Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1858-11-25
Gtimpu::a11tt .Matter.
AN ARGUMENT FOR THE CAUSE
TEMPERANCE.

ana malutalncu TcsullS III equaiy "u"H
good, not only US a restorative bat preven-
ative. Then why not all good people join
the temperance cause? If not actually sign
the pledge, embrace the principles, as the
one produces evil and the other good
choosing the good and refusing the evil.
The temperance cause is one of the best OF
causes. 1t is not only consistent with right
reason, but with the Christian religion, as
God has said no drunkard shall inherit the
kingdom of heaven. There is no need OF
labor to convince the world of mankind, that
drinking ardent spirits tends to destructive
results, present and eternal. But to prevail
on all men not to drink, while sober men
make and hand out, remains yet to be done.
Nevertheless, let temperance men labor on
in hope of saving some for the labors ofthe
Temperance men have affected much to the
saving multitude from drunkards graves.
Much more remains to be done, to open the
eyes of the blind and to unstop the deaf ears
of those agents for sin and satan who are
making or handing out ardent spirits, to the
increase of drunkardness in the earth.
The good cause of temperance must one
day triumph it has truth on its side. Some
of the makers and venders have heard the
sound and tasted the bitter fruits of their
doings; have hearkened to the warning voice
that says "let the wicked mau forsake his
way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts.
1t does appear to me that all good people, Of
both sexes, should join in with the temper.
ance hosts and labor to have the eyes of those
agents for sin or satan more effectually open
ed, that they may see clearly that they are
the only source from whence all the drunken
ness in the earth comes, and are accessory
to all crime arising thereform, and are con-
sequeutly guilty of the destruction of many
thousand human beings, who are annually
swept off the stage of action by the destr uc'
tive food of spurious liquors, which come
from the maker and vender alone. They
are as truly the support Of drunkenness, as
do the little streams supply the larger ones.
Dry up the springs, the fountain fails and
the supplies for intemperance and drunken,
ness end.
Men say they do not make it to destroy
lives, but it is good IN its place. If we are
we'll, we do not nee6 it. If We are sick, it
will not cure US and they know at the same
time there is destructive flood of it gone
forth that goes to no other use but for the
lovers of strong drink to crafty their appe'
titles, to the Increase of drunkenness and
the Staying of tens of thousands, where we
cannot ascribe to it the saving thousand.
And there are no way for them to extricate
themselves from the guilt but to desist from
the practice, relinquish their agency for Sin
and satan, and sacrifice the profits of the
traffic for the sake of salvation. Otherwise
the woe that is denounced against the wick
ed will be their portion; as it is written,
"woe unto the wicked, they shall receive
the reward for the fruit of their doing
For all the crimes accruing from the effects
of intoxication is the fruit of their doings
as much as the roots of the tree is the sup
port of the trunk, the branches, and the
fruit. Where then is the hope of their re-
ward for this fruitful source of evil, only
with satan, as they have been occupying to
the strength Of this kin gdom. For when an
offenso is committed, he that is knowingly
accessory thereto, though not directly the
perpetrator of the deed, is partner in the
crime, consequently alike guilty and incurs
the like penalty.
What, then, is the condition of the States
men, Legislators and Lawmakers in our ia
vored old State, who instead ofaiding, should
be laying the axe to the root of the evil tree.
Some Of you, too, are lovers of strong drink,
who give your custom to retailers, thus en-
couraging evil while you should be making
laws for its suppression and the protection
of them that do we'll. Your deeds Of intem-
perance and dissipation have cast shade
upon your names and station and degraded
the State. You too must give account, for
you not only condemn yourselves in the thing
you do, but in that which you allow others
to do also. You take away the protection
from the mother and her children, by saying
if man will pay certain sum of money he
may have license to sell his rum, thus buy
ing liberty Of you to manufacture drunk.
ards, by which many boy is beggared, many
a murder committed, and many mothers left
to mourn out their widowed days in grief
You have given you sanction to the increase
of food of tears which you have power to
prevent, for the law should be for the suppress.
sion of evil and the protection of them that
would do WE'LL You make laws in favor of
the vender and him that drinks, but he
while under the influence thereof, transgres,
ses the law and as an offender is brought be-
fore the court to answer to the law he has
broken, when perhaps the same Esquire has
given lawful permit to some one to make
him drunk, which qualified him to commit
the crime. The question is, how many are
accessory to the deed how many stand i'm.
plicated, and how many shall give account
for the transgression? Is it not matter g.
uough for men seriously to consider what
they are doing in thus aiding dissipation and
crime? 1t looks to me the mass of our peo-
pie stand on the side of the guilty; for if
there is one righteous man among thous-
and, he is not willing to be accessory to a
crime or do anything to the injury of his fel-
bowman, for the sake Of popularity or profit !;
but he would stand up for the good cause and