Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1853-04-20
mAUSTRALIS.

erance reform. Well tempered articles,
iuch as this, will always be admitted, coming
IS it does from a gentleman who honestly :.
liffers with US on the points at issue, reserv- ):
to ourself the privilege Of commenting or !
thereto. !
So far as it concerns q AustraIis'' remarks !
about the action of the Grand Division Me-
presented to the Legislature, affording :
to " Hardshelle" the very weaponthey wanted :
to fight the Sons of Temperance with, we
conceive them not worth a reply. 1t is so
we'll known they love the good critics" and
for this reason alone defend its use, that any
opposition they make to the Temperance
cause is an advantage to it. Let them rail
on then-long and loud. Wehope theirlam-
entations will have no effect on our Cores
pendent, but to disgust.
We admit that we have denied, and we
still deny, that the Sons Of Temperance in
tend to "interfere," by law or otherwise, with
any of the "inalienable rights of man"-but
on the contrary divest him of the exercise OF
privileges granted by the State in direct RIO
lation of the 'inalienable rights of man.
What are "inalienable" rights? Those ''that
cannot be legally or justly transferred to a
mother" So says the book. Well, does the
State possess the "inalienable" right to sell
to it's citizens that which is destructive to
theirhealth, happiness and prosperity? Ger
tainly not! Then where does it derive the
authority to transfer this right to another?
The Sd Section ofthe North Carolina Bill of
Rights, distinctly states" That no man or
set of men are entitled to exclusive or sepa-
rate emoluments or privileges, but in consid-
Grafton of public services" Now, does not
the License law give to those who pay 81 or
$40 into the public treasury, the "exclusiveo or
separate e~moluments and privileges" growing
out of the retail system? PROFESSIONALLY it
does, and he who sells by the small measure
without license, is a tfelon, in the eye of the
law. And pray, what public services" has
the grog shop keeper rendered, to entitle him
to these " exclusive or separate emoluments
or privileges? Why he has murdered the
States citizens-flledher jailswith criminals,
and her poor-houses with paupers-he has en-
! tailed an enormous, tax upon her people
corrupted h eirmorals, disgraced herfairname
r and converted his den into the receptacle
n of all the infamy, theft and blasphemy of the
base and unprincipled. "Inalienable rights
q Of man Are these they? God deliver oul
country from all such!
But we mustpass on. "Australis" says
If the Memorial had stopped at simply ask
. ing the privilege being granted for Towns
and Neighborhoods to prohibit the sale il
= their respective communities, this would hav'
been we'll ~enough-but we asked for sucl
an increase of the License fee that the resul
: would have been, no licenses would hav
been taken out at all, scarcely, and conse
%qucntly " thousands of scoundrels of tn
: meanest class in society,"" would have beer
found selling at night, and thus making tn
81 .,
cur to our Correspondent, that this very stat
OF things now exists, and has always existed
= and is therefore a strong argument in favor
the repealof the presentlaw We venture til
assertion that there are more men in Mort
Carolina who sell liquor oiAout license tina
with it. Does that make the law worse than
nullity? But, says he, this high price of |
Fcense would have amounted to "prohibitio1
and not protection'-and if we meant t
prohibit" it should have "said so, and n
more" CAS- it was, it held the word
promise to the ear, and broke it to the hop
or II moe +boroforo 49, NJ -. n.
NJ "Australis' mistaken in his supposition til:
NJ only " ten licensed shops in the State" coul
We be found under this law but if only one,
n much the better, and the first clause of tt
r Memorial. would have been secured. "
by first asked in that Memorial for prohibition
as and if we could not get that, then the ne:
ice best thing we could get.
Ill., Asto the objection urged, that the Meme
rial asked for one thing and contemplated i
Up effect to be another, we can only say if o,
asst Correspondent is a member of the next LIE
ms ~islature, he will not be troubled with a tv
oly pronged Memorial STANDARDIZATION, tot
and uncompromising, is the least the Poop
'no will be satisfied with-and they will agita
DIS this subject for ten or fifty gears, until tn
ie5 get it. The little inuendo about being 8
o"' Son of Temperance from principle, not nect
sity," is unworthy the writer, and we pass
- by. We know him to be a worthy membt
and an ornament to the Order, and shou
regret his departure from our ranks-but
us being q " Son" deprives US of our rights
citizens to denounce the traffic and labor
lty, it's overthrow, here is one that will aband
the Order as soon as the decision is made.
ven "The folly of It's managers" can never ma
US surrender this dear and highly esteem
u. right. Never! So faraswe know, no atten
s has ever been made to force this question
in a sine qua non to being a Sono Of Temperan
Every member is left free to act as he pie
old es or his judgment may dictate, and there
90 no authority for arraigning him or impugni
his motives, whether he be for or against
measure.