Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1849-1856, 1853-03-31
speech Of atcV. MIR. LOvcjOy,
Before he Committee ef the Mdssachu-
1as legislature on Me repeal ef lie
Maine Lau


peal oi the law--nnd he would attempt
To State some OF the many reasons
which had brought han To Ihai conciu-
sion-- although lie was aware ol lIe
deep feeling ol prejudice IN the country
iu iavor oi The law, yet he was CERTAIN
thar 1t was wi hout foundation. lie
knew that truth was stronger than this
prejudice. and would COZ quer IN spite
Gi II. His first, pIaln, bold reason ~ In.
vor OF its rel cal is this Ii Is directly
against The word al God. Ii makes il q
crine IN manufacture, Furnish or sell in
toxicaling drink as beverage-and it
punishes the act OF doing so as a crime.
The word oi God, both Ia the Old and
New Testament ,oleraies, permits,
speaks in praise "f intoxicating drink
as beverage. II Ibis proposition is
sustained the law must fall or the
Scriptures must fall-and which shall
iall there can be no doubt.
FIRST, he would cite hat formula OF
blessings in which was summed up all
earthly good. "Your corn, your uine
and yo r oil shall be multiplied."-
This formula WIS pronounced by in
spIred lips. Now substitute what your
law Gays, aud il would be-"Your corn,
your poison and your OIL" How would
that sound as a hlcssing7 Bu, it was
the blessing, il the law is right. When
Isaac blessed Jacob, he said he "was
10 be blessed with corn, oil and rine ~
and Judah, on whom was TO fall the rich
est olcssing--he was to have wine in
abundance, 10 wash his clothes in wine,
In Eaa U,.
nouncing blessing upon the Jswish
priests, Gou blessed them with corn,
oil and wine. Wine was classed in the
provisions TO be made tor the PRIESTS
These were but few OF the instances
in which wine might be cited AZ pro-
nounced blessing by inspired men un-
der the old dispensniion.
We cUme then 10 the new dispensa-
ion, in which Gods character was pre-
sen,ed end personified. He who spake
as never man spaae, and never erred,
appeared. His first miracle was 10
change water into wine, and present ii
on a ieslive occasion. Ii was not a
small but large quantity, some l20
gallons AID then at the command Of
the Saviour i, was presented to those
assembled. The law is therefore in
conflict with Christianity, and il must
be shlvered, Or Christianity must fall
and MahUmedanisn be Introduced
Suppose the marriage s,ene was here
before US, and the Saviour was about
10 speak the word 10 change tie water
into wine would you dare interpose
the word, the thought, or The act TO
stop him and yet il lie did actually
change that wafer into wine, he made
himself amenabls 10 your law, and it
would fine, impIison, uhx the Stigma
OF crime OH the author oil Christianity
himself.
Heknew the way in which those in
favor OF The law crept out from this di-
lemma-meet il they could not No
man has met it but Mahomet. Ifyou take
out one stone from the fabric you may
another ill it tails. But they can't GET
by the fact they will say Tie wine spo-
ken olin the Old Testament was not al
cohol!c wine. Some who embraced
this view, some years since askcd Mr..
Smith, a missionary in Palestine, to at
Ger Iaiu whoiher this view was right
whether the people Of that country had
a " inc not alcoholic. He went into il,
and as the result, said the Jews rcQuir-
ed wine for the Passover that is fully
fermented, ripe and smooth, and would
have nothing else. He was told that
suci. thing as wine without isrmenta-
ton was never heard e: there, and he
(Mr. Lovejoy) did not believe it was
anywhere I'LL the Yankee nation inven-
led IT. The worlds definition of wine
is that j, is something tormen,ed. He
would put il 10 the Committee whether
a law which inpeaches every patriarch,
prophet, and the author Of ChristIanty
himself 10 not against the word OF God.
This was his first reason. He asked in
an association Of fifteen clergymen, re-
Gently, their opinion about this matter Of
uniermenled wine in olden times, and
all but three believed the wine used
then was iermented
The second reason for the repeal is
that it is law Of false pretenccs in its
name aud all its sections. When a
man has txo or three names, he makes
himself suspicious. So of IL law. In
Maine this law is called "a law Tor the
suppression Of t'ppling houses and
drinking shops"-here it is called the
law TO regulate the manufacture and
sale Of intoxicating dI inks" But this
does no, tell It's name. It's true name II
written upon it would Kill it, It is law
TO enforce total abstinence. That was
what il was introduced Tor, and what
has led 10 it's being brought forward
here. He knew the answer TO this
''we dom, NEEDLE with what II man has
10 drink '-bu is ii not the same thing
to deprive nan from getting a thing,
as TO cay he shall not have it2 What
a man has right TO use he has right
10 get, aud you have no right to pre-
vent Lim. 1t is said that tins law 10 TO
diminish taxes. Taxes bear hardest
Oh those who pay them. This move
meni did not originate with tax payers.
The heaviest taxpayers are in favor OF
| its repeal. Another reason for bringing
| il here is to reuuce crime. Those most
conversant with crime did not start this
movement. 1t began with The total alb
slinence committee. Why didn't they
ndtI,e The child after i's iather7 Be-
cause the State would not own it il
they did. Sci us no example Of circui-
tous le gisla ion-lendirg TO tea;h deceit
and dissi,nulstion.
1t ough, to be repealed because it
was enacted bya near approximation
Of religion AMI politics. He did not
mean TO object 10 persons legislanng
from religious motives. But there are
Two wants in the community-pol,ical
and religous-ihe firstleading 10 courts
ihe other TO churches; ard these two
are TO walk side by side, but not IN the