Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1855-03-21

and the laws were regularly enforced; this efnclen-
cy was nullifed and they were repealed"
Gentlemen, IL there is power in o Picked
Rod YOU shall feel it here. You shall not
mis- state facts, and pass for accurate. You
shall not misapply terms and pass for plau-
sible. You shall not discourse false Philos-
ophy and pass for wise. You shall not use
false argument and pass for logical. You
shall not misquote history and pass for well.
informed. Every one of which is contained
in the above paragraph. -.
You say Whenever force has been used,'
&c. What you mean is, that no such law,
when passed, has ever been effectual. Here
is your mis-statement of fact. You say
There is not an instance where sumptuary,'
&c. And here is your misapplication of
terms. The memorialists pray for a law to
prevent an acknowledged crime-a great
evil-the ruin Of society; : and you call that
a sumptuary law. Do you know what sump-
tuary means When you were looking in
the dictionary for the other big words you
have used, you ought to have looked for this.
In Walker-did you ever read Walker-page
500, you can find it. Sumptuous, means
costly, expensive, splendid. Sunptuary, re-
lating to expense, regulating the cost of life.'
Did the memorialists pray for any law 20
regulate the costliness or splendor of living
/ thought you said they prayed for q law to
prevent crime-'ruin to society You say
Such laws have never attained the object
desired = and here is your false argument.
What is the object Of the law of murder? 1t
is to prohibit murder. Has it ever attained
the object desired? Never. Then of what
account is it? Why do you not repeal it?
You say, England, &C., launched their bark
upon this untried sea- &C., and no good came
of it. Here is your Justification of history.
In the first place, it was not an 'untried sea-
when England, &c. launched their bark upon
it. There is not-there never has been a
nation upon the globe that has not had and
enforced %prohihitory laws. Every nation has
as often as occasion required, passed laws,
and enforced them, providing what should
not com into her borders and what might
come, and upon what terms. And what
should not be carried out of her borders and
what might be carried out, and upon what
terms. 1t is true that these laws are some
times evaded just rs smugglers evade your
revenue laws. But still, in the main, the
law is effectual Just as the law Of murder
is, in the main, etfectual. And now | call
upon you, gentlemen, to name one single
instance in which England, Scotland, Ireland
or America has ever had % prohibitory law
which was Intellectual. Why, gentlemen, the
resolution of our fathers, (which you praise
so much, but not too mnch) that no more tea
should come to this country, was a prohibi-
tory law, and in your sense a sumptuary
law and the whole world knows how COM
pletely and t~riumphantly that prohibitory
law was enforced. Why, the right to pass
and enforce prohibitory laws, is as essential
to the very existence of a government, as the
right to defend his house is to the peace and
independence of every citizen. Will my
chosen eleUen still maintain that North Caro-
lin has no right to pass anu enforce a pro-
hibitory law? Are her fair borders and
pleasant places to be invaded by everybody,
and spoiled by every thing, and she have nc
:. power of self-preservation ? Must : imbe'
cility,' 'desolation,' '~beggary' and ruin,
run riot in her society, and she have no powel
, Of self.preservation Forbid it, God for
! bid it.
But / presume, gentlemen, if you had uset
! language to express what you meant plainly
|, your objection is not so much to prohibitory
as it is to sumptudry laws. You used th'
terms as if they meant the same thing; bu
: If you had carefully considered the same,
! as you thought you had, you would have dis
covered, as you must now see, that they are
not at all the same thing so that your Re
port is wide of the mark. The memorlalist
pray for o prohibitory law against crime an
the ruin Of society," and you run off in
crusade against sumptuary laws, about cost
= and expensive living. So that, say wha
you will about sumptuary laws-blame G
u praise them-it is foreign to the subjee
. matter of the Report.
: But every error which you have committe
in regard to prohibitory laws, you have ais
- committed in regard to sumptuary laws.
- is no part of my purpose to support or az
: vocate sumptuary laws but you shall nj
=. render them odious and then apply the odiuI
9. to the memorialists, any more than you sha
" apply the odium of fanaticism and abolitio
.. ism. And l mean to show the falsity an
o. worthlessness of your Report in this part
= ular, as In the other. But this must be Il
80 subject of another letter. Yours truly,
~ PICKLED- ROD.