The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1861-11-05
temperance Lectures.
j. Rrcrl, p. M.

Temperance Lectures.
ES DIR. CHARLES JEwETT, for man
yes5s a temperance lecturer at the Fast
and who has recently been speaking t
crowded audiences at Dubuque. elicilin!
the heartiest encomiums from the press
proposes to visit this place, at the sug
gestion of some of our citizens, and de
liver series lectures upon dram drink
ing and its attendant evils. The Dr.
treats the jet in all its moral, physi
ologicsi and economical aspects, and
deals, we believe less in denuncation than
in kindly advice aud representation IL
has not the Intense tragic and oratorica
power of GoUGH, but mildly, smoothly,
kindly. wins his way TO the heart and the
Judgment of the tippler, and as effective
y, il is said, impresses upon the mind OF
his hearers the hideousness Of the drink
er's habits, AS does Mr.. GoUGH He Wis
its us as soon as he returns from visi,
to Lyons, and will probably be here dur
ing the coming week.
We are free 10 confess that there is
much need of a temperance revival in
our town, and we much wo2der why the
parents of our vonn@ men whN all who
have care for the morals Of our com
munity, who have a solcilude for hus.
bands and for sons, for fathers and for
brothers, do not unite in active efforts to
crush out this miserable traffic in whis
key. We have, we believe, not less than
a dozen or fifteen whiskey shops in our
town, aud the amount of yillanous con
coct'ons drank, to give support to these
places, must be very considerable. The
greater amount of the means paid for the
seaport of these establishments is sub
tracteI from the com forts of individuals
and families, and the amount ofbad, dan
serous influence drown about the yonth
,and The men Of our community can
scarcely be estimated IL is not simply
the poison drank, but the methods used 70
inducc indulgence. In most OF these
places gambling is made an adjunct 10
drinking, and in fact IS used specially to
enbserve the purpose Of selling the "ar
dent" and to the miserable thirst for
drink is added lhe terrible passion for
games of chance. This is confessedly
che influence these whiskey shops are ex
ertlng upon our community, and when
we reflect that a dozen or more of them
arc in fall blast among us, il should Ger.
,alnly become 4 matter Of some concern
10 US I'll, and excite us TO some efforts for
their destruction. Whether this will be
best done through the strong arm of the
law or through the medium OF efforts TO
educate men in the truth that stimulanls
but curial their mental, moral and phys |
ical energies, We leave 10 be decided, or
one hing we are certain, and that is,
there must be better stale of public
feeling aroused in our midst before we
can efectually suppress whiskey by The
operation of the law. The men and the
officers who have attempted to enforce
the law heretofore, have been reyiled
and covered with all kinds of abuse. The
lawyers who have prosecuted tho suits
have been familiarity called county pau
pers. by their fellow lawyers, and spbjec-
ted TO persistent and most provoking
Misrepresentation Of their motives, and
the community have not only failed to
sympathize with them. but has stood BY
and laughed at the coarse abuse shower
ed upon them. But few Of our Justices
have ever seemed prepossessod in favor
Of the rigid enforcement of the law, and
when they have, the cases have always
been removed from their jurisdiction.
And when case has been SO plain that
conviction could not be avoided, the Dis.
ulct SouIt seeIlS 10 nave nad n very
convenient way of dismssing it, taxing
COSTS to the county. And people have
come, in despairing way, to point their
finger at the long column Of dollars ex-
tracied from the county treasury, in these
efforts. and 10 shake their heads at the
want of result. 1t is therefore apparent
that nothing but n unity Of effort among
the opposers Of The liquor trafiic-who
are IN reality nine tenths Of the commu-
n''y-no,hing but a unity of effort on
ths'r part--noihing but an active sym
Ps'hy with measures looking TO whiskey
suppression will drive this demoralizng
pest from our midst. Whether il is do.
cidei, then, 10 try the effect of..reason or
OF law, let the effort be united moi
only the temperance men, but the tenn.
perate men, take hold Of it-givc il at