The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1853-06-10
LOCAL MATTERS.
n. weeixIy Dispatch


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I.nar TEMPERANCE MEETING--Tw THOUSAND
1 Persons IN ATTENDANcE-PHILiP 8 WHITE VI
THE Lrauon DEALERS AND LIouoR DaINKING CT.
| TEENS, POLITICIANS AND CHuRcHMEN.-The AT.
| rican Church was filled with vast and attentive
auditory OF our citizens Wednesday evening last,
gathered to listen to an address upon the subject
of Temperance, from the distinguished travelling
lecturer, Philip 8 White, of Pennsy lvania
The ladies turned out in large numbers. Mr.
White 10 tall, well proportioned and of majestic
deportment-his voice sonorous and agreeable
ton appropriate, and language fluent, argumenta-
tive and eloquent. Some very unpleasant truths
and UNPLEASANT anecdotes we're related. He com.
menced by referring to the causes of the Declara.
tion of Independence. Our fore.fathers, prior to
| the Revolution, lsbored under intolersble griey-
ances imposed by the tyranrical King George
They finally reached point when obedience, I'M
der those grievances ceased to be virtue, and re-
/
ionng IT. These grievances were mainly three
fold First, taxation without representation. Sc
condly, the permitting of bands of armed soldiers
in their midst to eat out their substance without
their consent. Third, refusing to admit to cons-
Iteration, petitions couched in respectful language.
| For these grievances our forefsthers went to war
They brought those grievances before the Colonial
| Congress, who discussed them with closed doors
then drew up formal declaration of their griev'
ances to submit to the world in justification of
| their conduct, and then drew up and signed for
NAL pledge Of resistance. No one objected then to
the verbal signing of the pledge that man could
be and act as a man and patriot without signing.
They signed to prevent misconception OF their
views and make their PRONUNCIATION more solemn
and impressive. Next they organized an army to
carry out protection to that pledge, consisting of
grand and subordinate divisions and grand and
subordinate officers with peculiar Dress Then
they marched to the tented field, and there oguard
| against the intrusions of unworthy men and enc
mics, adopted CERTAIN signs and cauntersigns. Ne
objection was then made to these signs that they
rendered the army secret society. Thus, then,
there was this gallant little army on the one hand
| and King Georges ON the other. But some people
in those days were neutral, on the fence, waiting
| to Jump over to the side on which victory should
perch Then there were deserters from the army
| and they were shot. Then there was a large class
of churchmen who from alleged conscientious
scruples, remained neutral. They contended that
the Bible spoke of kingly government but not of
a republic, aud they were opposed to all new fan.
gled notions. Then 1t became necessary to appoint
| a commander in chief of the army, and he (Mr w
need not ask Vrginians who was appointed. The
name of George Washington was cherished in
every heart. Then came the final struggle be-
tween the contending armies for freedom, and our
fore-fathers nobly won their liberty.
| The speaker then coptrasted the position of our
forefathers with that which temperance men now
occupied.
They had lived patiently under the grievous op.
pressons of ruthless king alcohol until patience had
ceased to be virtue. These grievances we're of
threefold nature. First taxation without represen
tation, for what temperance men were represented
in criminal courts, aims houses, and gibbets!-
Second, king alcohol had created in midst bands
of fierce soldierv, ernsod with Weapon more dead
| ly than the musket or sword-the bottle [Great
| applause What temperance man had ever con-
| scented TO the inroads of ruthless horde of liquor
sellers in Virginia, keepers of toll gates the roads
to perdtion and breathing holes of hell, that were
destroying our negro property and laying waste all
that was beautiful in the moral existence. Third,
petitions respectfully written and laid at the foot of
our thrones the State Legislatures had been treated
with insult and contempt if not to any extent here
they had been in other States of the COME deracy
| Had the grievances inflicted by king alcohol af
| much a fh oae intcfaf I1rnn nur foy
fathers by King George' Aye, indeed King alco
| ho stood upon throne of human skulls, cemented
by tears and blood, and swaying sceptre of phys
cal destruction and moral death. He was an enemy
whose tyrancal arms stripped humanity of its no
blest atribues-robbed the heart of its best func
tions, the sympathies of their tenderest sensbites
and the soul of its Hottest aspiratons-an oppresser
| who had desecratea homes and fresides-
| caused strange and unhalowed fires to burn upon
our domestic altars-plundered our national treas
ury-cramped the strength of human muscle and
paralyzed the energy of mankind-put out the sun
light of genius and robed tbs moral earth 10 the ha
biilments of mourning. Renewed applause The
next step which they took as temper rance men, like
the manner of their forefathers in their struggle
to draw up declaration of their grievances and sign
pledge of resistance The pledge Of our forefathers
aimed at redemption from colonial vassalsg9. ours
at redemption from moral and degrading slavery
Modern patriots rose up however when We pre-
sented our pledge, and said that man could be
man without signing pledge, and did not wish to
sign away our liberty. What lbertys Why the
liberty of being kicked out of grogshops [aughterI
and the liberty of being brought before criminal
eourts,t to answer for drunken frays-with your
running out of your facs like boiled beet-[re-
newed laughterl-a delicate red fringe around
pair of gIowering bloodshot eyes-your elbows
peering out at the corners-the crown of your hat
going fly, aipperty flap, [cheering,l and your toes
enduring outside Of your boots the state of the
weather. Applause and laughterl Did the young
man who pledged his trosh to a blushing lair one
at the altar back out at that time, because of that
pledsei No, he had never known of any young man
backing out under those circumstances-he was
going 1t to the death then Laughter -
| Next an army was organized to carry ont the
provisions of The temperance pledge, grand and
1 suboroinate divisions and officers were elected
signs, couutersigns and regalia adopted, and pro
Visions made like to that of our forefathers for the