Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1833-1861, 1854-09-22


rlanation.
Respecting my drinking wine, | sup
pose l have right to dcink what |
please; and you hayo no right TO die
tate 10 me about INV habits.
That's-right--deacon, gin i'm some;
| think jes'-you-do; you 'spress my
mind zack'ly, said poor old drunkard,
who stood leaning against the deacon's
new tavern.
Zack, shut your head; Sherman will
think the dcocon's bad IS you, if you
don't stop your bluberin, said another
inebriate, as he pulled down Zack's hat
over his eyes.
And as for this house, continued the
deacon, have no control over il.
rent il for two hundred dollars a year.
Did you say any thing to Graham
about selling liquor in il when you rem
ted it to him 7 Did you express any de-
sire that he would not!
No, said nothing to him about it,
| rented il 10 him for so much, aud gave
him full liberty 10 control IL, and do as
he pleased with it. If he sells liquor,
allows gambling, or any other wicked
practice, it is nothing to me. II Is his
house, not mine.
Did you not tell some Of the friends
Of temperance that il should be kept as
temperance house !!
Suppose did have not right to
change my mind
That fact, deacon, shows that your
attention was called to the subject be-
fore you rented, and that you could have
controlled il had you been so disposed.
The idea that man is not responsible
for the misc -ief his property does Is
ridiculous one, and one which, 1t seems
to me, will not be entertained for mo-
ment but b. supr / ely selfish men,
Why, deacon, suppose you put under the
ere Of some one wild OK, and he
breaks away and cores men and women;
wo aid you not be held responsible
No, sir; not at all. There could be
no legal claim upon me whatever.
am not talking about the legality OF
the thing. had reference to your
moral responsibility. II men are made
di lnkards in this establishment, will
rot God hold you responsible for their
ruini Will you not be held at his bar
as an accessory!
That is quite another matter, and one
which it is not prop r to discuss in this
pace, replied the deacon, much agitated.
| should think, deacon, this would not
be very pleasant topic to you; u man
occupying tue station you do in Chris
tian church, and at the same time sus.
tanning intemperance by your influence
aud money.
To be plain with you, Sherman,
think for a young man you haye med
died quite enough with my business.
hope hereafter you will have the good
ness to say nothing about me or my bu.
siness, returned the deacon, rather
sharply.
Sherman promised Donaldson, when
he showed him the extracts from the |
liquor peddler's cart, that he would lay
the matter before the young mems asso-
citation, and induce its members, if pos
sible, to pledge themselves to total an
stnance from all intoxicating drinks.
By reading the receipts for counter
feiting liquors, he succeeded in secu-
ring their attention, which resulted in
the appointment of q committee to in
vestigate the matter, and finally the res +
olutions which Sherman was posting up
when the deacon met him.
For the information of the reader, it
is proper to say that Deacon Nash was
a very avarious man, and emphatically
doubled tongued. He became all things
to al men in the worst sense OF the
term. He had claimed 10 be a temper
ance man, talked loudly in its favor,
and sometimes ventured to speak in its
behalf in temperance meetings, notwth-
standing he was in the constant habit
Of using port wine as n beverage
This. however, he concealed from his
brethren aud the world. In the con-
struction Of railroad, which was loca-
ted nearly a mile from the village OF
Harwood, il became necessary to locate
the depot on the dencon's land. He
saw at once it would put him in situa-
tion to make money by dividing up his
farm, and selling Il of for village lots
at a high price. To start the excite
meut, and make people believe it would
be a village, if not second-rate city,
he Immediately erected two large and
substantial buildings, one OF which
he denominated a tavern. In this we
see no particular harm, nor OF this do
we complain. Ii was very proper for
the deacon to erect u public house
where travellers could be made com(or-
table during their stay. But what we
complain of is <he deacon's cupidity,
which led him TO rent his building to u
low, vulgar, profane, drinking man, for
the purpose of keeping liquor tavern.
lie spent much OF his time there in the
midst Of inebriation, without exhibiting
any signs of compunctions OF con-
science. He lost his standing in the
church so far as. his spirituality was
concerned, and was considered, wholly
unit for the Office he held. His warmth
in opposing Sherman was wholly on the
gronnd of interest. lt was acertaincd
that Graham told him he would give him
fifty dollars more rent IL he would allow
him to sell liquor. For little "flthy
lucre," therefore, this good deacon l.
lowed Graham TO open wide the gates
Of death, and to ruin his neighbors foe
time and eternity. We have such men
In abundance; but, thank God, they are
not all deacons.
The above resolutions, coming from
the source they did, created a great SEN
sation, not only in the town of Har-.
wood, but in large section of country
surrounding. In a very few weeks it
was apparent to all that the sale of port
and brandy had diminished, and many
young men who had been noted for their
habits of tippling became abstemious,
and absented themselves from the grog
shops. The rumsellers saw the change
the resolutions were working among the
young men, and deeply felt the loss
they were sustaining in consequence of
the stand the association had taken.-
They called meeting, made long and