Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1853-05-03
ABOLITION OF THE LIQUOR TRAFFIC.
BY IuorAs MINOR.

to Oct. l6, 1S51-fouT and a half months after the
Law began-S. From Oct. 16, to Dec. 81, 1s51-
.a--
After many other striking statistics, proving a
decrease of crime. want, and misery, beyond all
the Mayor says:
"These statements collected from various
sources, all pointing significantly in one direction,
cannot fail 10 satisfy the most casual observer that
the operations of "TuE MAINE LAW if steadily
enforced, will sweep awaya proportion of the
poverty, pauperism, crime, and suffering with
which we have been afflicted,-the result of the
traffic in strong drink"
So long you tolerate trait traffic. People of Vir-
ginia! "experience is cheat, and fact LIAR if
any one of you, whatever his own habits, is safe
from its all peryading mischiefs To be himself
the life long votary of "rotal Abstinence" is no
protection from them So long as shops are
dotted over the land he is always in danger of some
fatal stab to his peace. His son, or his daughters
husband, may be wlled into tthe pleasing snares
oi' Intemperancc: his servants corrupted, and led
to steal the means of shaking thirst; perhups to
do him irreparabe injury-to cripple his hoIse-to
lose their own lives or kill another-to overturn
carriage with his loved ones in it-or to burn his
dwelling. The writer's wife has within the last
year, twice been frightened and endangered; once
by drunken negro IN solitary walk, and once
by two drunken white men, straining their horses
past her, as she rode out, attended by q servant.
More recently, while neighbours wife was at
church, her carriage driver became drunk at tav-
ern close by; and on mounting his seat 10 drive
home, greatly frightened and imperilled her; till
male friend took his place-making the tipsy negro
ride the gentleman's horse. While this Address is
in progress, a negro man worth $500, belonging to
The children of lately deceased lady in the same
neighborhood, returning drunk from whisky shop,
has been drowned in a swollen river.
"It is an enormous lie,'' says great orator of
Ohio, "lat if you let liquor alone, it lcH hurt
by liquor, the drunkard's wife who abhors it as an
emanation of He'll, would not be rendered
wretched by it: nor would his children be made
ragged beggars."
Some will object, that as they have never been,
and are never likely 10 be MISUNDERSTANDING
entire command of themselves-it is unjust 10 put
pleasant and Ito them) wholesome indulgence
out of their reach, al least 10 make it very diff
cult and expensive, merely because Others will
not, or can not, control their appetites.
For such as hold this language, all future drum.
kards are to come: for every drunkard that ever
lived, was once temperate drlnker. And very
many who talk thu S, are already drunkards, in
tverybody's eyes but their own: there being num-
bereSs examples of men who drank each his pint,
or his quart daily, and whose fiery faces and clouds
ed minds clearly told every calm behoder the lear
full truth; yet who would Indignantly, (and sim
cerely) repel the charge of intemperance. There
is a vast preponderence too of medical authority,
for the belief that alcaholic liquor ought to be
used by persons in health. sH ST
But waving all these answers to the objection;
and supposing that all who urge it are perfectly
safe, both from the drunkard's fate and from injury
10 their healths:-shall this baleful tide of death
and woe be suffered to roll on-the very vitas of
liberty, of social peace and domestic happiness be
blasted-that the means of self indulgence may be
easier to the comparatively few, from whom that
objection will be heard U.-- er-f
In other cases. the pride, appetites, or pleasures
of individuals are not allowed 10 obStruct the Pub
lie Good, even in far more trivial things-It would
delight many young gunner, 10 kill awild deer,
at any season: but for more than half the year he
cannot not, without mourning fine OF S5.-Many
like sober game ut cards, ten pins or bagatelle
without betting; and by such means could pleas
antly, and safely to themselves, quicken the flag
ging wings of weary hours about court-houses and
other public places. have decided relish for
such games: never having betted, being likely to
bet, penny at any of Il EN-. Yet could not in
dulge that relish at any public place, though bet
ted nothing, without fine OF $50, and other disa-
greeable consequences. (See ante p. 6.-I have a
pair of excellent pocket pistols, which l should
like sometimes to carry about me undisplayed, 10
amuse an idle hour. But to do so would subject
me TO fine OF Observation-Disclosures vaccination
was known, the smallpox was nearly dlsarmed of
Its terrors by voluntary incubation; after prepar
atory course of medicine and diet. Many people
chung to that methed, long after the new one had
proved its great superiority 10 most minds: and of
lnocuated patients, far smaller proportion died
OF the treatment, than the proportion of drinkers
who have died from drinking. Yet, if any lover of
old ways were now 10 "inoculate himself or anoth-
er, or suffer himself to be inoculated, unless at
hospital established by laws" he would be liable
to line OF $500 Va Code, p: 1896, III; and our
former Code would have made his fine 81 500, or
even $1,000 r. G. of1S19, pot 2. p. 2s9, $50, III
In all these instances, and in the scores of SINH
lar ones, where our Code makes individual enjoy
ment yield to public utility, be it noted that fines
and sometimes imprisonment attend the selfindul-t
gence while the proposed Law threatens the drink
er with no penalty; but aims only 10 remove temp
tation from HIM, and TO put beyond his easy reach
the means of mischief to himself or others. Shame
to the selhshness, that in order to heap up higher
its already overfull measure of luxuries, would en-
danger the lives of thousands, and the happiness OF
myrads! Such selfshness is worse than that of
the soft, voluptuous Sybarite, who would have ST.
fenced the hum OF industry, and s:illed its Heaven
prompted activity in the streets, because disturb
ed his late, morning SAUNDERS.
Hitherto, have heard of the selfish objection as
coming chiefly, if not solely, from persons, whose
wealth, or characters, OF positions high
official stations, sometimes their ungrutlgng hospi-
tallties, and sometimes even richly stored minds
cause them to be considered Especially by them
selves as of "The Upper Glasses" --High Life, if
such were its true would be- among
men, what Mont Blanc is among its neighborine
mountains; distinguished by iciness; and barren
glitter, more than by elevation: region where hu-
man feeling never dwells. Such denizens of High
Life. in their ignorance disregard of the drink
engendered mseries endured by less fortunate elias.
ses, sorry imitation of heather philosophers
deities; who according to hm) dwelt in the high
est Heavens, quafing their nectar, and absorbed in
the contemplation of their own PROJECTIONS and fe-
licity; wholly unmoved and untouched by the pray
ers or the sufferings of mortals below. Happy
would it be for Virginia, if all of her s=lfsupposed
clipper Glasses were as harmless as those Epicu-
rean Deities were only neutral as to human veal
)0r woe-and did not (many of them), by obstruct-
ing wholesome reforms, and by bad influences in
many ways, resemble Powers of Darkness more than
Powers of Light
The e-blood of republic, is the intelligence
and virtue of its people. The exalted task Of gov
erning country (Which is your task) requires cool
and clear heads, enlightened minds, and pure, I'M
impassoned hearts. All these are totally incom-
patible with drinking habits. s5y
There are, in Virginia, $4,000 white men and
women who cannot read or write. And of those
who can,-how large proportion read SO poorly,
or so little as to have almost knowledge of His