Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1855-04-04

sonable to bs supposed that herd of
drunken sots, elected to represent us
would pass d prohibitorys Law, than It is
10 suppose that a flock of turkey sbuzzatds
would hold conference to take steps to
prevent any more beasts from dying. SO
that there would be no more carbon
No. it is their nature to feed on carrion.
and they viii desire TO have it until their
nature is changed SO, if We wish to have
change in our laws. We must have dll-
ferent men to represent us in our Legs
latire halls.
But now the cry is heard from some
poor misguided soul. who has more cour-
age than brains, '' Our lawyers say that
it is unconstitutional to pass prohibitory
law Our lawyers Who are these
legal gentlemen that are such sticklsrs
for the constitution? They are men.
who get their living principally by the
corruption of others and ifcorrupt them
selves, would it be strange if they did en-
courage a system from which they sucked
their very life's blood. Do away the Ii
cense system, and one half, at least, OF
our Constitutional Layers must find some
other employment for support. once
heard lawyer say he was paid one hun-
dred dollars for making speech in which
he influenced the court to grant license.
1t appears, however, that some of the
most profound and learned men differ
from these little legal gentlemen about its
being constitutional. Chief Justice Ia
ney says, . If any State deems the retail
and interu4l traffic in ardent spirits IMP
Lea tn
ducp idlcucss, vice or debauchery. l see
nothing in the constitution Of the United
States to prevent it from regulating or re-
slraining the traffic, or from prohibiting it
altogether II it thinks proper s" Uhi
bugbear OF -" not constitutional" is like
bubGe-lL vHnisIes 1T every touch.
But another cries out, " You are for ia
king away our libcrLy-yOu wish to rn
slave us in free country" | know of
no greater slaves than those who are the
slaves vi BAcchuS. l once heard OF man
who got drunk. and from that he kicked
up fuss. AMI from Tia; lie was impriSon
ed and while Pecping out through lis
irons rated windows. HIemPerancc pledge
was presented 10 him, and when asked to
sign it, he Indignantly replied, ~ am not
going to sign away my liberty :" Thus
y6u see one Of the vciiest slaves in being.
talking about liberty! Such perSrnS ap
pear to think that liberty cOnSiS in vol
UNFAIRLY giving themselves up to the SER
vice OF one " hO rules them with rod vi
iron.
But another cries g We have right
to do as we please" Yes, this is the
stale cry Of thousands of the friends Of
- Oh !! be joyful" 1t is true, we have a
right to do as we please. so long rs we
pleaset to do right. But when we please to
steal our neighbours horse, or to cut his
throat, then the law is pleased to lay hold
upon US, and cast us in prison, or take
from us life itself. So when men are
pleased to sell this " liquid fire" to their
neighbors. and thus destroy his reason or
life, the law has n right to lay hold Of
him. and say, " thus far shalt thou go
and no farther" The object of the
friends OF temperance is not to destroy
liquor. nor Danish it from our country
its only object is to correct its abuse
Their desire is to have its sale and uses
SO regulated by law rs to prevent its be-
ing nsed only for Mechanical, Medicinal
and Sacramento purposes.
One more article will close my remarks
on this subject for the present, unless OBJ
jec;ions appear in print against what !
have writteu-in that case, expect TO
meet them.
A PHILANTHROPIsT.