Monongalia mirror. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1855, 1852-06-05

For instance, it is said that the Of
Tending qualities Of q nuisance, are i
general, smell, noise, danger, indcccacy
and obstruction. & Rand. 1926.
I What, we ask, can more LITERAL,
fulfil this definition than the drinkin
mani What smells worse than HI
does What is more tioisy, more dar
gerous, or more indecent than he?-
What greater nuisance to the famil
or to the community is there than til
drunkarll
"To constitute Nuisance proceed
ing from d noxious trade....,it is stuff
cient If 1t affect the comfort Of Til
neighboring inhabitants" Burr, 1888
Consider, therefore, how many thou
sands there are whose lives as well u.
comfort have hecn, not merely partial
ly affected, but utterly destroyed, by
the use of spilituous liquors. Why
then, should tho sale Of them be al
lowedl
Again" making a great noise in
the night, TO the disturbance of the
neighborhood," is held as an indicta;
BILE offence.
Can you conceive of an unusual
noise in the night, without attributing
tito the agency Of intoxicating liquors:
It is decided in Hawk. C 8, 5 4,
that Whatever outrages decency, and
is injurious to the public morals, is q
common nuisance"
With this principle oflaw in view,
we refer You again to tho fact that
spirituous liquors are the principal in.
strumentality in almost every display
of indccency, and almost every COM
mission of criH,c.
Fellow-citizens, We will not weary
you BY any further enumeration Of
legislative precedcnts, warranting res
trictions upon the personal demcanor
conduct, and natural or abstract right:
of the citizen. Surely enough have
already been ad,luccd to satisfy rca
sonable man that the right Of the leg
islature to prohibit entirely tic salt
Of an articlu so mischievdus as spirit
uous liquors, is indisputahle.
We proceed to the examination o
an objection Of q different character:
the qacstioa Of pfacticability. { 1t i
alleged, that. 4ruhlir opinion willno,
taIerate laws totally prohibiting the
sale ofspiri,uous liquors, and that any
effort to. impose such laws upon the
lieoplt, would result in the excitcmen,
If d prejudice against the cause Of
Temperance, tl,at would be fatal to Ii.
But public opinion has not yet been
tested OH this question. No means
have beet adopted in Virginia to do
vclouc and ascert,in the public scnti-
ment. 1t is mere Conjecture, thcrs-
fore, that The majority of tile people
arc opposed to supp'rrssion@-a colt
lecture, too, pretlicated upon distrust
Of tho p'opttlaf si,tae and intelligence.
Let the question he discussed. Let
lie public mind be .dgitaietl and Ell
iightened. Letth facts be submitted
to the people, and we should have full
confidence in their moral sense and
in,elli.cnce to st;<taiti i law Of total
prohibitions. m
But it it #ert not sd, where is the
necessity Or Prop!riety of expressly IL
cciisiitg the traffic II this traffic
must continue, lie, j, continue without
the sanction oflesal guarantees. lie,
legislative patronage 30 Withdrew
fiomit. DOUBT bulstet it UP by stutu
tory protection. lie, it bcsecn as ii is
bet i,staud out upon lis own merits
stripped ofa1l disgnisc-clothed in it,
native andin,rinssc turftdds and NOR
al leformity-a voracious monsts:
tlcvouring the fortunes at thousands
tapping It's livid, soldering tongue ii
the best blood Of the land, surrounded
by poverty, disease and death, reek'
ing with crime, and RECALLING It'd ears
on tho cries of distress bursting from
the brcaking hearts Of Its counties.
victims. We say let it be thus seen
III its true character, and flour legisla.
tors have not the moral courage open:
~ to oppose the foul demon, let them
at l5ast occupy neutral ground, and
not afford aid and comfort to the ene-
my. The people will come to the
rescue in due time.
So longas our license laws exist ii
will be impossible TO convince al per-
SONS that the use Of spiriir;m,s liqdors
is wrong: These laws are file grand
obstruction to the Contamination OF
the temperance reformation. They
arc u standing responsible endorse.
ment that tho use ofspiri,uous liquors
is right. But the very yet Of wifi.
drawing from them all Legislative
sanction would, ipso jac'g, create al
oditm against them, aud render the
traffic in them dishonorable. Moreo'
yer, If they are placed beyond the