New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-02-12
TIE MAINE LAW.
speech of Hen. T.. u. Culver ut the Temper
ance Rally at Metropolitan Hail-Conclu-
sion OF the Proceedings.


Hon. f D. CULVER, in a short speech. He would
be brief since the field had been so well gone over
after such reapcrs the cleaning would be sparse IN
deed But, although they had discussed the famous
remonsrance OF the liquor sellers in their way per-
haps he might say something acceptable upon 'us
same topic. They had taken the matter 81 soi' oi
tquare hold but in my profession We nave ths Isu a.
TO take IL rOUPh and tumols ABOUT fourteen "ooNs
ago we met here ant else where for the pnfpo,e y,
nfneT Cngthe election and oitocuing tne fsu' A.na
OF lt presentation at Albany. tnc result was ~
considerable gain for our cause IA the RI
aIcb of the Government. But the eltcslnh ;i Ha
passed end now We have met 10 secure II posst'lo
The completion OF our triumph by me ehac lueus a.
Albany Of the Maine Law. The Law OF 1919 wa
a great point gained but il had one very weak s'o'
the City OF New-York was excepted the very placee
Of all others which most neeced the dement's oi SUI
law was denied that blesslI through the co
OF her representatives But the uehoh. t,. ~
made here tonight shows most colcInsNey w ~
great City of New York Will not row stani IN 'ie
way stand as It were in the darkness OF hei ~.
seadCw. tCheers1 liz the unfortunate excepVoh u
this City III the law OF ielo we ' ia which
10 assail the law and they finally succeed IN eetIlns
repealed, leaving the whole state again sdoeCs W
lhe overwhelming tide Of inienperance ahd Parpef
ism ard crime. The law was repealed. ooHie VI
the friends Of Temperance said we must nov
give up We must stand still, further ehort
will be useless, the people VIII nave rum =.
this darkest moment the pauper and drunEard fac'o
res again put in operation began 70 WORK their own
cuTe-they became so lnSolent, so Fulnous 10 the
people, and expensive TO taxpayers that every
DO 3 began to cry out that something must be done
From this necessity for action has sprung the pres
ent movement and now is the time to strke-now,
while the great Temperance wave is on the rise, and
is rellI e ON to overwhelm the monster vice which
has called il into existence. [Cheers Mr.. CHAIR
mep have here document setting forth twelve
rtaSCnS-.welye precious arguments-why No law
rosir cling or prohibiting TIE sale OF Intoxicating
hqn,r. should he passed Ii is indeed precious
worthy of preservation ana cncua-
tioI. | would recommend that the authors nave
u stei eotyped, and PRINT large quintlIies ana
that they employ the man with the sten,orldn
voice down in Nassau-st to cry them: "TweLive
ar rgunens for selling Rum only two cents"
daughter The remoDstrants talk much about The
Constitution. Now, l have yet 10 learn tha' the
Constitution in any way authOrses the sale OF rum.
AT any rate the right TO prohibit the sale OF liquor
has been satisfactorily tested. In consequence of
the Laws passed in some Of the Eastern States the
subject brought before the Supreme Court OF tae
MED States al Washington In that tribunal the
nQuor sellers had the benefit Of the mighty Intellect
snd profound legal wisdom OF our great eonsIliu-
tiolsl lawy er. Daniel Webster. ICheersl Bu' even
Daniel Webster, with all his power OF argument,
witch is so Justly famous, failed to convince the
BS.ch Of the unconstltuionaliiy of the prohlb.
itoIy laws. Chief Justice fancy led OFF IN the
opinion that such pronloiiory enactments were
entirely constitutional and proper, and he was
susi aimed by the other Judges. In le45 the
Courts of this State affirmed this decision,
and made doubt of It's justice You NAV
60, Sir, to a butchers stall and get piece OF
me at XII le four weeks ago, and entirely unit for
human food y ou may take it home, have it prepared
for the table and eat 1t at your own risk we
are rot gong to prevent you. But II your butch
er StHS YOU such piece OF meat; II ne OIL
fers to the public poisonous or unWhoesome
eat and takes price for 1t, then the law steps III
puts stop to his traffic, Tor the sake OF presery'
lns the public health. We about to step 10 also,
Of II 81 al ngf nipaSn-
to say you shall not sell article that is creating
such moral and ply steal havoc among men, There
have been four great steps IN the temperance move
ment III this country. Flrst We had the pledge
agfi inst drinking to excess. But as each man was
his OWE Judge Of what amount might be CONSIDERED
excessive OF course this was not particularly elect
i've Next came the old line Temperance Society,
prohibiting all strong drinks. But when lnan had
been raised up by tins society and began to live
life Cf spectabiiiy and when his family began 10
thrive and rel ice IN ms restoration, he was very
apt TO be tempted IN this manner -" Come, MIR.
