Smyrna times., 1855-08-01
Hon. @. @. Bronson on the ProhibitOry
T.aw

70 give dh oPinF5n OH the nlerltS Of the FrOnl- y
bitory Liquor Law passed by the New York pc
Legislature last winter, considerable interest d.
was felt to see what the learned Judge might 10
say. The opinion has been published, and we o.
have read 1t with some attention. To say that u
we were disappointed in the perusal of this G
document, would but half express our real feel 81
ings. We were more than ppointed-we r.
were surprised that gentleman of the leputa. g
ton and standing of the Judge should have $
gained his O,0n consent to publish an opinion of 5
so much Importance, prepared with so little t
care, so undigested, inconclusive, and unsatis- B
factory. We should like to propose to the
Judge few plain, simple questions, which he
can hardly answer without making sad havoc l
with his logic and upsettng his entire argu-
ment. We would first ask, has society The
rig ght Of selfprotection' If 80, she certainly
has the right to employ the necessary means to
this end. Drunkenness, as all will admit, is a
great evil, and an unmitigated curse. 1t makes
thousands of families wretched, rouses bad pas
sions, ncites 10 chickering's and brawls, entails
poverty, fills our prisons, and furnishes nearly
all the victims who expiate their crimes on the
scaftold. Is not society interested in the ha p.
piness of families, the peace of neighborhoods, |
and the protection of her youth, from those |
snares which drunkenness spreads in their pa tn! !
: Is not society interested to be relieved from |
those burdensome taxes which drunkenness al
! ways imposes The Judge says: "Excessive
. drinking is great evil. 1t is All offence which
e should be punished. But it does not follow
e that the moderate Of liquor is sin against
either God or man." &c. But who knows bet.
s ter than the learned Judge. that erceSsiue
: drinking" is the legitimate fruit of moderate
o drinking, and that moderate drinking is the
8 fruit of those pestferous dram-shops, tempting
: the ignorant, the thoughtless and the unwary
b at the corner of every street! The Judge
IS would have the liquor traffic so regulated that
the evils now suffered from it shall be removed.
n Excessive drinking should be punished" For
e two hundred years this plan has been tried, but
y it has not put stop to oexcGssive drinking and
Is it never will. You may as well attempt. to
y rsguJGts the plague, or the explosion of gun
Ir powder, as to restrain a burning thirst created
10 by intoxicating drinks, while the means Of
es quenching that thirst are at hand.
I'd "The title 10 intoxicating drinks" says the
m Judge, is as perfect as is the title to any other
species of property" True, indeed, If they
no are used in legitimate way. and for useful
ht purposes. The owner of tainted meat has a
,ir "perfect title to that species of property,
,s- but he must be very cautious not TO expose i
lis in market, else he would find that his " title ;
i
n brings hundred pounds Of choice butter t.
es market. His h" title" TO it is perfect, but h,
or must be cautious that it is not short weight,
else he will find his title worthless. A shi
ng laden with rich cargo is sailing into harbor
We the Health Officers ascertain that one or NOR
- of her crew are dying with the yellow fever
ad what do they do! Order her instantly to quar-
zee antine no matter at what trouble or expense L
IN her owners consignees. Why! BecGus
an society has the right Of SeJ-prOtectiOn. An
er- yet society must continue to endure the terri
we BILE evils of the liquor traffic, traffic whic
ery makes thousand widows aud orphans wher
ose the yellow fever makes one; traffic that crowd
rst our prisons, fills our almshonses and produce
lat nine-tenths of the petty aud the fragrant crime
which startle the community by their frequer
cy, and appal them by their enormity; all thes
g. burdens, and many more, must be borne, be
ed, cause liquor.sellers have "perfect title " I
of thei property, aud choose to use it in scatter
zen ing disease, poverty and crime throughout th
my land. One would suppose, on reading tn
learned Judges opinion, that liquor sellers aI
nd a highly privileged and favored class. The
han rights are guarded at every point, but the con
.,os munty the PEOPLE, must look out for themselv'
I'm. as we'll as they can.
Is" The insinuation about the CELEBRITIES of tn
8 of people being In jeopardy ltthe crusadeag
eat rumseling continues, would come better fro
violent partisan, or a noisy demogogue tina
a, from grave and learned Judge. Fauatics an
mill bigots are much easier controlled than drunke
,h,e rowdies and oaing vagabonds On the Who'll
the we do not think the learned Judge will plum
in himself on his opinion ten years hence VII
and all his sagacity and legal acumen he has owe
her looked a great fact, which is that the Tempe
ance reform is an onDGrd lUement Of d
age. The proof of this is furnished in the u
iu" rising Of the masses in Sweden, dems nding Il
suppression of the rum traffic; in the slow b
'a' sure progress made in England, to put und
.'. 81. the ban of prescription intoxicating drink
and in those earnest, untiring efforts in SO mar
- of the States of our confederacy toput an eI
to the liquor traffic. Then there is anoth
&c thing worthy Of special note. In all the Stat
ri. where a prohibitory law has been enacted,
and has proved not only benefcent but permaner
Isl. The Courts havo interposed, in some instance
a. and temporarily arrested the progress of Il
at friends OF temperance eut Inc only enc
has mas oeen 10 MAKE 'hem more cautious III iral