The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-04-21

The HERALD AND THE New LIQUOR LAW
Several Of our small fryjournals, scarIcly able
to meet the bills Of their washerwolnen, are
endeavoring to show up what they call the in
consistencies of the HERALD upon this new
liquor law. Per contra, we maintain that the
course Of this paper upon the liquor question
has been rational, sensible and consistent from
the beginning. We have never advised, advo-
Gated or defended the Maine Liquor law. We
have never believed In the alleged constitu-
tionality or utility of total abstinence under
compulsory process. We believe in temper
ance; we have given it long experience, and
have found it good; in truth, the delicate and
diversified machinery of the HERALD Office
could never be managed by any other than
habitually temperate men.
But we are not teetotalists upon any sort Of
compulsion. The pledge or the law may be use
full to such as have appetites for liquor strong
er than their weak heads Nevertheless, we
think st. Paul splendid example of sensible
temperance man. It was this good and sterl-
ing apostle who recommended Timothy to
" take a little wine for thy stomach's sake, and
thine often infrmities." And we hold that un-
der similar circumstances, the same privilege
may be extended temporarily even to whiskey
and lager bier. Had there been any lager bier
in st. Paul's time, he would probably have in
cluded it in his advice to Timothy, though we
are not so sure about the whiskey and schnapps.
We have opposed this liquor law, and
we approved Governor Seymours veto Of
a similar act by the previous Legislature,
because we believe this sort Of legislation to be
despotic and unconstitutional. We are in favor
of restraining the excuses Of grog drinking by
all proper appliances, and Of reducing the
number Of grog shops by all proper restrictions
To this end we have advocated, and still advo-
cate, the abolition, by some new party, of the
primary electioneering machinery of rufians
and grog of the two old political parties. The
wings and democrats are thus responsible for
perhaps four. fifths of the drunkenness and row.
dyism which, for some years past, have dis
graced this city, the State and the whole coun-
try, especially in election times. If the Legis-
lature, or the people, will give us law de-
claring all party nominations effected through
the agency Of ruffians and liquor, null and
void, we shall have secured substantial tri-
umph for the temperance cause, and we shall,
doubtless, havea more sober Assembly to begin
with than the last, which, from q drunken
frolic to Blackwelps Island, hurried back to
Albany to give us this prohibitory lay. What
became of the spoons at the Island is still
mystery.
Our small fry contemporaries are little ma
licious when they hint that we are melting q
lawless resistance to this law Of espionage,
searches, pains and penalties We say, let the
consttutionality Of this act be tested before the
proper tribunals; but, in the meantime, upon
the saving principle of obedience to the laws,
let there be no violent resistance. If the law
be found unconstitutional, it is nullity; or,
if found upjustly partial or oppressive, the
people have the remedy of repeal in their
hands Let the act be tried from court to
court, and carried up to the next fall election.
WHY Nor THE little villain" Is charged
by his overseer with playing the artful dodger
upon the new liquor law. Why not? How
was Mr.. Seward re- elected to the Senate? Ask
Mr.. Thurlow Weed confdentially and he will,
or ought to say, that :" it was by promises
which we made to the liquor men, that if they
would vote for Mr.. Seward we would contrive
to defeat the liquor law, that we got their sup
port and it was by pledges to the temperance
men Of totally different character through
which we secured their suffrages. After the
election Of Mr.. Seward, of course, one party or
the other had to be cheated; and 30 we con-
cluded to stand by our public professions, and
give the liquor men their just reward" The
little villain" occupies still more flexible
position. He pledged himself in favor of "a
liquor law" but that does not bind him to
support the liquor law" Under which
thimble is the little Joker?
TIL Il l. At EST N &c w g..