Loudon free press. (Loudon, Tenn.) 1852-1855, 1853-11-18
For the London Free Press

he the eaaeious author of such ';world of
misery" as has evidently produced the lackry-
mase effusion which appears in your issue Of
the 18th ult., over the signature of * We
ask thousand pardons of our sensitive friend
/ K, and assure him most depricatingly that we
had no intentions whatever, by the little squib
which we sketched curente calnmo, for your
columns, to stir the fountain Of his sensitive
ness so terribly.
We entirely misjudged the temperament of
tais anti-"Maine Law" champion; and as the
best amends for our unfortunate erTor, we will
beseechingly request and entreat "hll whom it
NAV concern" to deal tenderly with hypolanchi-
cal constitutions, lest they be so completely
overwhelmed that it would take them ''two full
weeks to collect their broken spirits and screw
up their courage" And as further means to
quiet the marhiic nervousness, and placate the
malgn spirit which we greatly fear, we have
stirred (most innocently we ayer,lwe would ear
nestly depricate all such fantastic tricks" be-
ing played at the expense of our friend n by
the school-going of Heavens best gift to man
as we have heard of being done sometimes
about certain ri1ages lest some great evil come
upon his delicately organised nervous constitu-
ton One word of admonition, however to our
friend K-that it would be economy to bestow
his sympathies upon those who need them and
consequently those who would appreciate them.
The premises considered we hope our friend
K. will not hold US to a rigid responsibility for
whatever agency we have innocently had in elic.
iting the hysterical exhibitions to which allu-
sion has been made. The offence IF any, hav-
! ing been unintentiona, we hope in the benevo-
/ lence of his heart it will be adjudged pardona
| bic also.
ok" seems to think our inference that he, as
opposer of the Maine Law "must have the good
critter" has treated Wbately and Hedge, ct id
anne geaus with great disrespect and that we
have advanced from premise to eoRclnsion.-
! Our suggestion which was from Grgumen-
tim ad hdmiRum mot more than sermiserious
at best) was directed rather against the spirit
of opposition to the Maine Law, than the eff
fects of any particular individual, and in that
we feel supported by the soundest logic and our
entire observation. The 'Maine Law" makes
an assault upon drunkenness from its origin in
the fermentation of the still-tub to Its consuma-
ton in the retail whiskey shop. Those who
! love it regard the attack as being made upon
friend, and hence "make show of fight'-labor
to repel the assault. We hope this will prove
to be the light which K. with apparent incredu
| litydemands.
But Ok has heard or read of certain Gov
ernor who said in speech on one occasion that
the law was not enforced, and hence denomi
mates it "stupendous humbugF' Well it may
be true that one man could be found away up
in New England, and that man a Governor,
who was opposed to the great temperance move
ment of the age; and that one Governor may
be "high-minded honorable man," but we
would like to know what Whetley would say to
| that logic which sets down the opinion of any
individual man conclusive upon a point which
| the honest convictions of the people and the
cool and delberative wisdom of legislatures
have settled differently?
We accord to K. only such information as ev-
cry man should possess who assumes to write
for the public, when we presume him to be ac-
! quainted with the fact, that in the face of his
favorite New England Governors speech, State
alter State has gone on to enact the 'Maine
Law, and we feel justified by facts officially
and unofheially reported of the happy workings
Of the "Naine Law" to appeal to its results as
the best indication of the wisdom and plilan-
thropv, not to say heightened and enlightened
/ christianity which devised it. 1t occurs to us,
that no mind unbiased by prejudice can survey
the broad scene of the Maine Law operations,
brief as they have been and observe he diminu-
ton of the consumption Of ardent spirits-the
lessenning of drunkenness, crime, vice and pau
perism, not to descend to its social and domes-
tic results, can for a moment doubt its good re-
suits. He may however still oppose its adop-
ton, and it may be for ''reasons all his own"
still we cannot think the beneficial effects of the
Maine Law is or can be seriously questioned or
nationally doubted.
AS to the enforcement of the law, l would re-
fer X. to a letter written by Mr.. Dow of Maine,
in reply to certain interrogatories propOunded
by a Tennessean relative to its enforcement &C.,
from which the following is an extract:
'The Maine Law is lreU executed in Maine
| and Vermont and is accomplishing a rast
amount of gOod, -annihilating the rum selling
business in almost every part of those States.
1t is also executed with good results in Massa-
chusetts.' Again he says: "The law is exc
cuted with as much ease and quiet as any other
law" Again: "The law is no failure; on the
contrary there was never law enacted in Maine
which accomplished more easily its object, or
which was more popular among the people of
all classes and conditions in all parts of Maine"
Now, this is indirect contradiction to what
KS Governor says. and which shall we believe?
Now, we are no stickler for names nor precise
forms. If any one finds fault with the Maine
Law under that name we have no objection to
its being called another and any name. If
/ some of the provisions of the Maine Law are
impolitic and others defective, land we think
they are,) let those be expunged and these
amended. But let us have law that embOdies
the principle of prohibition applied to the man.
ufacture and sale of ardent spirits. But the
manufacture and sale, as well as the use of
BOwie-kn1ves, Arkansas Tooth-picks &C., are
prohibited by the Law of Tennessee.
This prohibition is based upon the same poll
cy; embodies the same restrictions of individu-
al action as the law in question and is in all res
poets analogous to It. This by way of reputa-