The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1857-06-06
About Temperance.

About Temperance.
In the proceedings Of our city council the
reader will observe that on Tuesday evening
the present state Of the Temperance cause
in Ottawa received slight overhauling. An
ordinance was introduced by Mr.. Gray to
repeal our city prohibitory law, pending the
consideration Of which the Rev. MIR. Motor
risk, the Catholic priest in this city, being
invited thereto, made some statements to
the council which were not a little startling.
We regret exceedingly not having been pre-:
sent to hear that speech. The substance Of
it, however, as reported to US, was about
this. That Mr.. NEG. had at the beginning
favored the adoption Of our city prohibitory
ordinance, and after its adoption, had used
his influence to have it enforced. Instead
Of absting the evil Of intemperance, how
ever, he had been panied to find that the ef-
feet Of the Law WAS to increase the evil at q
rate which amazed him. Not only did all
the establishments then in existence continue
to sell liquor clandestinely. but he was crcdi-
bly, assured that the amount OF their sales
had greatly increased; and as they con-
tinued the business almost in open defiance
Of the law. others were embroidered to do
the same, so that, instead of there being some
40 or 80 places in Ottawa, as two years ago,
where liquor was openly sold there were a,
this time 143 such places, in the city! Yet,
startling as this number was, it told less than
half the story. Besides these public estab-
lishments, there were hundreds of private
houses in town where liquor in amazing
quantities is sold. In portions Of the city
there was scarcely house or shanty in
which there was not barrel kept from
which liquor was sold in quantities from
half gill to = gallon. So pervading and
pestiferous had the evil become, particularly
among his own people, for whom alone he
could speak, being brought less in contact
with others. that unless some speedy rene !
dy was applied, the end must be general de- /.
moralizaticn and ruin
In reference to what that remedy should /
be, Father McG. spoke with diliidence; but I
he could suggest at present nothing that in
his Judgment would be more effective than
to adopt rigid license law. This would
necessarily diminish the number Of places of
selling liquor by making it the interest of
the licensed retailers to aid the friends Of
temperance in enforcing the law. He was
quite confident such law could be rigidly
enforced.
The result Of this speech was the unaui-
nous repeal, by the council, of our city pro-
hibitory ordinance, and notice was given that
at the next meeting al ordinance would be
presented for consideration to establish
system of licenses.
And thus we chronicle the end of the
Maine Law coercion system in Ottawa. As
in Maine and everywhere else, SO in Ottawa
it has proved most sorry substitute for the
moral suasion principle. Twelve years ago,
by six months vigorous application Of the
latter principle, Ottawa, which the year be-
fore, boosted 10 doggeries and but 1900 in
habitants, was swept so clean that men had
to leave town to get drink Of whiskey.
few years afterwards the coercion system
was advocated by the friends of temperance
instead Of suasion, and from that day to this
VIC bd't DCtu caNh"o'u. -hhu ~ Ids l
not only been so in Ottawa-in Illinois, but
in the whole country John B. Cough
himself, in recent lecture at Providence,
r. l., freely admitted as he lamented the I
fact. Since the temperance reform began to
lean upon the law, said he, rather than upon
persuation, drunkenness has everywhere in
creased. The Sons of Temperance have
from 900, 600 to $4,000, and the
life has gone out Of that once vigorous Or
ganization. The amount raised for temper
ance tracts, lectures, &C., is not one-ffth Of
what it was years ago. Mr.. G. went further.
He said that more liquor was sold in Massa-
chusetts than he had ever before known,
and that it was the same in all the other
States.
We must 60 back to the old and better
principle, and begin anew. 1t is "nOt by
rnight-not by power, but by my spirit, ,
saith the Lord" Let US substitute love for |
for prisons, and SO surely
as the earth is made green and joyous by
sunshine and gentle showers instead of frost
and storms, will the temperance cause again
recover its vigor from the blight that has
it.