Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1854-05-18
C OH NJ u NICATI0MS
FOR THE ADVERTISER.
LEGISLATIVE RESTRICTIONS ON The LIQUOR



h VIZ promised in No. |, of this SERIES to notice
the present essay, the moral evils resulting from III
use of splrituous liquors. This, however, has bee
, so often and so ably DONE, that it seems almost
work Of supererogation to allude to it, and there
fore, we will disposeof itas summarily as can con
renently be DONE Indeed we hardly know how t
so about making an argument to prove that making
vendiug and drinking ardent spirits is productive q
moral evil, it looks like arguing to prove that gh
. comes from the sun, or that an effect nEst have
cause. What is there that occupies higher place
IN the records of crime than liquor7 What causes
more murders and violence and misery in an,
orm7 What brings poverty, gaunt and hungry tt
se mansions of the great, and the c'ttagas of tn,
lo~yi Listen to the wall of that widowed heart
i.nd see the tears that stream from those orphan,
eyes, as in their helpless grief they gather about the
cherries hearth and cry for bresd which the mo.
ther in her destitution cannot give them. Behold
that old man as he bends over that newly made
grave and longs to pillow his head beside aim who
was the pride Of his heart and the hope Of his de-
clnlng years. What means that woman's terrified
flight from the horel of her daily misery, and the
speechless horror Of those children us they con-
template the insane rage Of one whom in better days
they welcomed with gladstone smiles TO his home of
happiness. Look at that man, made in Gods i'm
age and destined to an endless existence see him
reeling along the streets deflcd with the cutters
filth, his moral feelings degraded desperately bent
Oh destruction. Surely if this be not evil, the word
should be stricken from the language. How then is
the evil to be remeded1 Moral suasion saws one
voluntary societies says another, while n third in
ssts that it shall be Jet alone, and it viii cure itself
We'll, it was let alone long enough before any at
tempt was made to stop it, but it did not cure ITSELF
Society after society too, has risen, fourishcd and
gone the way of allihuman organizations "Take
little, total abstinence" Washngtonians,r
" kcchabtes" and Sons of Temperance" have
all stood in the brcac and tried 10 stay its progress
temperance lecturers have perambualed the length
and breadth of the land they have employed arru.
ment and rldcnIe and sarcasm they have appealed
to the Judgments aud passions of the people; every
motive that moral susion could bring TO bear upon
the subject has teen presented Affection interest.
honor, happiness temporal and eternal, have been
appealed to in every shape that the genius Of man
could invent, and still the avil is not remedcd. Who
then will blame the lriencs Of good order, of do.
mcstic happiness, patriots and christians for making
one more effort, by calling to their aid the strong
arm of the civil powcrl object says one, because
1t will deprive me of my personal liberty Would
II Indeed Let US see then how far man is en- !
titled to personal liberty Here is man JUS, about
to leap from precipice under the maddrnng inilu-
nncc OF sonic strong emotion, and friendly hand
S stretched out and draws him to place of safety
md holds him until the infatuation has passed away.
S there any violation Of personal liberty in this
'lnd act2 a thousand illustrations might be pro-
uced on this point, but it is needless 10 mulriply
hem. Well, the assertion that man has rich,
. do as he pleases with his own property, in the
'me ractudinarian sense, is capable of rcrutation
$ clear as gcometrca demonstrations An ndi-
idua las an orchard Of peaches and apples. and
he right to do as he plcases with his own, author
les him, he Thinks to turn his fruits into brandy
'r the benefit of all who will buy and use it. But
lis supPostlon proceeds upon mistaken notion Of
'yrv7rsrrruJrs de Derry. 1y,,,,-I -,1- -u 1rw- r
er, and do not profess to speak advisedly on mat
RS pertaining to statutory enactments | have I
ever read law and never had "a fancy for hanging
"und places where judicial proceedings arc dis +
'nsed, and my stock Of chimney corner law is t
ere'orc not very large; yet vcnturc the opinion
at no one would be allowed 10 build dam Across T.
stream on his own premises, if by so dung he o
"uld cause the wafer TO overflow his neighbours i.
nd, or If the efiluva from the pond should enacn-
r disease in the neighborhood. presume no one Il
'uld be allowed 10 build powder mill in the Al
art Of p"pu!ous city. And why not? Simply II
cause there would be trcspass upon the rights p,
others. Their lives ard property would be en- W
ngcred by it. WE'LL OH the same principle no one I'll
nuld have right to turn his fruits and grains ar
o liquid fire TO scatter disease and poverty and in
nth through the country. Certainly trcspass
ones property is not worse than trrspass upon ly
morals of his children. Far better would it b. G.,
risk the miasrna'ic cxhala,ions from mill pond lc;
N the effluvla from grog-slop, more pescniia R,
III ever enEsnaed from the Pontne marshes or in.
N'SiS S'oSo VI "Ouiu DC the ~
'grr in raising family in cour, surrounded by Al
rder-mlls, than in the neghborhood of place of
ere distilled fire under a thousand seductive n,
ms is presented Tor the temptation Of youth. Up of
the noble principles of Equity then, should not Gr
State make such provision as would relieve the we
ntry Of this evil I Now be it distinctly under The
ID that we do not contend that the Legislature the
uld pass prohibiiory law without authority from hin
people to do so. Under our form of govern me
It, the Legislature does not. in our judgment,
les any authority independently of the people pita
though it often happens that the Legislature has CIR,
Ike measures in reference to measures about pay
III there is neither time opportunity to con- we
the will of the people, yet it remains at last fur gen
people to determine whether or not any law is gra
he public veal, and to maintain or have it re- arc
ID. But whilst advocating this. democratic so
,ipc, We do not wish understood in mobo- villa
&c sense. The people can properly act only belle
ugh their constituted authorities, whether Leg ta
We or judicial. It is not for them to rebel nc
lst law that is dstastcfu but TO take such DIS
as the constitution prcscrbcs TO have trepcal- and
But in reference TO a measure of such grave they
rtancc rs the one now advocated We hold il 'heil
and prudent to have an expression Of pubic 'aKe
nent before any action is taken. l1ow is this conn
done! Shall il be done by making it party ~