Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1855-03-28
MARgH 2g.
Who tells the Trnth

sweeping declarations:
"There Is not q single instanc. or ,eco~a
whee sumptaary or prohibitOry laws, have
III we lookto New England-the lind NJ
ste'uY habits-we shall find thew have had
no other effect than to increase crimes
ppnage-)ealousy-- land to array in omen
contest the worst passions Of our nature.b
Now, we have no idea Mr.. Waugh, or who.
ever was the writer Of that Report, has been
to New England" to ascertain whether
this state of things exists-but We have conn.
ter authority from men who live there. and
whose observation and language entirely
contradict the assertions Of this Report
And We beg every member Of that Commit.
tee to read the following.
FE'& MAINE. Hear this, ye unbelievcrs
In the efhoacy and value Of a Maine Law
The report Of the overseers Of the House
OF Correction, in Portland, to the County
Commissioners, is Official evidence to the
salutary operation Of the Maine Law, and to
the good elects OF closing rum shops.
For the year ending June, 1853, we felt
much encouraged when we were enabled to
report that there had been but forty nine
commitments for the year, OF less than one
a week. But how much more pleasure it
gives. you may Judge, end will undoubtedly
participate IN, az all human hearts will, to
state that the commitments for the year end
hEg with june, 1854, are hut nineteen q
'hinrinutinn Of thirty. And better still. that
for the last six months, there have been but
seven This is, certainly, u most cheering
sacc"vTt.
with hut one exception, these were SEN
tened ~ the house for that devastating ain,
drunkenness. Remove that evil from our
miast. and the cells would be solitary. 1t
seems. by the com parison of the two years,
T. be fast diminishing. We trust another
PEAR may present Il purer docket"
Brsupp BURGESS. Protestant Episcopal
Bishop of Maine, in answer to an enquiry
whether NE law has answered the expecta-
tons III its friends, replied:
WHAT were their actual expectations I
cauaDt venture 90 say hut every reasonable
expcctatilu must have been more than salts
fol. Whatever is in the power OF prOhib'
itnry law 60 accomplish without extreme Sc
verify or inquisitorial scrutiny. this law has
generally, in my opinion, accomplished
Those who arc bent upon obtaining liquor,
can. and dn succeed tut it has ceased to
bo an article Of traffic il has ceased to pre-.
sent any open temptation tho young are
EbtnphfhiiNtly SAFE ' anu III lHt GNllS ~ pun
lie drinking houses and bars removed. to
gether with the interest Of a large body OF
mon in unfolding them for their own pecu
iiary advantage.
FRox CoNNEcrlcuT.-Hear what the Gov
ernor Of the State says;
81 hazard nothing in a%ssertinS that nj
candid enemy of the law will deny that i
has proved more efficient than its most san,
ly swept the perniciuus traffic, a. a business
from the State. An open groggery canno
BE- found. ! have not seen a person here IL
u state Of intoxicatiOn since the first Of An
gust. In our cities and manufacturing vii
lagos, streets that were formerly constantly
disturbed 10y drunken brawls, are now al
quiet rs any other.
"Tho change is 80 ~palpable, that mani
who have boon strongly opposed to such
law have been forced to acknowledge the ef
fcncy Of this.
Tho statistics Of our courts and prison,
prove that criminal prosecutions are rapid,
diminishing in number. Some jails are oil
most tenantless.
"The law has been thoroughly executed
with much less difficulty and opposition tina
was anticipated. In no instance has n seil
ure produced any general excitement. X
~sistanco to the law would be unpopular an
u mas OtGU lOAAlu III Nfllh W W ~ AZ CHOW
The longer the beneficial results Of the la
are seen and felt, the more firmly it becom,
established. ; The ridiculous idea, so indu
triouslv circulated, that the sanctity of d
nestle life would be invaded, has been show
to he n mere bug bear. The home of Il
peaceful citizen was never before so secur
The officers Of the law have no occasion
break into his dwelling, and he is now fir
from the intrusion Of the lawless victims
intemperance."
HEAR it, all We opposers of, and unbelie
ers in a Maine Law 4! Says the Hdrtfo
(COanecticu0 Courant:
"In the month Of July there were TWEEN
commitments to the Wurkheuse-in I
month Of August only eight. In the nor
of August last year only sixteen. Thu
have been twenty three persons d~ischarg
from the Workhouse since the LIST ct Aug
OF the present wear, and on Saturday, 81
trmher 9th. there ,ots not a single male perS
ia the Workhouse, which except for a coul
of females. would be tenantless. There !
not been n parallel to this state Of things
any season vt the year for eight years
least for how much longer we do not KIN,
hut we presume there never was. Il tn
a sane person who doubts for an inst;
what has caused this result ?"
Listen also to the testimony oftho Spea
of The House 81 Representatives of '
mont:
"Ten thousand strelms Of we have b
dried et their fiuutaius-paupsrism has b
mast surprisingly diminished in many lO
ities-eounty inils have. in many inStan,
become tenantless-druni en- rows, for VII
Vermont. under her former iniquitous
cence laws. WAS ~ proverbial. are now RI
unrd almost entirely among the things
werc-and gross iuehriety, ifwitnesed at
e%xeites astonishO,ent, and is quite sure
furnish the means of detecting aud pun
ing the offender. Tins much has the
accomplished for our State"
MISsIssIPPI.-We ask the Commute,
carefully peruse the following letter f
Judge Tarpley, rs to the effect of the g
liquor law in Mississippi. Remember
IS from q Southern State
JACKSON, Dec. 22d, lSS
Dear Sir: Yours Of the 18th inst
been received, and in reply it affords
great pleasure ~ he able to state TINT 81
from drinking and drunkenness being o,
increa in tho city Of jackson. since
passage Of the Temperance Reform 81
February last. the very reverse is true.