The Belmont chronicle, and farmers, mechanics and manufacturers advocate. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1848-1855, 1853-10-07
WHOLE NO. SS4

Paul says: have no fellowship with tho nm
fruitful works Of darkness but rather ronrovs
: them-(did he mean the divisions If ,ho
se"styIed sons o! temperance! But the cry
Is prohibition, seizure and destruction. Iike
the cry OF old, Cruelty him, cruelty him. In
tolerance, that Hellish spirit, is the same now
that 1T was in days gone by, it will not allow
men to think and act Tor themselves. There
IS nothing more abhorent to the christian 70.
lIgion than the spirit of intolerance. II bos
plunged the dagger into innocent blood. do.
populated towns and cities Overturned state.
ana Empires, and brought the vengeance of
hea'eh on guilty world. The pretence to
superior knowledge, sanctiy and authority
TOR its support is the grief of wisdom and tho
Paroxism Of folly, to fetter conscience il in.
justice, to ensnarc it is sacrilece. 70 tor,ura
1t Is abominable. Intolerance il is the most
abandoned violations of all the maxms of
religion and morality. May we not Justly saw
we have clan of men sprung up AMONGST Us
(sei'Styled sons Of tempcrance) who are likely
to deceive many, who, like the Phprisees lcr
old among the Jews, are seeking 10 sbo,Ssb
the truth and will come nigh to do il. toocb.
ing for doctrines the commandments of mon
ehcompasslng sea and land to make proselytes.
ana "hen they have made them what are
they Are they any better than other mont
are they any better christians anv better
citizens, are they any purer patriots tban
those who fought for and obtained the rher.
''eS we no" ENJOY! where will you find one
among the whoie clan who lives up to that
fundamental rule Of right, do unto others as
ye would they should do unto you.
hold that any legislation on the subiec,
OF lntemperance, whereby the rights of 9th.
ers are affected, and not the inebriate il
UNJUST tyrranical and oppressive, contrary to
the rights OF man, contrary to the spirit of
our institutions, and cannot be enforced. But
IKE the celebrated Kirkwood ordinance. re-
man mere nulity. We have law arainst
sabbath breaking. When or where is II over
put IN force, except to crafty private spleen,
Yet we see the Sabbath weekly dcsecroted
and why is it so! Because it is known TO be
la" that inter'eres with the rights of con-
science, and ought not to be on our Statute
DOCKS. We have those amongst US who re-.
J ilgiousiy regard the seventh day Of the week as
the Sabbath. majority in conformity with the
statute recognise the first lay of the week as
the Sabbath. Now the statute seeks To ,omneI
those who regard the seventh day to keep
two days out of seven. One on account
( oil the law, the other for the sake of con-
science. we also have law against profane
swearing. Who puts it in force, except
through malice, private hate, &c. Both of
! these laws are as it were a dead letter on
our statute books, and for all the rood thew
n ha .;o
laws relate to matters between the offender
and his God, and affect not the rights of 9TH
ers.-The sole object of government may be
summed up in this to protect the person,
the property, and the reputation Of the citi-
zen, (not subject as ]. w. N. says.) Any
thing further by way Of enforcing morals &
religion is not in accordance with civil and
religious liberty, and on usurpation of tho
rights of man.
: Our Maine Law writer says in regard of
public opinion, that public opinion will vet
find expression In the Maine Law-Public opin.
should be regulated with strict regard to
the laws of nature, this it is not always right
it should be, as it is the great regulator Of
the world. One of the great evils is ito
abuse, when it becomes guided by the
splenetic will Of medI!ing busy bodies, by
sanctifed hypocrites, by selfish, calculating
scoundres, who manufacture it in the streets,
in the Pulpit and in the public prints. 1t
may find expression in prohibitory laws, and
absurd civil enactments. We once had a
hard cider campaign, the exact type of the
present temperance crusade, the offspring of
which was bankrupt law. The people on
second thoughts repudated both it and it's
authors, and many who voted for it had to
vote for its repeal.
The advocates of the Maine Law, when
ever they speak or write on the subject, do
always commit the egregious blunder (whe-
, ther intentional or not will leave to them
to decide) Of confounding the temperate use
with the intemperate abuse Of the thing, and
!, endeavor to make the manufacturer and the
/ vender scape goats for the drunkard. Now
if the manufacture and sale be made crime
Of, why not make the raising and sale of hor-
ses crime, for men do sometimes be guilty
Of stealing them. Why not prohibit money!
Men vii. murder, rob, steal and forswear
, themselves to obtain it. God, according to
our Maine Law men, must have committed
a very great error when he placed old father
r Eden, and pointed out to them the forbidden
. fruit, by saying to them, of all the trees in
. the garden thou mayest eat except that
= one in the midst of the garden, of it thou
q shalt not eat. What a pity the Buckeye
! Broad-Axe or some of those two dollar lee
!, turers had not been present to have instruct
= ed him better, to have said to him, removs
!, the temptation, pluck up the tree and cast il
;, over the wall. What an amount Of crime
4 might have been prevented, and above all.
:, what an amount of money could have besa
= saved but unfortunately God had no instruct.
! error took his own counsel, g. conducted mat.
. ters his own way. Carry out this absurd prin.
ciple of making one man accountable for, or
> punishable for the derelictions Of another.
= and you must make the artisan who makes
r the firearms guilty for the improper use Of
! them-some one have shot themselves or o.
:, theirs with them. The knile-maker too
some fool cut his throat with knife, or stab
bed some one else. The rope-maker, he toe