New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-06-23
TO THE FRIENDS OF TEMPERANCE
IN THE STATE OF NETWORK.


Few can have more aversion than he to seeing an ar
ce in the newspapers beautifully studded with capital
IT, with his own name subscribed at the bottom Of it.
Yet there are instances wherein assaults are made on
an individual expressly to damage public cause with
which his name happens to be connected and in such
manner as if unrepelled, to do harm to that cause.
For while trust the great of you too discern
ing to be moved by the logic which affirms that
cause must be bad because some one who advocates
il is scoundrel it is still manifest that this style OF ar
eumentation must prove TO some extent effective or 1t
would not be 30 largely employed and so seduously
persisted in For year past it is notorious that the
chief reliance Of the newspaper opponents OF the Re
publican party has been defamation of the personal
characters Of Republcans-of their sincerity their
fidelity and their pecunary integrity Now, so lar as
this may affect the individuals thus assaed if they be
In Office or candidates for Office its justice or injustice
is determined by the truth fasehood OF the accusa-
tions preferred each but so far as 1t Is intended
TO impeach the character and motives OF great party
it cannot be other than sOphstical and base, even
though the elimination of individuals should be well
founded. General Jackson's Administration was not
proved corrupt by the fact that Swarwout, Price and
others Of its trusted functonares embezzlcd large
amounts of the public money and Mr.. Van Buren's
was Justly censurabe for the defaults of Iioyt, Boyd
Harris and Others only far as it kept them in Office
after their uniaithfuuess discovered. He who be-
eves the great of any party corrupt and intent on
public plumber, thereby convicts himself OF narrow
understanding or evil heart.
have been in faith and practice Total Abstainer
from the use of Intoxicating Beverages for more than
thirty years. and for some five years believer that
tie Public Welfare requires the Prohibition of the
Liquor Traffic leaving potable Alcohol TO be vended,
like other poisons of presumed medical utility III GER
tain cases, by druggists alone Realizing that the
cause of Prohibition must encounter immense obsta-
in the habits, preudices and supposed interests ct
numerous and influential classes did not lightly adopt
the theory of Prohibition and shall not lightly aOau'
don it. But am such an unprncpled trimming poll
tician as to believe that laws in Republic, as else
where, must have some basis and anchorage Ill the
convictions and judgment of the community on which
they are to operate so to be generally respected
and upheld by those who do not seek to profit by their
violation If the wisest law-giver of Greece COM
meDded bis statutes, not as the best conceivable but
as the best that the People were preparedto maintain,
and if the Divine Lawgyer asserted that Moses for
the hardness of your hearts, tolerated and even e
gazed acts which were not according to the dictates
of eternal and mmuable morality, then like coDsd
thinker of our day. law exactly suited to Vermont
might be too far ahead of public sentiment to be up
held 30 as to accomplish any good in Arkansas or
Florida
Having been satisfied by inquiry and observation
that Liquor Prohibition could be enforced and main
tanned generally III our State abored for its enact
ment-how earnestly and faithfully, you shall judge.
at length it was enacted, but only to be osentatously
oefed in this and most other Of the Cities, Mayor
taking the lead in devisng the ways and means of
evading it, and Judges Brown of Newburgh, aud
Strong of Suffolk County giving opinions which in
cited its general notification. The Court of Appeals
was induced something year ago, TO ratfy, by
a bare majority, these opnious and thus complete
the laws overthrow. Need say nov that deeply
regretted and still depore these decisions, deemng
them the determining cause of scores of subse-
quent homcides and frightful aggregate Of
crimes immorates and miseries 2 My views on
these points have been fully set forth, and need not
here be reiterated. And, though many ingenious
essays have been written to prove the compatibility
of the Court of Appeals judgment with some
sort of Prohibitory Act must say that, regarding
the spirit the of that judgment, | do not be-
eve it can be reconced with the maintenance of any
act that will really practically suppress the Liquor
Traffic. Need repeat that deem il unwise to dis
tract and convuse the community for the sake OF any
other therefore, holding to Prohibition the true
ultimate policy, and rejoicing over the enactment! of
Prohbitory laws wherever public opinios will enforce
and the Judiciary uphold them, have desired that
favorable change State Constitution, that of
the Court of Appeals should precede the recnactment
in this State of a statute of Prohibition.
But Mr.. Stebbns of Rochester charged last
week that l abandoned or betrayed the Pro
bibitory law before the judgment of the Court OF
Appeals subverted it. The occasion this:
Republican State Convention was held at Syracuse in
the Fall of 1855, Of which Mr. Stebhns and Were
members. We were both on its Platform Committee.
In that committee Mr.. Stebbins, with others insisted
that should report resolve declaring Prohibition
an article Of the Republican creed could not assent
to this, because il not true. The Republican
party had not been founded, and was not based, on
the idea of Prohibition. Individual members Of it
were Prohibtonists-nyself among them but Pro-
hibion was one thing, Republicanism another The
call to that as to the former Republican State Con-
vention had invited all opposed to the Nebraska act
and the further extension Of Slavery to unite in the
movement. Under this invitation, Mr. John 4. King,
now Govenor) Mr.. Preston King, now L. 5. Sena-
ter Philip Dorsheimer and quite number more
who VIGOROUSLY not Prohibitionists, had come
thither. l believe Mr.. Joseph Blunt, who was then
Chairman of the Republican State Committee, and as
such had called this very Convention was not Pro
bibtonist. Now, there were Prohbitonists enough
in said Convention to have passed NJ. Stebbins's
resolve, and thus in effect invited al who were no;
Prohibtiorists TO walk out; but vote Of FIVE 10 one
would not have made the lie a truth. 1t would have
still remained the fact that there were Republicans
who were not Ppshibionists, and Prohbitonists who
were not Republicans though many were both the