The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1853-08-10
THE, DAILY DISPATCH.
From our Special Reporter.
SfATE TEMPERANCE CONVENTION AT
CHARE0TTFSVILLE.


CHARH0YTEEVILLE,
The most interesting point &, ~. ,,r,.a.a,.,..x
Of this body was it, deliberations ,,pon the a,,ss.
non OF procuring the passage Of law prnhil,lf;rr
the manufactlIre and sale Of ardent snirifs W.
navs already pupiisned speeches Of two Of the lead
ing aepa- tcrs OF the assennblage represeuting 1er
ent views entertained by temperai,ce mers,sass
OF Messrs. Preston and Minor of Ioa,isa S lsr;,s
out going fully in the debate we give some fr.
sner e skeIcnes below which are interesting, relating
e me mafter az 20 how far the Legislature onghf 1
SO IN its prohibitory enactment s''- - =
REr. Isaac J. TINsLEY spoke as follows e
MR. CHAihMAN: | have not before spoken 4,
nls discussion, and shall be very brief now. Last
August, at Sfaunton we acted as pioneers We d;S
what we could. We may how and ought now :, -
90 more. The eyes of the State mipht a. !, ~ -
me world, are upon US, and the people look 70 n
sra s somsfnlng q definite and positive description
anerc should be no shutting, and no time ser vinc
we ought not in talking of this subject to ado75f
any thing like con-eommittal doctrines and mafe
ming "black not very black, white, not yerv
wate when ON the whole, it is only little speck
ied. what Is. after all, public sentiment It "a
every where opposed TO the liquor traffic. The
people lay everything to the Legislature, and the
Legislature say i is the fault Of the people.
Our present Legislation is all wrong, indeed /
don't see how such abominable contradictions to
common sense can have so long existed What "a
the sy stem nowl We make our Legislature yhat3
"a partner IN every petty GROCERY in Virginia.
We say, we win take the price OF license, and
y n
The form of faxes, ten fifty dollarsfor every one
received As the law now is, any adyenturer NAV
come and set himself down on the very border Of
my plantation, or yours, and say / viii ruin your
servants Twill pander to the vilest appetites of
both whites and blacks, will spread ruin where
please; and If you undertake to argue with him,
what are his reasons? He simply produces a scrap
of paper to which the broad seal OF Virginia is ap-
pended. Sir do not come here for the purpose
of opposing any man or set of men, but this must
say and do noyv that my s,1ch T. at.,ra
we have hitherto had upon this subject is be-
meath contempt. y
do wish that men would look at this thing as it
is. Why, sir, we have laws already, which say you
shall not take oyster, ninnOw out of season
the very deer in our woods are protected-but
men, the bright, the powerful, in fact, the only
agents to whom any effort could communicate any
good result are forgotten. The grave is the refuge
and the only refuge, from the temptations with
which society every where surrounds him. The
Liquor Demon must have his prey. The Legisla-
ture does not care for him. Away with such legis-
lation! Great Applause) Do not now talk to me
about minor questions. see, bathed in sunlight
glorious future, and an humble delegate of this
convention, cannot help returning thanks to God
that our which is but that of God and of hui
r1anity hasthu far triuInphed. Adopt the resolu-
tions. They are the TRUTH and in the end, shall
make the legislature and world feel it.
Mr.. L. MINOR an old champion of temperance
remarked that he thought Maj Prestons speech was
very good but that it seemed to him that the Major
HAD made mistake his views respect to diff.
ferent counties For some purposes we might con-
slider county as specimen of the world; but not
necessarily for all. My friend torget5 the vast
amount OF light which within the last six months
has been spread among our citizens. In Elk months
more we shall have an overwhelming majority for
an out -and-out antiliquor law. / oppose the SUBJ
stitute offered because it presents alternatives
want something positive, SO do the people large
We don't take or understand these double-headed
propositions. 1t looks as If we not in earnest
J.fk.x, e.~
stances able guards have broken down their bridges
behind them-as much to say sno retreat conquer
or die" Now this substitute OF the Majors, leaves
foop-hole.
