Plymouth banner. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1852-1855, 1853-04-28

J o Inc H0HOTuOtC tHC Leg tStutUTC OF tBS
State of Ne,U York:
This is, believe, the first time in the
history of our State, that woman has
come before this Honorable body 10 state
the legal disabilities dndef which, as wo-
men, we have thus far lived and labored.
Though our grievances are many, and our
causes of complaint, if set forth, would
he as numerous as those made by our
forefathers against their king; yet. in be-
half of the women of this State, appeal
! to YOU t this time, for the redress Of
those only growing out of the legalIzed
traffic in ardent spirits. We come not
! TO tell you of orphans tears, widows
groans, and the blasted hopes of wives
and mothers We come not with the
statistics TO prove to you the enormity of
this traffic, its pecuGlary loss TO state,
family and individual; nor the amount of
crime and misery it brings with it. No;
oceans of eloquence have already been
poured out, and volumes Of statistics
written Oh this question. You all know
the wretchedness and poverty produced
bv this tra file. therefore we come not 10
times before, but we come to propose to
You to DO for us one OF two things. Ell
!her to remode! your State Constitution,
that women may vote on this great po
litical aud social evil, and thus relieve
herself of the terrible injustice that now
: Expresses her. or be in fact what, as men
you now claim to be. her faithful repre-
Sentatl,es, her legal protectors, her chiv-
alrous knights.
/ If you wisely choose the first PROPOSE
ton, and thus relieve yourselves of the
kurdel of all special legislation for one
million and half of disenfranchised sub
jects. giving us equal rights citizens,
: with all white male citizens, then WE
/ have nothing more TIC ask. Our cour rise,
under such circumstances, would be clear
and simple. We should not long stand
! gaping into the heavens, our tempe
rance saints row do, voting rum into
high places. and then praying it to walk
out. But ifyou still hug the delusion,
that you can legisate for us better than
we could for ourselves, and still insist on
! looking after our best interests and pro-
tectng US in our sacred rights, at least
permit us, from lime to time, to tell you
Of our wants and needs. For is it not
fair to infer that, in the progress of the
race, as man is continually demanding
for himself more enlarged liberty, that
as his whole bein, develops he requires
new modes Of action. and new laws to
govern him. that woman too, following
in the wake of her liege lord, may, in the
course o: human events, require some
new privileges and immunities?
First, then, as our faithful representa-
tives.' we ask you to give us the Maine
Law. which has been so glorious In Its
results in those States where 1t has been
fully tried. Now that we see our door
of escape open, from the long line OF ca
lamities that intemperance has brought
upon the head of woman, we would fdin
enter in aal be at peace. We have long
and patiently waited for you to take some
effective action on the abOminab Bile ira ffic;
and now, feeling that the time has fully
come. we pray you 20 act promptly and
wisely. Let the work of to-day tell on
all coming generations-that each one
composing this august body may be en-
shrined, with "a grateful RENE mbrance, In
the hearts OF thousands, and thus form a
more glorious era on the pages OF future
history than even the revolutions OF l776. |
But if you are not prepared to give us
the Moine Law, and thus suppress the
traffic altogether, then, as you love JUS
tice, remove from il all protection. DO
not legdize it in any way. Let the trade !
he free, and then let all contracts In
which rum is involved be null and void
\ man cannot come into court with his
gambling debts-neither let HIM with his
rum debts; for what better is m-selling
than gamblingt or the rum Ter than the
gamester? Then. do away with all Ii
cense laws, and take no cognlzAnce oil the
monster evil-for what a government IL
censes. it does not condemn.
Now, this traffic is either right or
wrong. If right, let it be subject TO the |
same laws as all other articles OF COM
merce; if wrong, let those who carry 1t
on be treated as criminals by the govern
ment, throwing OIL them the responslbili-
ty of all the pau2erism and crime they
directly or indirectly produce
The present position of our govern
ment on this scbject is most discouraglng |
to the friends Of temperance, and shows
lamentabe want OF high moral tone In
those who make our laws, or those who
make our law makers To make provis-
ion as to how or by whom this traffic shall
be carried on, is to recognize IN certain
class of men, the right to take the lives
and property of their fellows. Upon
what principle do our rum sellers and
distillers form themselves into great
monopoly in our midst, to work all man.
ner Of evil, to sow death and destruction
on all sides? Because they are a ma jor-