The Portland daily press., 1865-09-05

| in the article lmmeuldtoly diboi HIS uoIulldtOn
to which our correspondent refers. Aswe did
not succeed in making our meaning plain we
win try to be perfectly ineligible now.l0
And first, we shall be pardoned in saying
one word touching Mr.. Webb's personal hab-
its in relation to temperance, and in doing this
we may safely defy contradiction even from
those who, very unjustly we think, charge him
with giving his influence on the side of rum.
Mr.. Webb is man who does not use never
has used, Intoxicating liquor as a beverage.
BE is thoroughly tetotaller, not allowing
himself to indulge even in a glass of cham
pagne on festive occasion. Nor does he coun-
tenance its use or sale by others, and on all
occasions sets his face against the evil, and la
bors in all ways that he believes can be made
available, to dry up the fountains of intempe-
rance and to promote the cause of sobriety.
The man does not live who will charge Mr..
Webb with the slightest deviation from the
path of virtue and honor, in his private or So
But what is Mr.. Webb's opinion of the
M line Law, and how would he regard his du-
to in relation to it as prosecuting criminal
attorney? Frankly we state that Mr.. Webb
has never yet been able to see in statute law
aay law-seformatoyy power; and here let us
ask what sensible man does look to law as
reformatory agent? Law does not cure the
disposition to steal, to lie or to do any other
sim Law cannot reach the appetite. Itmay
be useful to cage or chain the tiger in order to
tame him, but it is neither the cage nor the
chain that produces love and reverence for his
keeper. We did not suppose the man lived
who looked to the Maine Law to cure the
thirst for strong drink, and nothing short of
this is entitled to be called reform. This
must be effected by other agencies, and the Of
flee Of the law is to conserve and protect the
ground won by the reforner, with his moral
agencies, from the enemy. Mr.. Webb, there
fore, cannot be objected to because he does
not regard the Maine Law as a reformatory
agent. ss5ETFn&1 ffGFfss kE1D
But is Mr.. Webb opposed to the principle of
Prohibition? Is he opposed to putting an eff
fectual stopper upon the rum traffic, except as
allowed by the present law. for medicinal and
mechanical purposes?
n We answer cmphatically, MOI There is no
man who would more sincerely rejoice to see
| the food-gates of intemperance sealed up
than Mr.. Webb. He does not object to the
principle of prohibition; but he may doubt
the ability of human tribunals to accomplish
this most desirable result. He has never
been able to believe that the Maine Law could
do for the cause of temperance all that its
most ardent friends have claimed for it. He
has believed-does now, for aught we know
that better statute might be framed than the
Maine Law,-one that would do more, practi-
cally, for the cause Of temperance. ,
We viii state here that we have differed
we expect to differ-with Mr.. Webb on this
point. We have been a friend to the Maine
Law. We were so in the start We confess
cy very much staggered, and believed that it
was next to impossible to enforce it, but when
in 1853 it was fairly submitted to a popular
vote-atter the Democrats had repealed and
| the Republicans had restored tive insisted
! it was the expressed voice of the State, that
oAAotAAu anu We StslIu Dy
that conviction to-day, believing its failures
should not be charged to defects in the law, SO
much as to defects in its mode of admnistra-
ton. We believe in the principle of prohibit
ing evil rather than attempting to regulate it.
On this point we think we are "sound on the
goose"-theoretically, at any rate.
Mr.. Webb differs from this view in some re-
spects, but simply because he thinks the means
not SO well adapted to reach the desired end
as they might be- As we have said before, he
does not withhold particle of sympathy
from the law because he is opposed to the OBJ
ject it aims at, but simply because he does not
think it sufficient to secure that object. He is
temperance man, and wishes to see the cause
Of temperance promoted, and for this very
reason he would prefer TO modify or amend
the law itself; to make it more effectuai, SO as
to secure more and better results. sT1kEa
Is he to be blamed for not seeing with other
mems eyes ? Is temperance an iron bedstead,
on which men must be reduced to perfect con-
formity on matters of theory, and requiring
non-conlormity on questions of measures, to
be punished with death, or what is equally I'M
DETERMINATIONS of being in sympathy with
rum-drinkers and rum-selIers
We venture the remark that there is not
Division of the Sons of Temperance in the
State, whose, pledge, in all its length and
breadth, Mr.. Webb does not sacredly observe,
though his name is not attached to it: and
should he be proposed for admission to any
Division, he might join without any change of
habits, and not vote could be thrown against
him without palpable violation of the regu-
lations and spirit of the Order. The highest
officials Of that Order do not stand one whit
this reason it seems to us absurd that temper
ance men should take exceptions to his nomi-
nation. Gr-
AS an officer, Mr.. Webb will, if elected,
enforce the Maine Law, as he will all other
criminal laws, without fear or favor, doing it
with firmness, impartiality, and without
fiinching. Every intelligent person knows
That, as County Attorney, it is none of his
business to inquire into the wisdom of the
law ITSELF Every honest executive officer is
oDiged, by the demands of duty, to enforce
AVS 'iie Wlsuom OF some of whose provisions
ne may not De able to see. Offenders against
the Maine law know very well that Mr. Webb
is not the man to be triaed with. They dare
not approach him with bribes No man will put
his whole energies into his duty more than Mr..
Webb The statutes define his duties a. an If.
ficer ofthe law and he is sworn to perform these
duties, and the man who intimates that NJ,
Webb will, under such circumstances, fail to
do his duty, is either one who does not under
stand his character, or who has lighter ap-
probation of the obligations of an oath of
oNsao +1o,, ,,o,,ld l,of3f or, oficar IF the laxu