The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-04-01
The Governors veto Of the Liquor Law

The Governor Of this State, having used the
veto prerogative upon the bill recently intro
duced into the Assembly having for it's object
the enactment of q prohibitory liquor law, the
matter appears in altogether a new light. II
places the whole question of whether or
not we shall have q prohibitory law, di-
rectly before the people. The Legislature
viii have nothing more to say upon the
subject. The question is one of the highest
consequence, and many right-minded citizens
will consider its settlement paramount over
every thing else in politics The people Of the
State will turn aside from all the other polti-
cal questions of the day. The various national
questions now agitating Congress, such as the
Nebraska bill, may float about during the ap-
preaching agitation; but the principal Issue and
the great contest will spring out Of the bill
just vetoed by Governor Seymour and
there can be no doubt that the organizations Of
them, will be smashed and that there will be,
to a greater or less extent, new division Of
parties on this important issue.
Hitherto, the history of the contest upon the
Temperance question has been a story of dodg
ing on one side and skulking on the other, by
the politicians of the old parties. They have
temporized and traded between the radical men
ON both sides; and whether the temperance men
trusted to the wigs or the democrats, the word
of promise was kept to the ear, but broken to
the hope. The ultra teetotal excitement has
been tool in the hands of broken down poll
ticians; and under the mask of morality and
temperance they have long been struggling to
| obtain Importance and power in most OF the
Northern and Northwestern States. The lead
ers of the two old factions have endeavorcd to
keep on good terms with those at the head of
this movement, and have granted them conces-
sions in order to facilitate the accomplishment
of their own ends. So it has been game Of
trckery and chicanery on both sides. We have
had all sorts of laws; but care has been taken
that plenty of bad rum should be sold-in fact,
it is great power in elections, particularly
in this city. A common dodge-and it has
been tried in other States as well as New
York-has been to make good strong law"
and then entrust its execution to officials who
depended upon rum alone for their posts or
course these gentlemen would be glad to exc
cute the law, and assist in hewing down the
bridge which had carried them safely over. But
they did not do anything of the sort. All
these lodges and skulks must now be set aside,
and the question must be met and decided by
the people.
it is highly probable that the document
from the Governor, in which he states his
reasons for his use of the veto power upon
this bill, is based on an elaborate legal and
constitutional view of the question, touch
ing the right of legislative body to impose
moral restrictions upon the people, by invad-
ing their domciles and enacting laws which
trespass upon the rights of social existence
The question presented by the Governor at this
time is one of great and increasing magnitude
in this country. 1t is question between con-
stitutional and legislative rights on one side
and the moral and social rights of the people
IN the other. No party, no man. no person in
any station in life, no matter what their parti-
cular opinions upon this bill may be, can ques-
ton the morality of temperance in eating and
drinking, the advantage Of temperance in every