The Belmont chronicle, and farmers, mechanics and manufacturers advocate. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1848-1855, 1853-08-05
A ID d r E S S

OF BOBERT MEAMEY0 Sr.,
Delirered al IL meeting Of The Sons of Liberty,
heif in The Grous near Samuel Rankins, in
Kirhioood tamnship, on Saturday, The 23d If
Ju,y, 1853.
FELiow.crTlzsNs: feel that owe an apology
to this audience, you, or the greater portion of
you, are well aware that make no pretensions
to being public speaker; my habits Of life have
beer that Ofa thinker and not n talker, conse.
quently | have never cultivated the flowers of
Oratory, you will therefore have to be the more
liberal in your allowances, both as TO the mat.
ter and the manner in which | shall address
you.
We are.met in accordance with the call Of your
central committee appointed at previous meet.
ing held in this place, TO consult together, e. to
have an interchange of sentiments in respect TO
the best means to be adopted to arrest the en-
croachments of certain would be reformcrs of
the present day, upon our reserved and inalicn-
able rights; the encroachments of men who, by
their action clearly demonstrate, that they be.
licve mankind, Tor at least that portion of them
who do not see through thoir spoctacles,) are not
rational intelligcncies, and therefore, like ami.
mails, they should be yokGd und ietterod. | say
they by their action, yea, they say orally. we
cannot govern onrselves--we cannot govern our
appetites, thereby giving the lie to the theory
aud practice of our republican foreluthors, as
well as to the precepts taught us by our old re-.
spected mothers. My position has always been
that the force Of public opinion, properly drec.
ted is Ill powerful in correcting the buses Of so.
ciety, hence my unbolicf in legislative enact.
nents TO carry out n moral reform. But there
are u class of Moralists in these DAYS who arc
ever striving to make the world believe they ire
great rciormcrs, and il il were not for thom and
their lLbors, nations would be hurled from ex-
lstenco, and ruin and anarchy prevail; and a.
mong these we find some OF the weakest and
most sclfconccited portion of community. yet
these do good occasionally, by showing us how
dangerous II Is to place power in the hands of
such individuals, Now hold you cannot lee is.
late morals into people, ift the moral sensc, of
a community does not condemn error the stat.
ute book cannot eradicate il; laws may restrain
but never did reform. There are u greut many
excesses in life, and many are disposed to in.
dulgo in them, liquor, il taken in excess, will do
harm, none deny it, so will excess in cating, and
30 will excess in many other things, ind Nature
Furnishes man for oil excesses, she speaks to him
in the most powerful language; be temperate, be
chastc .or excess OF !ntemperancc and voluptous.
ness will destroy thy being Nature Wills that
vice aud intcmperance shall ever be their own
punishment, und that virtue and temperance
shall mover go unrewarded. No one denies that
ntemperance is the great bane of tho human
family, but will your ordinance, or your Maine
law, put n stop to in never; so long as there arc
buyers there will be sellers, this is us
clear as any demonstration In Mathematics
have said you cannot legislate morals into peo.
plo, II You can, you can also legislate religion
IL il is eiiectual in the one case il is equally so
In tho other, then would say to you lei us LEG.
slate religion into all the world, but un fortun.
ntcly, poor, short sighted Bigotry, aud Fanuti.
cism, her twin sister, have tried centuries gone
by and allied, just as our would ho rcformcrs
will ever fail while following in the same paths.
What kindled tho fires of Smithfeld7 What O.
roctcd the Inqusition with all its horrors2 In a
word what shed the blood of all the Martyrs2-
II was all the effect Of legisating morals and rei
gion into tho people. Witness the blue laws of
Connecticut, the laughing stock of all who read
them, which fined man for kissing his wife on
the sabbath day, or for taking a chew of tobac.
co.. which punished women for scolding by duck.
ing them; these had their origin from al the ri.
diculous attempts to legislate morals into that
community. But our reiormers are more blind
than they for these have tho example of their
failure before them. And by whom were these
sang urinary and absurd laws c0ncoctcd7 Shall
say it, by Bigots, Demagogues, Fanatics and
Fools, both in Morals, Religion and Politics.
But will do justice to tho temperance reform
movement. While il had for It's only weapon
moral suasion IL was all powerful in doing good
! witnessed It's operation; many Of my neighbors
who used to keep their barrel of Whskey by
them, and furnish II 90 their laboring hands who
thought they could not treat friend W th proper
hospitality unless rhcy set the bottle before
them all silently and quietly laid aside the Gus.
tom, thereby paying due respect to public opin.
ion. 1nd what say these same men now, whom
temperance men have abandoned the old ground
and adopted the harsh doctrine of legal suasion?
Why these same men say; you may lead us but
drive US never; we now behold in this your
course tho first step towards despotism, while
you profess only to be aiming blow at tho un.
Scrupulous vender, you are striking at tho very
roots OF tho tree of liberry,wh hich cherish and
adore; in tho name Of common sense cannot you
reach tho yenal and corrupt without break.
ing the shins of tho upright and honest.
but temperance men, pr0foss1d reformers !
mean, have abandoned their old platform, as |
always believed they would, ha ve been often SO
cited TO join the old Washingtonians, 80 called,
but always kept aloof u when strong Il plausi.
bio arguments were used TO induce mo TO ioin
TO add my influence to theirs, my reply invaria.
bly, was. tho world here had the influence of NV
example. was u rigid temperance man bo.
fore your reform began; though have all conf.
dcnco In your honesty Of purpose now, | doubt
not the time will como when you will be asking
Tor legislation 10 aid you Ia your purposes. This
was utterly disclaimed. / said, unprincipled
men will get among you who will take tho lead,
Who regarding nothing else but their own ag.
grandizement will make II hobby to ride into
Office aud power and will rush YOU and yony
cause into the abyss that will DESTROY ALI the
bright prospects you have pictured To your yiew.
Is not tina. prediction being verifed1 l also
promised that so long as they continued on their
then proposed platform, (moral suaoion,) though
would not become member would not law a
straw In their way, but so soon as they began 10
ask for legislation TO coerce men, ucdou6tediy
would oppose them, and | now feel il obligatoryy
on me 10 redeem that pledge, but have psocras
tlnsted the time longer than should have done,
=. ala IL.