The weekly Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1852-1855, 1853-09-29
Ine.day EvenIag. Sod. "a. ISIS
TFor the Daily Gazette. /

kS 0HNHNft 11N-AE H1AaNt"
pera:e~ temperance men"
There are only two ~"thonghts" in the
article worthy Of a review. The first re-
lates 10 inws Of prohibition, the second re-
spects the effects that would follow the
eeeetmepvots Prohibitofs li4aor law IN
Ohio.
The principle of prohibltory avs is re-
cognized and universally acted on, by God,
by man and by all societies. God protects
his own government By prohibiting certain
courses Of con luct, by stixing penalties to
his laws; by inficting those penalties on
transgressors, and thus subdues the enemies
of His Kingdom. This prIncipt is acted on
by all Parents in well regulated familiesiand
the p ace. and the happiness Of families oft
en- require, that pare uts shall enforce laws
OF prohibition, BY a,ithc wisdom which they
have, and by all the strength, properly ems
ployed which they possess. Society al
ways acts uponthis principle. in protecting
itself, Its a principle assumed by all civ-
il society that prohibitory law is inherent
in the nature Of its organizations, and an
attempt to organize such q society without
it would be a farce. Society has not only
the right but isl luad to enact laws of pro-
hlpitiun " oCNuDC tUG SHuS VI ITO OVEdulLd-
ton. 1t has thr right to prohibit the set
ting upaand prosecution Of any public busi-
ness,however lucrative il may be,if it is in
furious TO community, for the public good is
OF more consequence, than any private gain
could be. Blackstone says "Ifa man makes
his vices public, though they be such as
seem principally to affect himself Gas drum
kenness and the like) they then became by
the bad example they set, of pernicious eff
fects to society; and therefore tits the bus
mess of human laws to correct Them"
On this principle, our State Government
has enacted laws against gaming, against
lotteries, against counterfeiting the public
coin, against ~profaneness, and against pois-
onous or corrupted drugs. Gen. Jackson
acted on, aud carried out, the principle OF, a
prohibitory liquor law, when he forbade
the sale of whisky TO the Indians. General
Cass did the same when a., Secretary of
War, he prohibited the giving of rations of
ardent spirits, previously issued to the
troops. And the writer of that article, by
favoring a law TO regulate the trait c in iiq-
uors, sanctions the very thing which he con-
demns, for the principle Of the Maine law is
found in the law to regulate; the difference
being reduced to mere verbalism. the
right to regulate the traffic is admitted, then
the same power which could dictate how
liquor should be sold, when it should be
sold, where it should be sold, by whom sold,
prescribes the price for which it should be
sold, determines the quantity to be sold and
afix penalties, has the right to prohibit the
sale Of 1t as a beverage altogether, The
difference between regulation and prohibit
tion Is Of very microscopic Character
The utility Of a law Of prohibition we think,
will readily be admitted by the readers Of
this %articls. The objections urged against
such a law may with equal propriety be ad-
duced against laws Of re ulltion. For thir-
ty years we lave tried to regulate the liz
uor traffic, by toIerating it, licensi g IL, and
taxing II, and yet, in spite of all our Efforts
for the few last years,the evils Of intemper-
ance have increased. Now, according TO
the reasoning OF the writer Of that article
against prohibltory laws, the law to regu-
late the traffic encourages drinking "to eve
intent and purpose ,rtFthe drinkers law, the
drinkers o %n law, and only the drinkers
law"
Ifthe violation of a pr1hibitory law is O
reason why such laws should not exist, Their
God has been wrong, for from the first lie
has enacted such laws, and they have been
broken with impunity. The very first law
he gave to man was one of prohibition, and
IL was violated. Government has ever been
wrong in attempting to restrain the vices by
penal statutes. And we must cease our ex.
%ertions for a prohibitory lilnor law, drink
plenty of "Catawba," it will "couvert from
bpastly drunkenness TO a reasonable and
I., ~ ,.orN ,oh.,otu. ~ Il, N u,aei Tho nuiIs ri
incompetence are great; we cannot put
them away by law, but IN some way intem-
%perance will dry up of itself, Niagara will
run dry, old Ocean will evaporate. In such
reasoning there is more nonsense that com
mon sense. ftFfta
Nu'hing short ola stringent law to pro-
hibit the manufacture aud sale Of intoxicat-
ing liquors as Il beverage, will do away with
the evils Of intemperance, and | differ wide
" from the writer OF that article on the cre-
alton OF such a law in this state, and its be-
ing carried out, it will be passed; its en-
actment is placed beyond all contingency;
the yeomanry Of the land arc stirred, they
are rising in their majesty, all classes OF
community are awake; the decree has gone
forth from the fields and ~iresiles Of our
goodly State, that the desolations of rum
shall cease-that of its fearful work OF
death there shall be an end, andthousands oil
her freemen, guided by the mightof conscious
right, await but an opportunity to march to
the ballot box to secure so glorious an end,
Hthare be, any power in truth, any excel
lenco in virtae, or loyeliness in purity, we
shall succeed
The writer Of the article under cousidera.
ton attempts 10 show what would be the
F, effec, that would follow the enactment Of a
, prohibitory liquor law in this State, ] wish
, the writer had given us reliable data, strict
calculations, and true estimates, but he has
given us neither. lie makes statements
and then without accurate reasoning jump
Mt conclusions, which are mostly gratuitou:
assumptions. The extravagant manner ia
which he makes his broad assertions is cal
, culated to deceive and alarm that class o
citiz ms who fear lest the prohibition of the
r manufacture of alcoholic drinks, should very
materially depreciate the current markel
value Of corn. We will look this question
| fully in the face, and show that no such re,
suits would follow, but II tho farmer who
|, feeds the still, would feed his grain to hi
cattle or hogs he would make a much large
profit on his crop. From the census of the
|, United States we learn that eleven millions
a of bushels of corn are distilled in this coun
try per annum. This would be clever
bushels distilled to every six hundred raised
IL this eleven millions Of bushels were sun
in the ocean, and we should value 1t wort
! fifty cents u bushel, the loss would be on
cent and eipht mills or a dollar, or Mint