Spirit of the age., 1853-05-04

have gO8k&efore them, proclaiuing in thun-
der tones,fnt the traf6c is accused Of God
anu man, see01to fail alike to arrest or res
train them. z1while we wonder at their
lnlatnatlon, letIe<Ehss to the consideration
oi the third and laskS kSf4Gculty shall mention,
ana which may afoN$$ tne partial pailiation
!cr ! tneir apparently ihexcusable course. It
siS .hat the sale of intoxicating liquors is not
oniy legallzed, but sanctioned and approved
by the laws of the State The law-naking
power has declared by solemn enactment,
tai every Ts.Essss illage, and neiahssorhood
tfst1ss State ls sasitled = s grogllops IS 3
public blessing and convenience, and shall
1avsone. provided a suitable person can be
found to keep it. 1t is an evil from which
there Is 10 escape. You may escape from
famine or the pestilence-you may fly from
the malaria Of your swamps to snuff the pure
Dreezes OF the mountains or WOO the gales
that come from the pillows of old ocean
but from the pestilential curse of the grog-
shop, there is no escape, but in the silence
and solitude Of the forest or the desert
Wherever civilized community is gathered,
wherever the spire of church points to hea-
ven, or the busy hum of industry promises
competence and contentment, there Greens
the : worm Of the stilP' fthat fttest emblem
OF the werm that never dies) armed with the
power OF the law, to prey upon the peace and
happiness OF that atcommunity. For less than
thirty pieces of silver, the citizen is betrayed
by the Government 4 license to sell ar
dent spirits, is a license to do wrong!-a Ii.
cense which no Government on earth has any
right to grant-a license to invade your lib
erty, to tax your property. deba ,ch your SER
vans, desolate your home, and ruin your
family to entail upon-your daughters life
OF shame and widowhood, to fit your sons for
the gambling house and the brothel, to make
lie burden, death terror and eternity a
hell-and, as if to add insult to injury, this
price OF blood, the consideration of this un-
holy alliance, is set apart in solemn mockcry
for the purposes of education ! With one
hand our benehcent protector deals out pitt
tancc to rain your childI en- to virtue and
usefulness, while with the other she takes a
bribe that they may be corrupted and des.
troyed 1t is an axiom that, the law
sanctions nothing which is morally wrong,
and thus many who are otherwise good citi-
zens and worthy men, satisfy themselves to
continue a business which is fraught with
evil to their fellow men and fearful danger to
their own temporal and eternal interests, un-
der the plea that they are authorized and pro-
tected by the laws of the State
What, then, as the remedy? what the means
by which we are to relieve ourselves from
this terrible scourge l answer, first, an i'm
mediate and total repeal of the license laws.
1t this be indeed a free government, AID in.
stltuted to protect US in the peaceable enjoy
mont OF life, liberty and the pursuit of hap
plness, we have q right to demand that every
line which sanctions, authorizes or legalzes
| the manufacture of, or traffic in, ardent spir-
ITS, shall be expunged from the statute book
We have surrendered our personal right, to
wage war OF determination against social
evils, upon the implied condition that the
government to which we render our allegi-
ance, will afford US ample and certain pro-
lection. Whenever it fails, or refuses to do
this, 1T has failed to answer the purpose for
which it was instituted. 1t then becomes
our rlght-nay, it becomes our solemn duty;
by every lawful means in our power, by the
public press, through public opinion-thro'
the Ballot Box, to assert our ri yHts and to
secure their protection
Secondly We are 20 arouse the people Of
the State to proper sense Of the evils of the
liquor trafhc-to convince tn m that it is the
fruitful source of crime and wretchedness-
that it is evil in its character, dangerous in
, It's tendencies, and terrible in its results
that 1t is an enemy that cannot be parleyed
with, power that cannot be restrained, an
THAT the only safe, practicable, and efe,tual
f remedy, is suppression by law 1t must be
treated IS d monster that has ravaged our
; lands, eaten our substance, destroyed our
people, paralyzed our industry, corrupted
our morals and disgraced our character as q
nation | am aware that lam treadingupon
: dangerous ground | am aware that many
Of the professed friends of Temperance, hes
itate and doubt the propriety OF asking the
, intervention of the law, for the suppression
Of the liquor traffic. With such, have nc
sympathy. 1t was my privilege to be among
: the first to engage in this great work in North
4 Carolina, and | assure you, as the result Of
my experience, that every other means have
i been tried and found Intellectual. Moral sua
p sion may enlist the temperate drinker ant
o even arrest the drunkard in his downward
: career-but with the liquor seller, it is pow
4 erless He heeds not the voice Of the char
a mer, charm he never so wisely. No human
r means can put out the fires of the distillery
,e or Danish the plague spot Of the grog sho
r from our midst, but the strong arm of tn
: law . The senseless cry Of private rights an
n private property, are too idle to be regarded
nj except as an evidence Of the fearfully pervel
r. ted state Of public opinion. Private Iigh
rs and private property are only entitled to pr,
le lection so long as they are enjoyed and exc
d cised without injury t0sthe community-b
ID yond this the liquor dealer forfeits them a
= certainly as the man who sells poisoned foo,
be or clothes infected with pestiential disea'
th las effectually and justly as the lottery de-
h ler, the gambler or the counterfeiter In a
It's christian communities. public good, publ
ct order, public morals, are far above all pc
on sonal and private considerations, nay, goo
pr government, does not, and cannot exis
nd where any citizen is permitted the unrestrai
~. ed indulgence of his personal liberty, to Il
an injury Of his 'neighbor. / am aware, al
nd ready to admit, that not only is such Ia
,ly not desirable, but that it would be unprodl
en tive Of any good, until demanded in earn,
ice and resistless tones by the voice Of enlightt
en- ed public opinion. In this country, when,
his er public sentiment demands such la
but that law will he passed. Whenever pull
the sentiment approves and supports such a la
or that law will be enforced and respected.
oy foster and strengthen such public sentime
ow and to prepare for the realization OF {
tai brightest hopes, is the high mission of
res Sons Of Temperance. To effect this glori,
ad- purpose, the mighty Battle-axe Of your W
fare is Truth, the brightest arrow in y
md culver is moral suasion. so earnestly &C
red mended by our adversasies, SO warmly pr
/