Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1857-03-13
SPEECH OF HON. L. g. TODD
Delivered in The House of Representatives,
January 26th, 1857

January 26th, 1857.
A bill to amend the act entitled "An act
to provide against the evils resulting from
the sale of intoxicating liquors in the State
of Ohio" passed March, 1854, being before
the Committee Of the Whole, Mr.. Labgdon,
of Hamilton, moved to strike out the whole
Bill, when Mr.. Todd said:
MR CHAIRMAN :-"Hear me for my cause
and be silent that you may hear" | am
not often disposed TO detain the House with
my thoughts, as most subjects seem to be
discussed 10y younger, and perhaps ADLER
men. But, on the subject of this Bill,
have reflected some and felt much. And |
cannot feel that my duty is done, without
expressing my conscientious convictions in
favor of prohibition. | have no special
instructions from my constituents; nor need
any for, in sending me here, with ful
knowledge of my views, and with the suf;
RACES of about four-ffths of the voting pop
ulation of the County, they have sufficient
ly indicated their will in the premises. Tho
Bill before us is not as full and stringent a,
| could wish to see upon the Statute-Book
but l hope it may pass, because it is good a.
far rs it goes. Some of the friends of pro-
hibition seem to think that party policy for.
bids action here But l am one of those
who think more of principles than of party
l wish to uphold no party that dare not &C
for the Right, though the heavens fall. Il
party cannot succeed without sacrificing
important interests and principles it had bet
ter fail No good can result 10 society from
a time-serving party divested of its rightou.
principles.
am aware that different opinions Obtain
even among good men, in relation to thu
necessity or justice of prohibition. Yet
think there could be but one opinion
with the intelligent friends of humanity
were it not for the influence Of tradition
fashion and custom. Social vices and evil
to which men are not accustomed, awakel
attention at once, and induce the well-dis
posed to devise means to arrest and counter
act them. But evils of the greatest magni
tudc-even crimes of the darkest dye, whic
have been sanctioned by habit, fashion, an
long and general federation, cease to be seer
especially with the less-thiuking masses, i
their real and terrible character. Million
will consider vast and desolating crimes eve
harmless and right, because they have bee
long and gonerally tolerated by custom an
law; which under ordinary circumstance:
they would view with CONSERVATION an
horror. 1t is so with the Internal traffic
intoxicating drinks, and the still more infe
nal traffic of human beings. These giar
sins and awful crimes, which overshado
this Continent with fearful curse, are no,
held to be innocent, and even Christian
by more than half the people of this natiol
And all this because the laws sustain then
True, a corrupt public opinion sustain
tho laws; and the corrupt laws sustain tn
corrupt public opinion. They have bee
practiced so long and so extensively, tina
multitudes now uphold them, though i
themselves so averse to human veal and S
criminal that .fends would trembIe to
guilty of them. The laws of this countr
not only sustain evidoers by punishn
crime, but they also educate the people,
They create public sentiment, and fix tn
standard of morals, as much as of weight
and measures. Laws based in eternal iu,
tice, for the enforcement of good order an
the encouragement of righteous aspiration,
will always tend to purify aud exalt th
moral sense of the people; while on the 9th
er hand, those laws which are intended onl
to advance and protect the sordid interest
of pampcred few, at tho expense of a
right and all moral principles, tend directl
to blind the moral perceptions of the peopl
and cause a general deterioration in the elc
ments of civilization Most mon are inelir
ed to believe that all is right that the law
permit, and all wrong which the laws cor
denim. Hence it is true, that bad law,
or legal connivance at palpable vices an
great crimes debase and vitiate public opir
ion, and, by gradual degeneracy, undermin
the peace and safety of the State. And
verify believe, the legalized traffic in men i
a large portion of the Republic, and tn
murderous traffic in poison beverage in a
tho States, have done more to blind and de-
moralize the people than all efforts of Leg
islatures, Courts ofJustice, or even the Pu
pit, have ever been able to do, to enlighter
reform and elevate them to tho love an
practice of justice and goodness. They hay