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

perance Convention, held at Iowa City, on
the Sd day Of May, 1854, it was deemed ne
'cessary to organize a Maine Law Alliance 4
one great object Of which, as expressed BY
, 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 action.
I in the future. Moral suason 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, and chill
dren worse than orphaned. But the whole
world knows that one grog- seller could, and
in many instances has, undone what PHI
lanthropy had labored months to accom-
plish. The bright hopes which had began
to gather around the reformed nebriate's
family, and to whisper CT happier days in
future, have all been blasted and destroyed
in day by the temptations and the snares
ways, lanes and alleys, all over our own
and many other States Of the Union. This
state Of things calls loudly for the interpo-
sition Of the arm Of the law. II is now a
matter of history, as well as Of fact, that a
very large majority of all the crimes, wretch
edness, misery and degradation, which at
tach, like 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 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
in similar manner! No one denies but
that it is demoralising and degrading in its
nature and tendencies, that it destroys its
victim morally, mentally and physically,
that i. strikes from his existence every YES
tge of true happiness, and leaves him q
complete wreck upon the sea Of time. Nor
is this all; the prospect beyond is equally
cheerless. No sane man covets the her
aiding which ushers 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 vitais of the body poll
tic, with only an occasional pruning ana
trimming. called Regulation which serves
more TO facilitate than to retard its growth!
Ky =. n,,I IA srnp pod
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
inr in thunder tones the startling fact
The qroo-shops of the country hare made ats
officers and in return The officers haze support
ed the oro2-shops This needs no argument
to prove It. 1t is self-evident: it is written
in upmistakble ha'acters 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
effort is being made to have an eternal sep
aration and divorce between the two hrst
and last, bar room politicians and political
demarorucs raise the cry Of sinking tenn
perance with politics. We answer, il we
are TO have mixture, let it be one that will
benefit and not ipjure.
Temperance men of Iowa, the power IS IN
your hands 10 eradicate this great evil from
our State, and We are and will be held res
popsible for the proper exercise OF tins pow
er. If, then, we do not elect Legislature
and Governor who are unequivocally IN ia
yor of a prohibitory law, the fault VIII be
ours. not theirs, and the evils which might
have been prevented by prompt and proper
action, will be Justly chargeable to Us. Let
us remember this and act accordingly
Our friends expect it, and our enemes
know that il we are honest and consistent
men. this will be the result. Why has this
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
resurre ction, that the cause OF UNIVERSAL hu-
man happiness would be benefited, and ne
knows also, to certainty, that the contlh-
nation Of them is, and must continue to be-
feeder to the stream which carries death
and destruction to the homes and the hearts
Of thousands. Are we men, and dare mol
resist 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 O,
the men of '76, who pledged and pariied
"life, fortune and sacred honor to resis,
mower who claimed the right TO tax where
M representation was allowedl We revere
their names and their memories, ana on
each National Sabbath we sing peans 70 the
self-sacrifcing spirit Of patriotism wh'ch
purchased our civil and religious freedom
Rut let us beware lest we BE- 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, al
tho hands of drunken member OF the tas'
Iowa Legislature, sufficiently settles 'ha'
point. ,c ),
more honorable than the one which made
the demand Of our fathers, that We must
necessarily submit! The power when tney
resisted was Great Britain; the one to"h'ch
we how in AFFECT slavery and cowardly SUD
mis- sion, is an army of grog.selers' We
must have fallen low, indeed, n the scare
Of human being five can quietly hug tue
chains ard kiss the hand of such mas
ter, I'LL .,l
The time for long speeches and loud ta5S
i n,st We must act We must dare TO @
r;ght We must face the enemy. we
consistent If we would BE- respect