The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1852-02-14
For The Cecil Wig.
The Tensperance Cause.


ting temperance article, al the present day, it
is unnecessary TO invoke the genius oleloquence
to enable us TO depict in hcart-moving colors,
the evil effects Of ebricty. Its bliShting effects
upon every class of society are felt, known, and
acknowledged by all. The Shiny trail of the
serpent may be traced through the palace and
the hovcl. No age, no sex; none under any cir
cumstance in life, can escape the poisonous
fangs of the destroyer. But many bear the evil
with enduring patience, in hope tina, brighter
day for the temperance cause is ere long to
dawn, that the principle is silently making its
way, and society is building a beautiful moral
structure on its broad and unyc siding foundation
Those. whom the syren of confidence has
lulcd into this delightful dream, it seems almost
cruelty to disturb, were it not that while they
snmbcr, tie subtle enemy is approaching them,
and in his stealthy advance, winding his folds
. round their nearest and dearest friends. In Or
der that that dream may become reality, 1t is
, necessary TO awake the confding sluuberer, and
induce him to buckle on his armor, and meet
the invading foe.
What food for painful contemplation is con-
tanned in the following statistics:
In the city of New York, in the month of
August 1851, I,71l grog shops, or establish
mcns for the sale of spiri'uous liquors, were
chartered; and the quarterly report oithe Chief
Of Police oc the same city, in September last,
gives over five thousand arrests which are
charscable to incompetence. During the year
. ( Nor pinn urLe concad nv nd
nearly ten MousQad fine day commitments for
! drunkenness nearly as many arrests for disor-
derry and rIotous conduct, assault and battery,
&C.. resulting from, and ascrbablc TO the same
great source of evil.
BIT TO leave Gotham. and pursue our painful
discoveries in the Quaker city of Philadelphia,
the facts presented are not more cheering to the
lovers of morality and virtue.
The following statistics, together with some
sensible comments by the editor, are taken from
The Ledger, and which, in place of those cheer
: ing hopes that some proiessed temperance men
: are wont to indulge in, may well fill the mind of
evety candid observer with the most anxious
: forebodngs.
Tic Grand Jury. in one Of its prcscnlments
, last sprin.. 'in tncible language. notices what
is too plainly prominent to the comnoncSt OBJ
server ON the street namely, the wonderful in
crease of drunkartis and druukurd man factories.
The prcs,ntncnt attributes these TO two causes
. the present license law. which opens the
business ni rnm-selling TO every one who can
pay the price Of a license. and To the introduce
: ton and general use Of iager beer. To these
causes is attributed the filling of our streets with
drunken men and boys, our houses and fire sides
with horror and dsmay, our hospitals, ulms-
houses. and prisons, with drunkardS, Migrants,
and criminals. And as a proof of the simple
truth Of this terrible picture, the Jury remark,
that the records Of the county prison show an
increase, during single year Of the present
license Laws operation. of nearly two thousand
more commitments for drunkenness than during
any other year"
The same paper after denying the opinion OF
the Grand Jury respecting the cause ofthe in
crease o! lnirnpelance, and referring TO the
criminal statistics and prison dockets in conlir-
nation OF It's objections, adds
"The evil is of longer date and soe. back to
e the wane and fall of the temperance societies
T. When these societies were in full force the de.
mon of drunkenness dared not show its head
The Temperance societies gave tone to public
u opinion, and while il was felt TO be immoral 10
5 drink, ii was accommodation from decent So
ciety TO be found drunk. The mark of odium
was so !ndelible that few had the courage TO in
cur ito
The following is an extract from the County
Prison statistics. showing the number of com.
initials for the last four years for Intcmperancc
j They discover an alarming retrograde in the
: Temperance cause.
Committals for intoyicaion in 1913, 379; in
lsi9, 1859; in 1850, 1921; in 1851, 1887. Thus
: lntcmperance, which four years ago ranked as Q
: fifth class amongst committal Offences now
stands third in the list, and by its eeometrica in
: crease bids fair, ere long, to be the first grea
cause for filling our prisons with culprits.
These facts tell badly for New York ant
!, Philadelphia, but any one who will take the
: trouble to examine, will find they are nothing
u more than a fair criterion for the whole country
u Baltimore, our own s'monumenlal city," ap
pears, from her immense manufacture and i'm
portation of whiskey TO be ambitious ofrivalins
her sister cities in the rum trade; for statistics
show that forty thousand barrels were manufac
tured in the last named city during the past year
! while sixty thousand more were received from
the country. Thus, giving Baltimore 100, OO(
barrels TO account ior-enough TO reduce to the
level OF beasts, two-thirds OF the entire popua
ton of that metropolis. And in addition 10 this
new and extensive distillary is going up in the
:, latter city, In order, the better TO supply the
rapidly increasing demand.
But to come higher home, and examine run
n and his strong holds in our own county, we flint
e that two Of its principal towns, containing q
n population of about 1900, each supporting somt
eight or ten establishments, where spirituou.
liquors are sold as beverage; and the propre
tors doing thriving business, which is ncreas