The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1853-10-25

just as much infatuated on the subject of drink
ing liquor. They say they ought to drink it
moderately, but they can't do il. They might
just as well talk of having the cholera moderate
yl,or the yellow foyer moderately;of sprinkling
little of those diseases around, here and thcro
in family. and keeping it away from the sat.
He never heard of but one such instance. and
he did not moro than half believe that. That
was once when the measles wa, around, boy
said 1t was SO light in their family, that they
only had one meazle between them, aud that
didn't effect much. Uaughter) NO
He commented in various parts of his ad-
dress on the character of liquor dealers. They
were many of them generous good hearted men,
when away from their bars; if they met a hun
gary child in the street, they would DO the first
to relieve it; il they found poor woman who
needed assistance thoy would give it. But lot
the same woman come to them the next day
behind their bars, and tell them that liquor
was running her family, and beseech them not
10 sell any more to her husband and they void
toll her it was their business to sell liquor. they
had right 10 sell it and should sell, and II her
husband was fool enough to get drunk on it,
they were sorry for it, but couldn't help it.
They were compelled to say this as long as
they remnined in that business.
TLey knew il was disreputabe, and were a
shamed of it. All other classes advertised
their products, and kept specimens to exhibit.
But we never see liquor dealer putting up
sign-"Drunkards made herep-or "Poison,
Misery and Death sold here" Not at ALL
They put sign with "Refreshments," ""Warm
meals at all hours or something of that kind
on il.
They never put up specimens of their work
in their windows, and when n man comes in,
ask him. "Well. sir. how shall make you
drunk? Like that red-nosed, bloatod fellow
there, on brandy-or like that haggard look
ing fellow there, on bad wbiskey!' They new
or ask any such questions as thcse-they new
er point out any specimens of their mnnufac-
ture, hut keep them out of sight if possible.
He urged that the respectable liquor deal
ers who sold "o7ly to gentlemen" were the
most injurious of any class. They were what
caused men to begin to drink, and the low
doggerios finished them after they had got "out
of pocket" and ont at the elbows, so thew
could no longer drink at respectable houses"
He said the difference between the rum-seller
and the robber was, that the robber meets his
victim in some lone place, and with his pistol
presented, says-"Your money or your life
while the rum-seller meets his victim with a
bottle, and says, "Your money and yonr life,
and gets both!
IIo condemned license laws as wholly inef
fectual ana ofno avail. They had always been
evaded and always would be. And the whole
secro; of the opposition of rum -sellers to tho
Maine Law. was because it uas effectnal-be-
cause it would accomplish its object. This
was what had given them such sudden and
deep interest in the cause Of temperance
They were all temperance. every one of 'em.
You couldn't find man who was noi tempe
rance man. But their groat fear WAS thai the
cause was going to be injured by the Maine
Law. Moral suasion was wh I they wanted:
that was the great means to carry Oh the work.
in their estimation.
Upon this point he admitted that moral sua-
sion was an excellent thing, so far as il went:
bot there was a class nf rum-sellers that could
not be moved by it. There was large por-
tiOn ofthc liquor dealers who would be willing
to give it up if tho rest would; but if they
should give It mp, and tho rost not. they would
be ruined. Because the profits derived from
that would enable the Others to keep better
houses than they could in other respects, and
thus they would loose the patronage even Of
temperance men. This class feel the influ-
cnce of moral suusion; but there nre others
whose moral nature are so deficient that this ar
gumcnt don't reach them They say they can
make more money by it, than they can with
out; and until you show them by moral sna-
sion that they cant DO it. they will continue to
sell, unless we bavo the cracker of law added
on to moral suasion, and thon wo can reach
them. They can't get around it nor away from
it, and they know it.
There was one liquor dealer in Portland.
who had always evaded the license laws, and
whom the Maine Law went into operation there,
he continued TO sell, thinking that ho could o.
wade that in the same way. But pretty soon
they had twelve indictments against him. and
he went to a lawer to see what no should do
The lawer told him he couldn't help him any,
and advised him to go down and see the May
or. Ho went and asked the Mayor what he
was going to do about the matter. The May
or told him he was going to enforce tho law,
but finally told him if no would sign little
acknowlod dgoment that he had sold liquor twice.
they would let him off for what he had done.
He wanted to know what would be the conso-
quence of thatl The Mayor told him that for
the two first offences the punishment was by
fine, but for tho third it was Imprisonment,
but il they found him selling again. they sho'd
put him in the lookup. Upon this informa-
ton he refused to sign, and went back to his
lawyer and told him he musi do something to
help him out Of tho scrape. The lawyer said
no couldn't, possibly. swell, then,'' said the
despairing rum-seller, "if you can't help me,
who can:' Nobody but the Almighty, said
the lawyer. and ue won'tl QLaughter.)
Aud what were the objections to the Law:
"Oh!'' said one, ''it is the most arbitrary, out
rageous law that was ever made. Ii under
takes to tell a man what he shall eat and drink,
and might just as well ol! him what he might
wear!'' Bot, said Mr.. Barnum, told him that
we had law already that told him what he
might wear He said it was NJ such thing and
l told him to 60 home aud put on his wic's
petticoats, and walk down through the streets,
aud see if there would be law found on the
subject!
The truth was that the law did not under
take to tell a man what no nigh, eat or drink.
Every one could keep as much liquor as no
chose for his own use. If man had a mind
to get il for his family, and to ruin himself
and them. tho Law wouldn't interfere, but hc
must not get IL to ruin others.
They say the law is arbitrary, because un-
der it any one NAV come into mans house,
and search through IL, and upset his forni-
torc, and all that sort of thing. But this was
not So No mans dwelling house could be en-
tered for such, except upon oath that ho had
sold liquors there; and his store could not be