Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1855-04-11
APRIL II.

and would cat and drink what they pleased, I
even TO the ruin Of society," How does !
vopr case differ from the abolitionists p !
You saw that every man has the right to
do as he pleases aud it is an insult to re-
strain him by law. How do you differ from
Theodore Parker except in the particu-
lar that Theodore never went SO far as this?
Gentlemen, the memorialists are mot
mad They have no selfish end to answer
they arc no time. servers they are swayed
by no passions warped by no prejudices
they are their country's friends they have
looked far into the future calculated her
greatness considered her mission the
Queen of the world; honored Of all ma
tions, favored Of God. But this can only
be if she is v%irtuous. Without virtue the
mightier she is, the mightier the mischief.
The more arc her advantages, the surer are
the curses Of God for the abuse of them.
The greatest blot upon her name now is
is intemperance. The memorialists are
determined upon its removal and they ad-
wise a hw. The committee say they desire
its removal also, and they advise moral
%suasion.
The memorialists do not object to moral
%suasion. 1t is a means they have always
used aud expect to use. But the commit
tee advise it as the only means; and to this
they object. Moral suasion has done much;
but it cannot do enough. fall the s~uasion-
lists were on the right side it might answer.
But the misfortune is that while. one half
are in favor of the removal eu9rely, the
other are opposed to it. A6dAsS6 hose who
oppose il, claim tofbe moral suasiqhists.-
WHY | will venture that you claim to be
moral suasionists of the straightest sect
You no doubt consider your Report as a
master piece of moral suasion. Again If
you can by moral suasion effect every man
in n county but one, that one will bring
his barrel Of whiskey aud plant it and it
will spread again like a mustard seed and
all the work is to do over again. And now
if every man in a county but one, not from
mere caprice on their part, but on account
of the public good-should desire that no
spirits should be brought into that county,
does it not seem that there ought to be a
way to prevent him ? Every man may
beg him not to do it; but he will do it.
Nor can it be said that this is an extreme
case aud not likely to happen. Cases like
it do happen every day. 1t has not beer
long since in a north west town, the whole
town requested a certain man not to set W
a liquor shop. But what cared he for pub
lie sentiment? He would set it up. AnC
public sentiment was so outraged that tn
ladies of the town with axes and hammer
broke open his barrel and poured out tn
contents. Now, ! do not Justify this; bu
what ! say is that hat society ought t
have had a law to protect them withot
being obliged to resort to violence; for tn
is the sort Of { violence that engenders vi
lencc.' ! mention the case to show no
one man can and will at times set a who
community at defiance, unless restrain
by law. Ninety nine hundredths of t
people Of North Carolina may be oppos
to spirits being imported into this Sta
and every hundredth man will defy the
Ought this to be so? Ought not the n
jority to rule in all matters which conce
society? l do not maintain that a /
ought to be passed contrary to public 81
timcnt. But when public sentiment
quires it-that is when a majority requ
it-then a law ought to be passed to p
tect society. / believe that public sci
ment now requires it. | know that
elections do not indicate it. But there
been No sllGettii9apa It4a9Itess; test p nbbhtdiI %ffRH aiti az
ton shall become so prominent rs to ov
ride every other consideration, includ
the ties Of party. This is the illustrate
There are 200 voters in q county 1C
of them are wings and Will vote the W
ticket 1000 are democrats and will v
the democratic ticket ; 100 are the float
or liquor vote. The wings hold a cow
ton to nominate a candidate. 1t is T
OOSpd In nominate nv A Ho 80 n 10
man and the choice of the whole party
But some calculating politician suggC
that there are 100 floating votes. and VIII
ever party gets them will succeed. {
Mr.. n. get them? No. Who can =?
j. eau get them. Well, it is an import
election-the wings must succeed tn,
fore we will take Mr.. b. And then
democrats meet who shall we nomina
Mr.. g. He is the choice of the party
But can he get the floating vote? No. W
we must have a man who can for
wings have brought out u man on purl
to get them, and we must beat them
time. Who can get them? Mr.. D.
get them. Well, we will take Mr.. [
And then Mr.. d. and Mr.. d. take
stump. Each knows he has 1000 certl
and the contest is for the 100 and
known that he who goes farthest gets tn
And if you hear them on the stump
will suppose that the whole country
liquor men. The two parties numbe
1000 are afraid to say q word, lest
lose the 100. Aud do rot the great |
of the conservative people of North c
lima see that in this way they are rule
the floating vote 2 The wing candi
knows that his brother wings will stan,
to him although he may demagogue
little and indeed that they even d.
him to do so rather than be defeated.
50 it is with the democrat. The candi
says, 20, l know Mr.. A. is too GOT
whig and has too much sense not to
for me because | am STOPPING a little tc
the liquor VOTE And so it is with
democrat. Aud IL is in this way that
lie opinion is manufactured and it il
this way that 1000 voters are induce.
put up with a representative of whom
are ashamed and who upon this great q
ton misrepresents them. But the tin
near at hand when the temperance
will be as unyielding as the liquor ma
And then the demagogue, cut off from
vote that makns him rosnoa.I -,