Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1854-02-14
TIE LIoUOR-LAW PErrT1oys.

!
/ folly, tanfaronade which this infamous Maine
/ law has exeisel in the State, It's ultra advo-
Gates are not yet the controlling power in Sir-
! giaa. We trust even this mcagre number
! may grow small by degrees. We claim to be
rs good friend to the Temperance cause as
| tIlc most noted Maine Liquor Law men can
! be, but rs Far that law or one similar to it
| III its provisions is concerned we are out and
| oct opposed to it. When we are convinced
! that the Legislature of Virginia can make hon
lest men of rogucs, truthful men of liars or
| Christians Of inidels, We will have some conf
| dence in its power to make sober men of
! dr,Inkard-, and then we may favor the enact
I ment of Maine Liquor Law."-AlsranIria
1 GS!unaGrd.
| The proceedings. of the Leg g'sIa'ure show
| that another reverse has befalle tile advocates
! Of immediate action in tile shape Of prohibi-.
! tory legislation OH the "iquor-traffic.' The
effort to rekeltc the subject from the standing
| give them the advantage of a special organiza-
ton signal:y faeds If, as the gentleman in
| charge of The subject distinctly declared the
j subject is certain of a full and impartial con-
! sidcratiOn Under the present arrangement we
! do not see what reasonable desire there could
ba for a change. Of er-pdyte agitation and
| Onr-sided GjSCussion we have had enough. 1t
i should cease when the General Assembly Of
! the State is invoked. So far as our observa-
! lion extends, the friends Of the movement
! have had more than justice at the hands Of
! the press and the people. Their appeals anl
I arguments have been freely published and dis
! semnated and comparatively seldom replied
! TO- Their petitions have been signed, not OH
! Is. as petitions generally are, by men who had
/ scarcely expended thought on the subject,
/ gut Of mors disposition to Ohligc but in some
! cases 10y Individuals opposed to the movement
| but willing to see it examined by those off
! eiaIly entrri5ed with the public interests. The
! activity shawn in the getting up of these pc
.titions has sufficiently vindi"ated their own
sincerity. Having fairly laid the case before
! the court, they must be content patiently to
:: abide its action.
4 list OF the petitions presented on the 18Th
! lies before las. We have taken the trouble to
| :dd up the whole number Of signatures. There
4 were 81 petitions, one OF which is mentioned
+ only blng signed by 'sundry citizens Of
. NorfoIk." The others sum up 9,434. As
i suming the anonymous Of Norfolk to reach
! the average of the others in number we have
: for the gross number Of petitioners on the
! great fcId-siay 9.547, instead Of fifteen thou
: sIDd rs represented by oyer-ardent enemies
! ;yf the ardent. Three or four straggers came
: in on subsequent day; but this viii haUdy
, triur the aTlrrcI>lte to ten thousand or
; fifteenth past Of the voters OF the State We
: tulr find one petition clIImcd to reflect the
: wishes Of i majority Of the votes OF Il town.
; That cam! from Petersburg, aud bore SIl
: games. Az that city has 4 population OF
: - 900, it F7rv well be doubted whether her
; voters do not outnumbcr 1920. RlYhlnond
: r5tv, with $1,000 people, comes with lj2l
) pcjityners.:: One Of her delegates, Mr.. Eily-
. SOU IS a le;:line prohibitionist and the leader
! 81 this conGrrtcd assault. Next to these, in
: .ytL acua and proportioncd strength, aP-
; Psa.s AIoh2.s, wH1JH f33 sigBu5UTes. t'1ecteF-
; Dk follows forth, with 456. She was admin
q. ste"cd III hr.ykcn doses; Mr.. Mcleod present.
; ~ 200 ana DIR. Miller 247. We confess our
: al disappointed at the neagreucss OF her ar-
. ray. when we recUilcct the ua2.isiug cycr-
; tiouS made during the last year throughout
: hnr borders, She cast Two lears ago 2,+95
: votes and has I7,OOJ inhabitants. DR.. MJ-
: s.rs list does not number Onr-tourth the votes
: cast at Winchester alone Clalke sends bat
! 46; Warren 2t Hampshire 2f; Jefferson
; 293 and Shenandoah 1870. We looked with
! pariiclar interest for the Augusta list. An
! '.independant' paper, devoted to the advocacy
! al the cause, is published III that county ani
! an organised effort was made tU make tins Is
. sac the controlling one at the last election OF
; u, LYgatc>. The attempt succeeded, bu I'M
: fortunately Ethe wrong way; the result being
I aat those candidates WHO answered the inter
/: rogatories addressed to them by the temper
|. anco meeting uncquivocaIy in the neguti0e
I were triumpnantly elected, and old federal
!, Augusta for the first time sent democratic
L Dci,y yates to Richmond. Her sguers are but
|. 223. arranged with beautiful regularity i'll
/. s,5uuirons Of rs, "a, and - respectively.
= H. Augusta surely there can be no com
plumt of not having been fairly heard.
/, According to their chosen test, the number OF
signatures to their petition they have sue
ccedcd in winning over to the Maine system
but one fifteenth OF her voters. The same pro-
portion, is before remarked, obtains between
the gro>s number OF signers and the poII-iiSt OF
the entire State The sentiment OF Augusta,
then. may on the Maine system be set down
as the sentiment Of Virginia The county
where 1t has been most fully discussed speaks /
with the STATE; and the vote Is fourteen nays /
TO. one aye.
Since the above was in type, intelligence |
has been received Of an adverse report from
the committees. They declare it incXpedient
either to pass prohbltory lIquor-law or 10 !
refer the QUESTION to the people:
WHO MADE YoU.-One of the ladies con-
ncoted with ,he Methodist Five Ponts Mis- |
sion" who lfts under her charge some thirty |
little boys, called them together on Christmas |
TO perfect th!srn in their answers to questions
she ut..ndeG to pnt to then before visitors
during the afternoon. After arranging them
properly, the first boy on the right, in answer
20 the question. Who made you 2" was to
say Godn The next, "Of what were you
miadrG" reply: The dust of the earth" and
80 on throuehthe Catechism. The all impor-
iant moment having arrived, the little shay
erS' were told to stand up. Tne little head
Lad boy, it, seems was missing but the fact
b4ing unnoticed by the teacher, she proceed
cd with thcs question, Who made you"
which elected the following laughable answer:
4 was MAGE out of de dirt of the 'ert; but /
i'll, little fellow what God made had got |
the belly ache and gone home"
Here is a beautiful sentence from the pen of I