The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1854-06-29
To the Friends Of Temperance

/ perance convention, held at Iowa City, on
the 30 day Of May, 1854, it was deemed ne
cessary to organize Maine Law Alliance, Z
one great object of which, as expressed BY
! a resolution of that convention, 10 aid in
the election to call Legislative, Executive
and Judicial Offices in this State, Of men re-
liably in favor Of Prohbitory Liquor Law
similar to that Of Maine" was not pre-
sent at that convention, but most cordial
ly concur in the sentiment expressed in that
resolution. The history of the past fur.
nishes lamp of experience, which affords
ample and certain light to guide our actions
! in the future. Moral suasion has dispersed
many dark clouds, wiped many tears from
the cheek of suffering humanity, and held
as far as possible, the shield of protection
over wives worse than widowed, aud chill
dren worse than orphaned. But the whole
world knows that one grogseller could, and
in many instances has, undone what phi
lanthropv had labored months to accom-
plish. The bright hopes which had began
to gather around the reformed nebriate's
family, and to whisper cf happier days in
future have all been blasted and destroyed
in day by the temptations and the snares
which the liquor traffic spreads in the high
ways, lanes and alleys, all over cur own
and many other States Of the Union. This
state of things calls loudly for the interpo-
sition Of the arm Of the law. 1t is now a
matter OF history, as we'll as Of fact, tina. a
very large majority Of all the crimes, wretch
edness, misery and degradation, which at
tach, like a plague-spot, to our other
wise great and happy nation, have their
origin in, and can be traced directly to the
| liquor traffic.
| The position cannot and dare not be de-
MED. The inquiry then naturally arises,
why is this evil not dealt with as other evils
producing in a less degree similar effects are
dealt with!
IF law is beneficial for the prohibition OF
the sale of obscene books, diseased or dam
aged provisions, &C., and the punishment
Of the vendor, why not deal with this traffic
lin similar manner! No one denies but
that ii is demoralising and Degrading in its
nature and tendencies, that it destroys its
victim morally, mentally and physically,
that it strikes from his existence every YES
tige of true happiness, and leaves him
complete wreck upon the sea OF time Nor
is this all; the prospect beyond is equally
aiding which US hers the victims Of this whole
sale slaughter into and beyond the dark por-
tails Of the tomb.
Why, then, is this cancer suffered to eat
into and destroy the vtals OF the body poll
tic, with only an occasional pruning ans
trimming. called Regulation which serves
more to facilitate than to retard its growth!
WHY is il not cut out and destroyed. root
and branch, that health may once more
come back to the diseased body! Yes, why
has this not been done! The answer comes
rolling up from every hilltop and valley be-
tween the Atlantic and Pacific, proclaim
ing in thunder tones the startling taci.--
Tie qroq-shops ofthe country hare made 1ts
officers, and IN return The oGicers haze support
ed the oro1.shops This needs no argument
to prove It. 1t is self-evdent: it is written
in unmistakble Characters upon almost eve
nv ballot box in the land. Rum, Ruin and
Politics have been stirred together with the
toddy stick so long that men have come to
regard the three as one; and now when an
Efforts being made to have an eternal sep
aration and divorce between the two first
and last, bar-room politicians and political
demagogues raise the cry OF "mixlng tenn
perance with politics." We answer, 1t we
are to have mixture, let it be one that VIII
benefit and not injure.
Temperance men of Iowa, the power is IN
your hands to eradicate this great evil from
our State, and we are and will be held res.
popsible for the proper exercise OF this pow
er. If, then, we do not elect Legislature
and Governor who are unequivocally IN Ia
yor of a prohibitory law, the fault VIII De
ours, not theirs, and the evils which might
have been prevented by prompt and proper
action, will bejustly chargeablc to Us. Let
us remember this and act accordingly
Our friends expect it, and our enemes
know that if we are honest and consistent
men. this will be the result. Why has TINS
not been done long since! Every voter in
the land knows that if every grog-shop IN
the world were buried beyond the hope OF a
resurrection, that the cause OF univefsai nu-
man happiness would be benefited, ana ne
knows also, to certainty, that the conllh-
nation Of them is, and must continue to be,
feeder to the stream which carries death
and destruction to the homes and the heafls
or thousands. Are we men, and dare not
esist the universal enemy Of our race
Shall We suffer ourselves to be bound hand
and foot, and we and our children offered as
sacrifices upon this bloody altar, whose VIC
tins are taken from every age:seX ana con-
dtion in life! Are we the descendants OF
the men OF '76, who pledged and pcriied
sl;fe. fortune and sacred honor to resist
power who claimed the right TO tax where
no representation was allowed! we revere
their names and their memories, ana on
each National Sabbath we sing peans 20 the
self.sacrificing spirit of patriotism Which
purchased our civil and religious freedom
| But let us beware lest we b. justly chargea-
BILE with being degenerate sons OF worthy
sres." The tax which they resisted was
not one dime upon the dollar, OF the one
which we pay. And as for representation
the fate which the petitions OF our wives
mothers, sisters and daughters met with, at
the hands of drunken member OF the last
Iowa Legislature. sufficiently settles 'ha'
point. So, ,o,ch
more honorable than the one which made
the demand of our fathers, that We must
necessarily submit! The power when they
| resisted was Great Britain; the one 10 Whic"
we bow in abect slavery and cowardiy SUD
mission, is an army Of grog.s"liers' We
must have fallen low, indeed, IN the scare
of human being five can quietly mug me
ch,;pv ard kiss the hand Of such mas
ter. ~
The time for long speeches and iona ta,N
is nast We must act. We must dafe % 90
rrbt We must face the enemy we
| - &c ,rn ,ypuld bn respect