The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1855-06-20
The Natural Tendency of Fanaticism-
Blood shed and Murder.

Detailed accounts Of the outrage corr
mitted at Portland, Me-, on Saturday even
ing, confirm in every particular the tele.
graphic report. 1t seems quite certain,
first, that Mr.. Neal Dow by his casting
vote as Mayor, induced the Common
Council of Portland to buy liquor Of him
the sale being apparently contrary to the
law he has spent his life in framing and
trying to execute; and secondly, that he
ordered the militia to fire on the people>
when Others, as we'll able to Judge as him
self, saw no necessity for any recourse to
bloodshed.
With Mr. Dow's personal character the
world has little to do. Whether he bought
the liquor in question with view TO make
money out Of it, by selling it to the Com
mon Council Of Portland-as would an
pear to be the most likely suppositiou-or
not, is not material. So far as the man
himself Is concerned, we have even
little concern with the accident which has
set over the city OF Portland rash, hea-
strong official, in whose eyes the lives Of
his fellow citizens are not worth presery
ing. But both the transaction in the
Council room, and the disaster in the
street, are matters Of interest as illustrative
of the tendency and effect of the modern
fanatical temperance mania. 1t is instruc
tive to note that the man whom common
consent regards as the Joe Smith Of com.
Pu'so'y temperance, deals in liquor on the
sly, and votes, MS Mayor, that the city be-
come his customer as Tu,nseller. The dis
covery throws food of light on the ear
ly history Of the prohibitory law move
ment; we may learu from Neal Dow's
actions what it WAS originally intended to
be. Again, it is useful to watch the ex-
ceases into which q man of Mr.. Dow's re-
puted amiabilty and good sense has been
hurried by the fanaticism of his party. 1t
is said that some years ago there was not
a man in the codntry Of warmer heart or
sounder head than Neal Dow. Now we
see him rushing about the streets ofPort-
land like madman, robLing an organiz-
ed body OF militia of their arms, ordering
armed men to fire on their fellow citizens
apparently without tn, smallest necessity,
and altogether conveying the peaceful
town of Portland into perfect Bedlam.
All this is the nstural end Of ianatical
agitator. Men who train their minds TO
work out fanatical theories, generally lose
whatever discretion and humanity they
once possessed. The mania grows upon
them until it absorbs every faculty, and
usurps the place Of every other topic Of
thought; they come to see the world
through lis medium only; and the most
cherished objects, the most sacred scruples
cease to command any attention in COM
parison. Cotton Mather, Judge SewaIl,
and Phips were not naturally inhuman
men, or fools on the contrary, the two
former were men Of extraordinary acquire
ments and capacities, and all three were
born and died with warm hearts; yet they
allowed fanatical mania against witch.
craft--the prototype Of the present fanat-
ical mania against liquor-to drown their
sense and their feelings 30 completely, that
while the iit lasted, no spectacle rejoiced
their eyes so much as the hanging Of an
unfortunate and innoceut woman. just
so, Neal Dow. who ten years ago would
have been as shocked as any Of rs At the
slaughter Of unoffending citizens, orders
his s6irri to shoe. down old men and
young in the streets Of Portland; and Mr..
Thomas McElra,h, who is said to have
been man Of remarkable humanity be-
fore he commenced the manufacture Of
is,ns and quack medicines, gloats over the
massacre, and compares It, in his paper,
TO the Astcr place riot.
Wears anxious to know what DIR. Tying
Mr.. Chapin, and the Rev. Henry w.
BeeelIer think Of the scene just enacted
=. Portland. Some OF these gentlemen,
We remember, told us, at the meeting he d
Al the Me,ropoIitan theatre. that uuder
the working Of the iquor law "iLe walls
4 sadness sad anguish should be changed
into note Of thanksgiving with much
more Of tie same sort. Do they eon.id-
or the cries Of murdered men "no,es o.
Thanksgiving y Dr.. Tying, u our memo
ry serves u, retsrred eomplaceutIy to hi.
isolated position, there being only three