New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-03-23
The An,i-Maine Law Repor.

01esSrs. Joseph nose, JI', Gnu oyi'duuS
s. Smith, Loco-Foco members of che As
sembly's Committee on the petitions for
and az ainst the Maine Law, have signed
Minority Report to the House against the
passage of any such law. That Report
has lust reached US, and we now proceed
to consider it.
But first word of the signers. Mr..
Rose represents the Fourth Ward of our
CITY. which contains some fUe hundred tip
plinp-houses generally Of the lowest aud
viIest character, or more than one to every
five voters in the Ward. Many of them are
the vestibules of brothels and gaming
houses of the most internal depravity,
wherein our hard working seamen are regu-
larry and rapidly stripped of their scanty
earnings almost as soon as they have re-
ceived them, being first supplied with
drugged and extra-poisenous liquor, then
turned over to the tender mercies of the
most shameless and degraded harlots aud
bare-faeed swindlers to be further de-
bauched and plundered AT the end of two
or three days, Jack awakes from his revel
sick in soul and body, stripped of his last
cein, and probably of his better clothing
also, and often finds himself already shipped
fcr another voyage and his advance money
either already spent or fully mortgaged to
his keeper, who knows nothing (that he will
telD of the poor victims wages except that
he has been On spree and spent or lost
them. And this horrible business goes on
from day to day in this mos. Christian City,
perfectly notorious to our functionaries and
Police, without an effort being made to ar
rest it. The keepers of these dens are in
good part the controllers of the politics Of
the Fourth Ward they nominated Mr. Rose
to the Assembly, and their votes were given,
almost or quite unanimously, for his cleo
ton. He is their protege, their instru-
ment, their tool; and, in opposing and de-
precating the Maine Law, he is simply acting
as their attorney and commencing himself
to further favor at their hands. He knoVs
right well does he that the passage of
the Maine Law would benefit intellectually
cur whole People, and especially those of
his own District; but he knows also that
the clues of Political preferment therein
are held by those whose craft is directly
asssied by that law, and who pocket some
dollars profit on every human soul by Rum
corrupted and destroyed within the Ward.
So he strikes hands with the powers Of
darkness and endeavors to build himself
up on the ruin of his fellow creatures. We
shall see how he succeeds.
Mr.. s. S. Smith repres ents Queens
County, where Rum has many shrines erect
ed for its heather worship, and most of its
priests are Mr.. Smiths supporters. We do
not believe, however, they can Lift him from
the slough into which he has plunged in
shSi4 so4,ivo.
IL Alcohol poison, or is IL not p
this is the very first question to be consid-
cred in discussing the Maine Law, and this
Messrs. Rose & Smith are careful to
dodge. They tell us that exemplary and
Christian men use wine and liquor with
judgment and moderation" that the Bible
commends the use of wine-that Washing
ton used it-and that
medical testimony might be adduced to prove
that the beverages which II is now proposed to pro-
scribe, contsin important proprtss and vnsnt but
II We confessed that their use was attended with
especial benefit, still it would not justify their exelu
0n nn ns same arsu%snt might be employed with
pa'ions ard amusemsLts OF society" &c. SO.
Here is all manner Of talking about and
about the main question, yet no meeting it.
Whether liquors "contain important prop
critics and nutriment or not, is wholly irrel.
evant and unimportant; whether the use Of
those liquors is is not attended with
40 special benefit" is not the question. Is
Alcohol a poison, or is ii moi 9'-that is the
point. We who demand the Maine Law
insist that it is-that its natural, inevitable
effects on the human constitution are hurt
full, poisonous, destructive - and this with.
out regard to the quantity imbibed. Of
course, large dose of poison is likely to
do more harm than ANAL one man may
take so little Of any poison as not to kill
him, but he cannot take 50 little as to exhil-
arate and enliven (which many persons
temporarily do) and not ultimately hurt him.
And if Alcohol be poison, as Teetotalism,
Chemistry and the Maine Law affirm, then
what matters it that nutritious substances
are mixed with it, that Washington
sometimes tasted wine, or that the Bible