Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1857-08-20
d, This pOrtionof the address opens as fol-

ted, This portion of the address opens as fol-
lows:
" The present law Of this State in relation TO
Intoxicating liquors, The opposition it has received
from the democrats, and lis support and enact
ment by the opposition, furnishes another striking
Illustration Of The principles of the Two parties,
1t such an association Of men. of diverse political
principles as he opposition to the democratic
party Is, can be called party. The letter and
spirit OF that law prohibits the use Of Intoxicating
liquor as beverage. II makes lis sale for this
purpose crime Oh most wise Sol0ns, how
long The world has been in ignorance OF what
constitutes criminahly! How long in your
clemoncy will you allow us to eat poaots, from
which il is said, a vile liquor called whiskey, is
sometimes madei Until YOU shall come to be of
the opinion Of the German wisacre, probably,
who believed that innocent potatoes were the
cause of most of the evils of which flesh is heir
Man. crtated in God S o,cn image IN pour esh
nation must not be allo,ced 10 judge for himself.
tchen, hol0 much, or lchat he shall cat or drink
Nav. 10 democrat whatever his opnun of the
propreiy OF the use of intoxicating liquors may
be, who understands the principles of his party,
and the reasons for the faith that is in him, will
approve of such "A law. He cannot so lcanionly
'nUade thot individual liberty phich is The night of
e0ery intelligent man under a free government
This law too, assumes that to be crime which
until made 50 by it is perfectly innocent. IL is
no more crime 10 sell rum 10 be property used as
a bereroge, than IL is 10 sell The molasses from
'ohich ii as manufactured. Yet this law assumes
that it is II crime to sell or use rum as beverage
But the advocate of the law says that rum is
Liable to abuse. and fills the world with trouble
and misery. Well, then punish The abuse as a
crime, for crime admit that is; but do not
cucumber our statutes with arbitrary and iyran.
MICA legislation On this subject, making innocent
acts crimes, and prescribing penalties which
never can in a free stale be enforced. As well
might You attempt to stop theft a great evil and
crime certainly, by abolishing property, as to
suppress inlemperance by putting lie upon the
statute, assuming that to be crime which is no
crime aud so through such a wrong produce the
right Of a temperate life.
But this aw never has hecn executed in this
or any other state, and we venture the assertion
that it never can be in this county. Such laws
can only be fully ext cuted under despoism-
Noah Webster in his folio Dictionary uuder the
VOID sunpiuary says, Sumpiuary laws art
abridgemenls of liberty, and of very difficult ex
eculion ! he friends Of This law have grea
reason to believe in the lalier part of the clause
quoted from " ebsler's Dictionary
We are free TO admit that in some parts q
the state, by mild and judicous use of thin
law, 1t has practically operated TO regulate bu
not according 10 its design TO prohibit the traffic
III and use Of liquors, and so may have, by such
an administration Of it, been beneficial