The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-04-15

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perhaps not well posted up; but we nave seen
very little that is creditabe either to the head OF
heart Of the liquor party, in the course of such
discussion as the question has received The
sermons of the saints are bad enough; but we
have no patience with those of the sinners
Their accursed trade is the disgrace OF our CIV
ilization The best of them do nothing to di-
vOrce themselves from the very worst, and
never appear in the ARRAY but to parade their
decences and their interests, by way OF cover
for the crew which they refuse to be classed
with. Out upon them. Let honest, true, hui
man men, who have not forfeited their places
in the brotherhood of humanity, settle the diff
Guilty decently. We do not call prisoners and
paupers into council when we charge ourselves
with the reformation and remedy of their
wickedness and wretchedness. We suffer with
them, and must suffer for them; but let the
hells be kept apart till they are redeemed
Our temperance friends in New York began
this agitation and effort with the open and for
NAL acknowledgment that moral suasion fairly
tried-tried under as fair circumstances as
can be hoped for, and for a sufficient length of
time-has failed, and cannot be relied upon.
Had they we'll considered that position before
they took it e 1t is to be hoped they had; for
they naturally went to work to fortify it; and
the faith Osce so confidently held in the
power of the word has we'll nigh slipped out
of the creedof reform. still greater con-
cession has been made to the necessity of force,
in the action of the pulpit the Protestant
pulpit at least by the clergy coming out of the
church to reform the world in matter of
morals, through the agency of penal laws This
is not union Of Church and State, but sur
render of the Church to the State. A few more
such, and its Office in the affairs of this world
is gone. The ministry may begin its services
at our funerals, if our actual life has escaped
their regular jurisdiction. If the "rum-selersD
are really avcrse to union of Church and State,
they ma! console themselves; for so far as this
movement goes, it is confession that the
Church Is dead, and that the State survives,
having taken an advance step in the care and
government of its subjects We do not object
to religion in law, or to life in religion. We
need morality to live in and by The ex
listing provision for dying is sufficient We dc
not object to clerUmen for doing the duties o.
citizenship-we demand it from them. We
were only thinking of the differences, and the
blunder of the enemy in the mode of their as
sault upon the ecclesiastics.
| Another point: The movement it seems tc
us, is not likely to acquire strength by agita.
ton now. The subject is not so new as to need
or to gain by popular excitement The pro
hibtory law has the advantage of all the en-
thusiasm belonging to it at the start Its failure
now will be long postponement. More petit
TONERS than voters can be mustered for it, Al
the general elections, party questions will cross
cut it, 30 that it will not have possession of al
its proper force there; and that will be the CASE
however it may be mingled with the machinery
of party politics. The zeal of its friends will
force it into the strifes of next autumn and i
will have to meet its foes embittered or tri
umphant, in the local legislatures next wintor
To us, the prospect is not promising The
cause must bear the burden of its friends upor
its back, now that it can make or break hope
for them. Temperance will not be as decent ;
: thing when it shall have gone through on
campaign ~ it is now. A great many good
for-nothing people fasten themselves upon
good cause that gets along well, and its credi
, suffers accordingly. There are quantities G
absurdties to be enacted by the greatest fool
D among us, before the law becomes universal.
. For ourselves, we do not believe that mora
e suasion has failed. Temperance speeches ma
I be unavailable, for want of the suasion and tn
Q moral, or for want of time or means; but me,
are not to be surrendered to penalties an,
stripe for all that IL moral suasion has failed
, law will fail worse for law rests in opinion
| Therefore, again, we do not believe it for W,
arc assured of the better time coming, and tn,
Q primary and ultimate reliance of that hope i
!. in the regeneration of men. Still, the Main,
0 Law may be all right enough. If its principle
Is right, there is no good objection to the fore,
it seems to us that the public wants light, mucl
, more than any other element of progress il
, this matter And very probably that Egh
, will come; and when it comes, who will accent
1t! Who among US, with our hearts set upor
this great good, will receive it with all that W,
must take along with it when it comes to us
f The Jews rejected their Messiah because h,
} brought them so much more than they wished
to receive. wv
BUSTED, upon whose evidence Horace Pres
ton was consigned to slavery, in ls4s was ,
candidate for Assistant Alderman in the lstl
Ward, New York. A member Of the nomi
mating committee propounded certain inter
rogatories to him, respecting his views MS T.
the further extension Of slavery We subioi,
his reply:
SATURDAY March 81, l84g.
: SIR: Your favor of this date, informing m
, that my name has been presented to your com
, mittee as candidate for Assistant Alderma,
Of the eighteenth Ward ut the ensuing election
: has been received, and in accordance wit
your wishes thus early reply to it, and to tn
interrogatory you therein address to me-
With my present views on the subject, an
in the light of the best information have bee
enabled TO acquire, answer that am oppose
to the extension Of slavery in territory that
now free possessed by the United States, or t
: free territory which our country may hereafte
acquire; and 1 am IN favor Of the enactment b
Congress Of any ordinance, the effect of phie
wiH be TO prevent the further extension of s
great an evil as slavery. An ordinance such q
the mind of Jefferson would have framed
whether known rs the Wilmot Proyiso or b
any other name, would meet my hearty az
proval.
rav Ia nm rdonod Cor m vim, :, ,lo;,, 49,.