The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-06-14

NEAL Dow ON THE DEFENcE.-Neal Dow, the
ather of the Prohibitory law, and the last
patron of the measure who has inbrued his
hands in human hood. has written. long
apology for his conduct at Portland In which
he endeavors to show that he ordered the peo-
pie of that city to be shot down in the streets
in order to prevent their tearing or burning
down the City Hall, and destroying the Liquor.
This defence presents many curious points.
In the first place, we have nothing but Neal
BOWS opinion as to the intention of the mob.
He chooses to think they intended to burn the
City Hall. Persons whowere among them, and
who have found respectable organs in the news
papers of the place deny that any such inten.
ton was entertained for an instant. The off,
Ger Of militia to whom Neal Dow first offered
the post Of executioner and who boldly refused
to act, has positively declared that there was
no symptom among the crowd Of any such de-
sign as justified resort to violence on the part
of the authorities. And in truth when we
think of 1t, every man must see that the burn
ing of City Hall is by no means an act
which crowd would be likely to commit with
out some extraordinary and intolerable provo
cation. To bring the case home to ourselves.
Suppose q crowd assembled here on any occa.
sion of public interest; would any one expect
that it would be likely to mediate injury to the
City Hall or any other monument? Would not
in plain words the worst of the owery b'hoys
be ready to fight If need were, in defence of q
building inseparably connected in his mind with
the grandeur and growth of his native city
Neal BOWS assumption, to say the least Of it,
is rot based on any thing like probability.
Again, what is the abstract moral view of
the liquor question? Neal Dow and his party
say that liquor is pernicious substance, q
poison, and so forth, which ought to be pro-
hibited. In the West and in parts of the coun
try where the laws are administered with
laxity, they stimulate women, children and
fanatics to attack liquor stores, and more than
once we have had to record an account of
similar outrage, applauded by the teetotal
Organs. Yet here at Portland 1t seems that
when the crowd wanted to destroy the liquor
belonging to the city grogshop, Neal Dow
called out his soldiers and ehot tdem down.
There Is some strange inconsistency here
the destroyeYs Of 1t in the West should be tried
and punished, and the Prohbitory people
stopped off; or it is bad thing, and, If So
why did Neal Dow shoot people to prevent their
destroying it.? Either horn OF the dilemma
seems fatal to the temperance patriarch.
AT all events, whatever excuses Mr. Dow
may make, and whatever arguments may be
adduced in the controversy, one thing is quite
certain: this teetotal 81 stem, which is of doubt
ful constitutonality and clear infringement
Of the rights Of mankind, leads directly to riot,
bloodshed and disorder. A course of legisla-
ton which creates such hostility among ON
intelligent people must have some weak points
in Its character; and these, with their conse-
quences, are quite sufficient to show that all
prohibitory legislation is wrong in principle
and isnot adapted to any portion Of the people.