Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1854-03-17
DAILY EVENING STAR.
LOCAL INTELLIGENCE,

vas held IL the temperance Hall, In T. street
for the purpose OF more fully organizing tn,
above society, and OF laying its plan of opera
tons. @
The Chairman, Mr.. A. T. Harrington. ex
planned the objects for which the league VA
organized, and stated that all persons could
belong to 1t, whether teetotallers or not. by
paying twenty live cents monthly. He like
wise mentioned that it was their Intention, on
afutpre OCCASION, to have mass meeting out
Of doors, and that part of their plan of oper-
atoms would be, to 60 from house to house to
collect subscriptions. The speaker then adj
Terted to the crime of drunkenness and mel
toned two anecdotes of its hurful effects, one
lated TO deorgetown. where, on account of the
pTevalency OF the vice, gentleman who had in
tended to settle there with his family, wa in
duced TO forego the intention from fear OF the
bad example that it would give his family.
The Hon. Gerret Smith was then introduced
10 the meeting. and spoke upon the subject
He commenced his discourse by descanting on
the vicious habit OF opium eating. and Of the
use Of tobacco which latter he characterized
as an unclean and wicked practice; wicked
because it was wasteful and uncle1n. II had
heen well observed by the celebrated John
Wesley that cleanliness is akin to goodness
The cost of the cigars alone smoked in New
York city exceeds the cost of bread within tn at
city.
hol in making it n beverage. What plumrnet
he observed, could sound the depth of the
Oceans of miSeries that had been broadening
and broadening from age to age, the results Of
intsmperance.
The speaker then drew a striking picture of
the effects OF drunkenness, describing infinitely
the character and actions of the drunkard
The loss OF property in America by this vice
was very great. He then adyerted to the sinh
iaat pf he Pacific Raj nj Al.
the savings caused by total abstinence from
drinks. would furnish the means for building
Pacific Railroad on the North another On
the South, and central route
lie then spoke Of the usages of society, that
entIce the young man in fashiona bic life to the
,lce OF drinking which is often commenced at
the father table. The beginnings of drunk
enness are 50 small 50 alluring, It is like a
small rIll at first, meandeIing beautifully
among green fields and iowery plains, which
afterwards swells into a stream; the drinker
drinks more deeply and becomes a drunkard
and the small stream, now swollen. rushes and
foams along, freighted with the wrecks of in
tellects and hopes until at length it leaps into
that abyss from which return is now well nigh
impossible. The temperance reformation had
however, taught US that it is possible under
the favor of heaven.
He then spoke highly in commentator of
the temperance reformation, remarkins what
change had come over the civilized world in
this respect Formerly when person became
drunkard, there Was no hope for him, but by
means OF the abstinence plan the drunkard
cln now be brought back to life
With regard to moderate drinking he char
aeterIzed 1t as the 'J"sle miiteH' of French
politics, and as the wors. enemy to the tenn
perance movement. There was not youth in
Washington city whose habits were impaired
by drunkards, but there was not tenn crate
drinker IN Washington city whose habits did
not inJure t..oSe OF is sober youth With re-
gard to laws, his reliance was not upon coer.
GIVE laws, but upon moral influence rcproof,
IN season and out of season, and in pray
er TO Him in whose hands are the DIES.
TIMES Of the children Of men He relied
most largely upon the moral influence of
youth, who drink no intoxicating LIQUORS.
lie placed, however, some reliance upon
coerelve laws, which are mighty in educating
people upwards Or downwards according to
the character of the laws. 1t was not proner
for laws TO interfere with dress or meats and
drinks, unless 1t was expedient to do so.
suppose, for example, should cloth be imported
from China, which caused by wearing il. the
yellow fever, the plague, or the cholera, and
yet people persevered in wearing it. in this
case government might rightly interpose, the
object being to preserve life. Suppose that
honey was imported from Chill, which as soon
as man eats, he is seized with the desire to
cut OF the head OF his neighbor, it would be
rISnt to make it penal to eatit. So that dress
me is and drinks might be effected by law,
the regulation OF which has nothing to do with
dress, meats and drinks He deemed il the
duty OF Government to suppress dam shops
every where In their Jurisdiction; there was
not more Sl,red duty incumbent upon Con-
Srcss, than to shut up dram shops in the
Federal District, Applause as well as of State
legislatures to do so likewise. What was i
dram shop in the eyes of the civil Government
III was no more than mandatory of paupers
and madnen, and Government was bound 10
suppress the manufacture of paupers and mad
men. Suppose that some physician, for the
purpose OF gain, was to open gas shop, sell
IN lnhalatlons of it at go much each. and that
nose VINO inhaled 1t, wnen they came out be-
gan killing and numbering every one that thew
met, would il not be in the power of the civil
government to suppress such a nuisance Or.
suppose. that eOple incapacitated from labor,
were to be supported at the public expense
anu That another man were to open shop for
cutting of hands so that people might 90 there
10 become incapIeitated from labor would it
not. In that case, be but right to prevent it
And what was dram shop but place for the
cutting Oft of hands. Somebody had said to
him that it was place for cutting off heads
with TINS he dsag:eed, for in that ease there
would DC no longer mouths to feed as there are
now, and industrious people to be taxed for
tneir support He therefore commended the
suppression of dram shops, and the Maine
Law the distinctive feature Of which consisted
ID giving the authorities the power to destroy
.I4uor that was sold as beverage. The op-
posers OF the measure knew the efficiency of
tails provision, and that it was the feature of
features, its great excellence The courts in
some parts of the country were pronouncing it
Unconstitutional, but in this as well as in other
countries, they are very often composed of
stupid men, and they appear to be stupid in
proportion TO their learning. Laughter | The
question consisted in what was property and he
would not go to Courts to find out what il was
nat was property, one moment, might cease
TO be so another. This he would illustrate in
the following manner: Suppose that Mr. Cor
coran should purchase q collection Of rattle
snakes, and keep them in his house for exhibit
ton. So long as he confined himself to this
OBJECT, nobody could complain; but if some
morning he should, on getting up, take it into
MS mead TO let these serpents loose, to bite and
sung passers by in the streets, and people, in
their rage, were TO kill them. would any one
say that Mr.. Corcoran could obtain the value
Of them, as his property. In the same man
Eer alcohol was property, 80 long as its use
was confined to right purposes; but if the use
oi that property was perverted, in making
paupers and madmen, it was no longer prop
erty.
The Hon. Mr.. SHELTON, of New Jersey, and
other speakers afterwards addressed the meet
ing. and much interest was felt at the pro
eeedinss, which were kept up for several
hours, the room being we'll filled
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