that:-"Itis impossible to license
crime by halves-to authorize injns-
tee at all, and hope to regulate the
measure Of it, Thcre must ht d, to-
tai divorcc-a rincMis mdtr,monii.-
There Gun be no tdhtilia'ion, no CO.
alition. The axe must he laid at the
root Of the !foe. ltisequally true in
the polity Of nations, as inthe.con,lnct
|.off Findiyiduuis, thar rters Gun be no
Fellowship of righteousness with un.
righteousness Communion of
light with darkness $40 ''agrecnicnt
ofthe tahple Of God with idols"
What wohder, thtrtfnrc, TINT the
restraining provisions and penalties of
our laws Hitherto enacted for the reg
ula,iop ofthe sale ofspirl.nons liquors
should have been t,ugatuiy! How
else could it be, when the sale is per
mittcd, and protected by lazy oftl,e
very article which PRODUCES The evils
complained Oft Our license lawsare,
therefore, mfi6st preposteroiis' They
are mere legal quackery--n poor, pal.
try legislative empiricism-a kind of
tcmporising remedial patchwork, I'M.
Worthy of tile conception of a real
statesman, aud abhorreht to every sen
timent of moral rcctithde. And hente
as might have been anticipated. the
result was the onward march and wi
der extension of tho tavagts otintcm-
pcrancc, until they were arrested ~
tho Efforts Of the voluntary organizn.
tons Of private, citizens within tho lasr
few years:
We pass to tho consideration ofan-
other objection to prohihitory ltglsla::
tim. Kis rrgsaby many that such
Legislation is q, rerira7 Sf The old. oaii
oxs, Romas sun ptuary laos, and is an
unuarrantaMe inte,Jerrnce NTH tie
bSroadl rights and Liberties Gf TIC
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. sra,. NV r;nc;,le Nina nj tho foundation
e I'll al tay md ;nIee1 1t lie basis Of
,ho cor,lncf yS;clt sLiailtfIreg,,hat6 No
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