Ma MINOR here repeated the story of .the lame
captain, well known toeur readers--andb by which
he very amcaby illustrated the retrogression ten.
denotes of certain temperance men. If we adopt
Maj Prestons substitute how shall we be able to go
before the peoplel What shall say when get home
to Louieal Ihave my own friends and like all of
you, my chosen associates and if should go home
and tell them that we really after all our delibera-
tions could not come at position and definite con-
clusion upon this matter, they would laugh at me-
But don't feel in the least discouraged. Let us
have few more lectures from such men as Neal
Dow and White, and General Cary, of Cincinnati
and our people will walk up to the polls the first
opportunity, and show the world what they can do
and oppose the substitute of Maj. Preston simply
because it contains alternative, and leaves room
for retreat word which think is not to be found
i'll any temperance mans dictionary. Sir, know
that you are very well aware that fear is often
the parent of failure if defeat is anticipated nobody
will fight Some Generals in crises of great peril
have even broken down the bridges in their rear
to prevent the thought of retreat So must we do
Come with no double-tongued propositions before
the people, but just tell them 'fair and square,
what you want, and if they like it (Which do most
solenlnly believe they will, they will say so But
this idea Of adopting half measures, and accepting
fragment, when you are entitled to the whole Is
too absurd for comment. Supposing that John
Adams and his kindred spirits had adopted such a
coursea We should have been this day colonists
of Great Britain. / do hope that we shall be able
in the end, to state and establish some resolution
platform, or whatever you may call it--on which
we can all agree, and hope too that shall take
our boldest ground at once; for il the public don't
favor u.s. they must at least respect us.
Prof McGUFFrE said he should not be able to at
tend the Convention tomorrow, and therefore
begged to offer few remarks at the time. He was
in favor of the original resolutions If we would
obtain what the substitute asks for, should
be fortunate But we can hardly hope for anything
now The day has not arrived yet, for the people
at large to sanction the measures which we con-
template Still, favor the resolutions as contain
ing great truth, and would wish to see them
adopted. Let US prepare the public mind by de-
grees, and spend our principles among the people
We never shall get more than we ask for. Our
Legislature will never give US law which we have
not demanded. Sir, | can advocate no compro
mise of principles anywhere and cannot see why
the proposed substitute should take the place of the
original resolutions Even the author of the SUBJ
sttute does not deny that the doctine of the reso
lutions is right 1t is true that the substitute might
obtain more favor from the Legislature; but we
seek to influence the people at large. do not see
the expediency of adopting the substitute especial
ly as are all agreed as to the soundness of the
original resolutions.
II we wish to carry any effective measures, we
must not think of carrying them by instaIments -
We must not 20 to the Legislature with ambiguous
resolutions or pettonso If we are right why leave
any room for doubt, as to what we really desire
Sir do not like on such subject as this, to use
ludicrous illustration but it seems to me that if we
adopt this substitute and try to proceed gradually
instead of boldly and fully declaring our sentiments
and purposes; we shall be like the irishnan who
wished to cut of his dogs tail The thought that
an immediate amputation might be dangerous, in
fact that the poor dog not prepared for it; and
so resolved to cut off about an inch each day till
the whole tail was amputated- tApplause)
The foregoing debate concluded the proceedings OF
( Wednesday, s
On Thmsdav morning after the reading of the jour
CRY county, in which Mr.. u. MINOR and Mr. M al
Sturdiyant were named-the first as delegate the laf
ter alfernate-and the communication pledged 500
towards sustaining the cause of temperance.
At this stage of the proceedings Mai Preston with.
drew his substitute explaining, the same tine his
reasons for having proposed 1t. He said that he was
not opposed to the original resolutions but considered
tht at this time, likely TO be received ith fsvnr
by the public The substitute which had been nro.
native: -