The Ohio organ, of the temperance reform. (Cincinnati, [Ohio]) 1853-1854, 1853-09-23


hideous variety Of forms-eternal
death here have their origin. It is
the source Of more evil to body and
soul than any other, or than most
others combined. The low grog shop
where men meet when days work is
done; where the card table and the
dice box relieve the slow moving hours
and from whence the brutal hus-
band goes to torture his miserable
family, or the midnight rioter to terrify
peaceable citizens with his howls, and
the murderer to waylay his victim.
Here victims are made for the gallows,
and from this spot the most terrible
passages in the dark chapter of crime
have their force and explanation. 1t
is just as impossible to stay the pro-
gress Of crime in this land without
the overthrow of these shops, as it
would be to cure the pestilence with.
out the removal of the miasma that
effects the atmosphere and putriGes
its strength. That body Of men,
whether they be the councilmen of
a city or the Board Of Excise Of a
town, or whatever else they may be
called who grant licenses to such
places, are participators, morally, in
all the evil of which they are the
origin and life. Indirectly they had
a hand in that murder where one in
toxicated wretch struck down his
fellow in brawl, on the floor of that
den whose keeper had been licensed
for a few paltry shillings to deal in
crime and death. They are in some
measure responsible for the blow
which stretched lifeless at the feet
of her drunken husband that poor
heart broken wife, whose happiest
hour was when she fell there bleeding
and mangled, dead. 0, we have
heard oil this beforel See everywhere
the temperance lectures published
within the last thirty years! So you
have, and the fearful reports which
every day comes to us from the police
courts in our State-the statistics Of
death that the press is gathering and
heaping up and forcing on the notice
of the public-all these show that
there is head and deep fountain Of
crime somewhere which should be
sought out and destroyed. They
show too that "grog shops" are a
most prolific source Of crime, and
that to these the attention of the re-
former, legislator and magistrate should
at once be turned. Ii the public have
not spoken on this subject before, it is
because crime had not become so bold
but now there seems to be such an
increase of it, that for their own
protection the public must speak. If
there is no alternative between the
increase of crime and the enactment
and enforcement of the Maine law
we shall heartily pray for the latter.
Nothing but stern execution of the
law, regardless of the outcries and
threats of the keepers of these hot
beds of vice, will ever exterminate
them. How pitiable it is that public
authorities dare not refuse to license
these places, lest their votes and the
votes Of the miserable gang that hang
about the should be cast for them 'other
party" at the election. What a
brigtening curse on all efforts atreform
and an efficient and feraless discharge
of duty, is this dread of becoming
obnoxious to such voters. But so it
is that vice and crime must be allowed
to prevail and raise their hideous
features in our midst, around our
homes, and on all our public walks,
because votes will be lost if grog shop
keepers, masters of gamblers hells,
and street rowdies are not conciliated
and kept all right for "our party"
Seriously are the judiciary-.the
police, and all the executive and ad-
ministratiye powers of the law, to