Smith, GU have abstained long nov thi you are
quite safe the night is cold and uncomfortable,
what say GU to mug OF cider You know II is not
prohibited, and believe IL |iI % yOa gOOd Anu
by this speclous reasoning many man revived the
old fire and went back 10 ccp,h OF drunkenness
which be had never before known. Inc mex s eP
as the Total Abstinence pledge, upon the issue OF
" hlch all the rum dealers cIied out agaLst the pro
hibltion Of innocent" drinks, such as cIder peer,
&c. They thought the step backward Vas the iisa'
one but, thank ho ayen, their advice was uhhseded'
fCbeeTs Finally, we have taken the most lnppl-
T. 1T step of ali We have gore beyond partial absti.
/ eIce-beyo nd total abstlnence-we nave com; cur
for total prohibition III short, We are 'oI ne Mddc
Law IGrea. cheCIing.l Moral suasiOn has GOT
ii,,d OF picking sha1 scales rom the summit, an1
urcor he gust OF the MaiI Law is la ing nine
in the very center Of the rum mountain. lCheetS
Bu, they say that alcohol Is nutritious: We
IN always supposed, upon The auIhOrly vi
q chemists, that II has no principle ot nutrition
tout-that it is, TO all animal lie, sure
poison | call On them for facts and figures.
say, with Horace G.eeley, we will LOT be put
down BY mere assertions" Let them proSuce tue
proofs. They say that cold water Kills more than
rum Where ale the documents to esiohsa the
assertion While they are hunting them up, let me
state d few facts which are worthy Of noiice. IN
1919 there J,0l7 ceahs II THIS Cry from cnoi-
era aslhy xia. There are seven clufcAes IN Ihls
CITY, having then a membership II 50OO persons,
protesting and practciug teetSallsID: vi tnese
5 coo only l3, Oneqlar.er per CENT uled OF cnoi
era. TINS was at the rate OF 2li oe the Whole Clty
tayiLs a balance If so3 persons whose DEANS are
cireciiy chargeabe TO alcoholic liquors. Let those
who believe wafer more injurious than rum, explain
Tins ssni1caht fact. But the rum-deaers urge
that her wares are lot necessarily HIOxicalAs
Suppose | strike man thirty blows upon the
face md his cheek is beaten TO Jelly which
blow was il that did the mischief suppose your
b. 81 plI stefan had made post-mortem ex1mlnatlon
Of the poor fellow who; some ears sIce, ien seM .a
il was that killed him. Was 1t the tenth round, or
the hundleih round, or the whole hunofed ane
trty rounds II not the twentieth or the hlls a.,
or lHOuSdlClu Ei.sc Mic 1" 70 sHS 'FS'
class. They say that the Maine Law increases
it mr erance ard crme. The best answer to this is
the fact that when TIC sale was prohibited In ASH
Ii gton County, In this state, the Grand jury wncn
met sever months after, were IN session Only lie"
Iainutes-,hey had no Susihess-no complains Mere rI
nade-theTe was not a man III the Couny > al; l A9
year after the repeal Of the law Of 1915, the Grand
jury were III session = whole week, and when they
came into Court at the end OF their laoors they au
6olr./oar Indictments upon the JUDGES oesA In
lime-buIning town In Maine, where there had peel
thirty rum sIops TO less than 5000 Inhabitants ana
where every third man was crunAaId anu
another third were paupers before he prohioi'
tory law was enacted We no. fnd the people soo;r
and thrifty, and only enc paQper Ia Inc wno,e
town, auo he is one who has been so Thoroughly
soaked IN rum that time caDuos DRY Il ou! OF hih'
IChteisl We say, then, give US the Name Law,
all over the State, but especial Lere IL the CtS -
New.YoIk here where we have o'Uo0 rum s"1ps,
of which eco are licensed, 1000 unlcehsea, az
100 in full blast ON Sundays 90 We no' neeu sa
from the enormous taxes springils nom No.
rarseS1 They say we cannot execute me law
Nv. tshe the lssue. IL has been executed IN rufa,