Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1853-06-15
The Proner Remad.

There is perhaps no one subject pom :
here is such a direrSity Of opink, as thS
{ concerning the proper, most efent means
0 be used for the suppression intemper-
nee. All admit it is an evil, a almost ey-
~ one agrees that the interffnce OF the
ar, in some way, is desirable d necessary
or its mitigation or suppressid. But what
iort of a law-how far it shal go-to what
extent shall it interpose in estrainlng OF
lbolishing the traffic, there Ees the rub
The friends of temperance, Jose who nave
been laboring for weary mon IS and years %
rid the land from tho cursdOf lnebriation'
have reasoned, persuaded, lcntreated tnelr
friends and neighbors to abandon the use OF
Intoxicating drinks-and while they haTe
happily been the instruments ofsaving oae,A
score have been hopeles-ay chained to the car
of the Demon, who has drawn them head
long over the fearful precipice and plunged
them deep into the abyss of destruction
They have long felt that nothing short Of re
moving the evil entirely from the community
and expatriating it 10y law. can prevent the
human slaughter which it is so f~earfully car
rying on around them-and hence their rail-
lying cry" Down with the Liquor Traficp'
But at this point they are met by many
professed friends of Temperance, who tell us
they heartily desire to see Intemperance,
with all its train Of evils, eradicated from the
land yet it can be better accomplished By
other means, not quite so stringent, at least
for the present. A very few continue the
cry of Moral Suasion," and contend that
kind words and affectionate efforts alone will
do more for the reclamation Of the inebriate
than all the laws in the world. But when
they refer to one who has thus been saved,
we point to a dozen who have persisted by his
side. And when we join them in their he
sannahs to moral suasion, for none feel more
truly the worth of it than do the Temperance
men we ask for the proof that 1t is softening
the consciences of the dealers in the poison,
and causing them to relent in their heartless,
l nlurderous business-only one in a thousand
can be found, and their fine spun thread Of
+ milk and water benevolencc is gone forever.
r But the Moral Suasion" exclusives are
, almost an extinct race-nine out of every ten
l. meh who think on the subject at all, admit
that it is necessary the law should interfere
+ in some way-and one class says-the liquor
dealer should be held responsible for all the
damage but this has been tried and failed,
: because it is almost impossible to prove where
5 the man drank to intoxication; for it is n
+ very easy matter for 4 liquor seller to get bis
e pimps to swear that he was sober when the
offender drank at HIS bar. This, then, it has
y been demonstrated will not abate the evil.
d Another moderate law.man, goes in for re-
/ pealing all license laws, and putting a heavy
tax on all persons who deal in the article,
whether in large or small quantities. But
everyattempt at regulating orsimply restrain-
ing the traffic, experience has shown to be ut
terly futile. Prohibition, utter and entire,
is the only remedy. This has been tried,
and has come nearer a perfect remedy thar
y all others-and the longer it is persevered in
the more efectualit becomes-so thatin every
a State in which it has been tried, the people
cling to it with increasing fondness and per
tinacity.
WIN IheSc true lights OF experience be
fore Us, how can Temperance men, and mel
+ who desire the peace and happiness of tn,
community ask for any thing short of wha
has proved an e%ffectual remedy of the griev
unte? But, while we insist upon the one
if IT cannot be obtained, we will accept an
other, and another, until by experience an,
the preparation of public sentiment for tn
: rightful remedy, it be demanded by the IN
= ted voice of an indignant and incensed pee
" pie. Give us something, let it be what /
" may, and a start once made will not stor
short of the final curative.