Smyrna times., 1855-01-31
Correspondence Of the .Snurn.a Times.

ton of the members of the General Assembly, n
ip relation to- the enactment of Prohibtory
Law, had been misconstrued or misunderstood. :
and containing a request from several gentle
men, that those views should be published
through the medium of your paper.
Inasmuch as the conference at which they {
were expressed was, to considerable degree,
public, apd as | know of no reason for privacy
in relation to them, | have no hesitation in COM
plying with the request, so far as is permitted
in the brief space allowed to wspaper ar
ticle.
Before proceeding, however, will merely
allude to the circumstances under which that |
conference was held. L. is we'll known that in |
this county nearly all, if not quite all, those !
who have hitherto been known ss Prohibitory law |
men, voted the American ticket at the last cleo /
tion. ltsalso confidently affirmed that they voted
this ticket under the belief that they would OBJ
tain, through the Legislature, the enactmentOi
a law prohibiting the manufacture and sale OF
intoxicating liquors. Nor, in thus voting, did
they do violence to their sentiments in any
other respect They accorded with the princi-
pies the American party, 50 far as those pr n
cpes had been promu lged-'hey stood and
were willing to stand on the platform LAID down
on the 4th of October, 1854. In their union
with that party, they understood themselves TO
surrender no right OF conscIence--to abandon
the advocacy of no measure promotve of the
general welfare of the State.
Such measure was the Prohibtory Law,
and to suppose that men who, for the sake OF
this, had, years before voluntarily severed the
ties which bound them to the parties to which
they were attached, and who, for years, had
waged a constant warfare in It's behalf would
Quietly-nay. enthuslastcal aly-surrcnder it,
without some controlling Necessity, is absurd
; That such necessity existed is not even pre-
tended.
The party to which they attached themselves
declared in its fundamental artic les, that the
issues upon measures of policy which formerly
i divided the Wing and Democratic parties had.
: IN great measure, ceased 10 exist that
6 " honest men should agree to sacrifice old party
: prejudIces tor the good of their country" ana
r that 1t was its cherished desire and determl.
nation to elevate the character of the American
citizen, both at home and abroad" To thu st
declarations thus expressed, the Prohibitor,
. Law men yielded cordial assent. They haC
" long cOntended that there existed IN this State
: no essential difference OF opinion between the
" two partles--they had already sacrificed then
LII a 4
= " good OF their country, and they knew no mea
= sure better calculated to elevate the character
J of the citizens of this State than the Danish
ment oil intoxicating liquor-the maintaner o
' ignorance-the parent OF poverty, aud the in
stlgator Of crime.
In view of these declarations, they voted 70
:, the candidates of the American party, and be
leved they had just reason to expect, at thel
hands, the enactment of law promotive OF tn
: moral, social and political prosperity of Ii
people. Nor are they now wantingin attach
ment to the American Party. Associated il
I'd the Promulgation and maintenance ofprnciple
>. TO which their reason assents, they desire it
81 representatives. to adopt such measures as vii
n
k. ty, but strengthen the party, by convincing tn
people OF the truth Of the declaration that
was formed for the good of the country and to
N the elevation of the character of the America
" citizen.
+, Assuming that there was no doubt in tn
1t mind of any of those representatives of tn
rIghtiulness of FrohibItory Law, but of il
lexpediency only, they desired an opportunity t
l. endeaYor to shew that duty and policy alik
d. pointed to its enactment. For this purpose
4" conference was requested, and the request wa
ct acceded to in the same spirit of courtesy
which 1t was made. For myself, and those
\ whose behalf spoke, in that conference | en-
deavored to maintain these propositions:
That the question of Prohibition must neces
:. sarily be met in the next campaign-lt can ne
ther be suppressed or avoided
That the American party should, as matte
k of merely strategetcal policy, take decide
I'd ground on this question-for or against the la,
of and quiet the dissension in her own ranks
or That it is impossible for her to take groun
te against it and survive-the merely assumin
such position will be the signal Of dissolution.
That by taking ground for it she places hel
er self on the defensive, and the opposite party,
a. 1t mean to dispute the position, must move
1T the attack, for repeal of the law.
iy That this necessarily changes the relativ
posture OF the parties-forces the Democrat
party from its attitude of neutrality into activ
e cooperation or hostility, and thus creates
n' division in its ranks.
al That there arc hundreds of Democrats VIII
IT, will never 60 with the party in the attempt
force repeal.
le That unless PrOhibitOry Law is enacted
in this winter, we have no other option than /
at move in the primary conventions of the Amer
can Marty. in the naxt carnn.i... q .s..l...:-