Monongalia mirror. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1855, 1854-01-28
We much wish we could give any.

| to prove that tho 1rlenu5 VI teiipe!uueo
had the right to suppress, by law, the
sale and drinking of intoxicating liquor,
and that Legislatures had no right to IL
cense,-for it was the most thorough,
satisfactory and unanswerable argument
we ever heard. We must, however,
content ourself with a meagrc sketch;
showing only the main points.
No two men huge'a right to make a
mako bargain which shall injure q
third aud Innocent party. Therefore
the vender has no right to sell 10 man
drink, where the sale may injure tho
wife and children of tho purchaser
This is in accordance with one of the
most common and well established prin'
ciples Of law. Neither has the Legis'
Iature the right to grant license, to a
man to yend drinks which may injure
third parties, unless full security is Ia
ken for indemnity against loss 1t is
not practised in any other ono line OF
business, however useful it may be.
You have splendid railroad running
into your city. Well, when the Direc.
tors Of that road located it, they ran thro'
the farms of many men, and they were
required to pay all damages that they
did 10 the farms. Not only that, they
were required to give q guarantee to
make good all damages their road might
do by burning the mems houses or barns
This was right, for, however useful the
road, they had no right to endanger the
property of others, BY tho use OF road
You have an excellent hotel here. One
of tho best ever saw. Now suppose l
were to buy the adjoining lot to that ho-
tel and commence putting up house
for the manufacture Of powder. Would
the people permit itl No. l could give
perhaps guarantee to pay for any
damages that the explosion of my pow.
der works would do the hotel; but l
could give no guarantee to protect the
public against loss of life, fmy works
should explode; and tho laws and the
people would prohibit me from thus ex-
posing the lives that could not give.
Yet the State licenses, and the city
licenses houses that take more lives an
Lpually than were ever taken BY the OK.
'fplosion q powder mills. But you say
that no one is hurt that does not go to
them. Yes they are. The wife, chill
dren, and friends are all injured, their
property is taken away, their friends
are taken away, their protector is taken
away, their happiness is taken away, al
though they never entered the house.
they never had any contract with tho
rum-seller, thoy never had anything to
do with him, aud yet they are injured
worse than the farmer whose house or
barn might be burnt by the Railroad To-
comotive or the landlord whose house
might be blown up by the explosion OF
powder There is no other business
permitted in our country, which may
wrong or injure innocent parties with
out guaranty against injury to those
parties, save this, and this one we have
shown to ho of no benefit to the consu,
mer. Is it right that this should be the
exception to the universal rule. We
think not.
Now if the rum-sollcr will give us Sc
curity against damage, if he will secure
our lives and families against suffering
and loss, if he will secure community
against the crime, the paupcrism, the Q,
normous taxes and other evils produccc
by his traffic, we will say no moro; but
he cannot do it. 1t was not in his pow
er Were the wealth of the world his
he could no, secure US against the ruin
he causes in every community. We
must therefore resort to our only means
of protection, We must place his estab
lisbment where it can do no harm TO the
innocent, and if there is no such place
we must abolish it altogether.
But, says the rum.seller, we will fight
for the privilege. No you won't, Who
will fight with youl The drunkard
won't, for you have ruined him. and he
would save his children. His wife and
! children will not, foryou have brought
sorrow, shame, poverty and wretched
ness to their homes. The moderate
drupkard will not, for your destruction
saves him, and certainly y the temperance
man will not. Who then will tight to'
youl No one. And you will not fight
yourselves, for when the great moral
army comes toward you, you will run Us
ibid tho w!.isEey revollcrs in PennsyIva
mia when Washington aud his army
came over Laurel bill.
We have been compelled for want o
space to give brief skeleton OF the adj
: dress, but We have rarely been better
pleased with a discourse Of tho kind
It was sound, and Legitimate argument
carried ppih,edly and truthially home
1t convinced.
II Followed Him.
yyhpn tho American flag was unlurlet