The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1864-03-30

UcAt 70 cone, EeAX GeWOle1 aul answered,
Go thy way this for time when have a convea
lent season, viii call for thee"
The speaker said the cause of temperance
needed no defense. Il commends itself TO every
one. Every man, woman aud child knows the
truth Of its great abiding principle, tina. into1i-
eating liquors as a beverage, are Injurious 10
mans physical, Intellectual and moral nature.
Nor need be dwell on the evils Of intempersnce
as being widespread in effect, and eternal in do
ration. It IS no respecter Of persons i. destroys
all classes alike, it ruins every degree OF intellect
from the highest to the lowest; AID supplies
jails, pOorhouses and msd-houses with tenants.
But the great question be wished to discuss
was this Can il be suppresseds Or must we
hold the reverse, and conclude that, as 4 neces-
SKY it must continue 10 run its course destroy
log its forty and fifty thousand victims a year
The speaker argued that it could be suppressed.
lst Because il is in reach of public opinion
rns power is competent to suppress any evil
whatever. All constitutions and laws aFe bat Al
embodiment Of public opinion at the time they
are made. In reply TO the objection that public
opinion will lot bear Us out in s1ppressing this
evil, be argued that public opinion may be
changed so as to become all powerful, and in IL
nstratiOn, referred TO 70 the present prodigiou.
increase in volunteering, whereas on the first o
January, 1868, scarcely a volunteer could be Oh
tanned by the Government. This same power Of
public opinion, applied to this evil, can drive ev
cry RUNS seller out Of Lansing or close his shop.
ID, Intemperanee is in reach law. The Do
ect Of all law is to protect mems rights A gov
eminent not doing this is worthless. Tee speak
er referred to the case Of slaughter houses suc
small pOx, where the community lays its hand.
at once upon persons aud property in order &c
protect itself Yet these saloon keepers are do
ing work infinitely worse, by destroying life
property, health aud happiness 1t was sale
twenty-six Of these persons were licensed; bu
there could be no licenses in this State without
violation of the Constitution aud laws. Tn,
speaker referred to the city ordinance By shict
q COW that goes out Of her stable into the stree
to drink is put into poison, not because she hat
doue any hurt, but because she possibly may d,
some mischief; and he contrasted this peaceabl,
animal, thus imprisoned for fear OF evil Sd,
might do, with the rum seller, who carries OF
mis- daily and nightly work of destruction in VIC
lation Of all law. Officers will arrest boy sh,
steals pen-knife to white with, or a man VII,
steals few pounds OF -four for his starving fami
~; yet the same officers will not enforce hi
law on these persons who unlawfully rob in th
saloons. As to the objection that the officer
will not execute laws against liquor selling, b.
would propose a remedy by having the OfiCe r
themselves executed as soon as possible.
In reply to the objection that We cannot fore
men, that We must use moral suasion, g., III
speaker went through the history Of the ten
perance cause and showed that moral suasOn nat
been thoroughly used for more than thirty yeaIs
and yet, during all that time, the Internal drink
ing establishments went on in their work Of des
truction. Moral suason had no more effect Of
these liquor dealers than it would have bad ol
old Pluto in hell.
The speaker then inquired whose duty it va
to shut up these factories of evil. He insiste
that the officers OF che l,~, should act out thei
sworn duty just as they did against thieves 0
burglars He appealed to the business men, an
reminded them that capitalists DO not like to set
tie and invest in place notorious for drunken
ness, where they cannot collect their debts -
He appealed also to christians, OF whom Their
are many in this city. Il vas possible they nigh
be unwilling to enter on a warfare of this kind
but their great Master, Christ, had not hesitate,
to enter into a combat with the devil himself
lie appealed TO fathers in behalf of their sons
Who were exposed to constant temptations ds
aud night and in behalf Of their daughters
whom they had carefully educated and tender
loved, and whom they might We, be called upol
TO visit in a drunkard's houe. Let all unitedl
rise up aud say tina, these institutions shall a
once be closed.
On Sunday evening, Rev. Mr.. Norris prsache,
at the Unaversalist Church, let Cor, 9, %
And every nan that striveth for the master
is temperate in all things. Now they do it &
obtain corruptble crown; but we an iucor
ruptible."
The speaker said that of all the evils 10 on
land and in the world, none were SO bad az in
temperance Thousands upon thousands. an,
millions upon millions we're destroyed by the ap
petite for liquor To-day this grea. evil i
marching through the land, destroying all classe
aud striking down the dearest friends Itshoul,
be our object to strive to remove t. We shout,
encourage him who his weak, and help him b.
our sympathy who feels that he is tempted, an,
who struggles for the mastery over his passions
noble retormer is be who. without waiting t,
do some great thing, does whs' he can in tn,
daily walks Of life, for his tempted and struggl
ing brother.
We should commence that striving for tn,
mastery not7 We make too wide diferenc,
between here and hereafter We are spritus
beings to-day, and should live accordingly W,
should strive to obtain an incorruptible crown
nOr We are in Christ's kingdom TO-DAY al
much as We ever shall be Christ is with us s,
much as be will be after death. This il spirit
ual world to Us, and spiritual man will grow
here as well as hereafter The present and the
future world cannot be separated from each
other, any more than the childhood and manhood
Of the same individual can be separated He
compared the growth Of the spiritual man to the
growth of the acorn which drops into the soil,
aud day by day develops al internal nature
which before was hidden. So we may live 10
such 4 manner that our sniritual nstnra shsW he