Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1854-02-20
The Temperance Question.


way for the enactment of the Blue Laws Of
New England. It fused church and state
in Britain, and destroyed the Bible and
martyred its adherents in France. Great
Philanthropists. in urging Temperance,
never invoked legislative aid. They pla-
ced It on It's intrinsic merits. Like the re-
llgion Of the Bible, 1t addresses itself to the
1t is a matter of conscience
1t is great moral question:, which seeks
atthe seat of moral sentiment.
1t must commence its work of regeneration
in the heart. If it is not founded in heal
thy moral soil, it must wither, droop and
die. 1t is too vital a subject to be- entrust-
ed to mere theorists and dreamers. There
is something morally grand about it. 1t is
a practical preaching Of the Gospel. 1t is
closely allied to religion, land it is only thro'
religious influence it can succeed. 1t is not
fit subject for legislation. 1t should new
er, no more than religion, be brought into
the arena Of politics. 1t compromises the
dignity Of its mission, and makes it hob
by by wief rery small men seek notoriety.
The advocates Of such policy, are one
idea men, whose mental balance is not suf-
ficient to comprehend Its grand design, OF
whose fanatical blindness refuses to see the
precedence the Maine Law establishes
They perceive not that it interferes with
that growing virtue mi American liberty,
which was the dearest to the great postles
OF frtedom-thdt most priced by every pa
triot- liberty Of conscience.
Enact the Anti-Liquor Law, and You es-
tablish precedent in legislation fearful to
contemplate. Admit its justice, and you
admit the right to force by legislation the
entire christian world into any given
church, the majority may favor. 1t would
be equivalent to acknowledging the powe r
to legislate every sinner into saint-eyery
sot into sober man-every rogue into an
honest man. A kind of patent religion,
which by legislative edict, would make
sins, Though they be as scarlet, white as
snow tho@gh they be red like crimson,
they shall be as WOOL" You thus admit
the power to abolish all religious worship,
because few persons have become de-
ranged on the subject. You establish the
precedent Of interfering with reserved, in
herent rish,s,a principle oflegislation most
dangerous to the interests of social Con-
stituency and which would place the South
at the mercy the abolition fanatics at the
North, who have inoculated this bantI;no
Of their evil hearts. True, genuine Tenn
perance can never prosper under such pres
tige. Having for its object great moral
reform, that end can never be attained
through the agency of narrow minded am
bilious men, and legal enactments. Hearts
and minds commensurate with the grand
object, must take up the subject, and by
moral sussion, ingraft the principle on the
hearts and souls Of the people. Its object
is divine and the means for its attainment
should correspond. The idea of few
blatant itinerants, whose ideas of constltu-
tional right are about as clear as mud, and
whose general morals are as variant from
the moral code of the Bible. ~ night is
from day, taking upon themselves the bur
then OF this great moral reform, is the very
quintessence Of presumption. Do men ga
ther grapes Of thorns or figs of thistles'
No more can such advocates push forward
this great reform. Unjust be truly sicken-
ing to the true philanthropst to see the
subject OF Temperance-the twin sister OF
the Religion Of the Gospel, dragged from
its elevated natural element, and made 10
assume prominent position on the turbu-
lent theatre Of political warfare. But, we
mistake. This is not temperance it
is intemperance the most malevolent type.
1t is tyranny over onscience-tyranpy o.
yer the mind Of man. Men may sneering-
ly talk OF the right to wear bad shoes, no.
crowned hats and greasy coats. Yet still
these are rights involving principle which
is the basis of freedom of conscience and of
mind. tits principle we are not willing
to surrender. Drunkenness is subject OF
police regulation. If the law is not en-
forced, il is no fault Of the license statute
but OF the officers sworn to execute the law.
The yolition Of the mind that brings ON
drunkenness, to exercise it OF not, is inhe-
rent with every man and if men see fit 10
brave the police regulations and get drunk
you might as well seek to chain the rush
ing torrent or make the mountain bow, as
to legislate for them different appetite.
We contend that the operation of the law
proposed. would BE- demoralizing in the
worst degree. 1t would accustom men to
disregard law, and practice deception and
eventually break through every moral re-
straint. But we are no: left to speculation
on this point. The Governor of Massa-
in his recent annual message, call
ed attention to the pernicious influence of
the Maine Law, enacted in that State IN