Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1865-10-27
Mr.. SINNERS Bill.

clearly uennes ana extends the duties o
grand jurors in regard to prosecuting in
fractions Of the prohbitory law Of this
state. We regard the passage Of this
bill as just the thing that is needed. i
Jurors will not do their duty We wan
something compulsory--somethng tina
will serve as reminder that they mus
do II. A very great item in the failure
Of the law to perform the work expected
Of il is the non- performance of their du'
lies by grand jurors and states attorneys
and they have been aided in many casel
to very great degree by the instruction,
Of the presiding judge, who. as has fire.
quenily been the case the past few years
has been particular TO instruct the jury
to be wary in presenting bills for viola
tions Of the liquor law, and who has
thrown cold water upon any design tc
prosecute for such offenses; and since
the states attorney has become salaried
officer, his influence has not been urged
rery hard against culprits Of this class
and then, again, the pay of juror has
not been such as TO make him over zeal
Gus 10 staying and prosecuting rumsellers
when It Is going to cost him more than it
will come to. In this as in other cases
that We are acquainted with, "Pocket"
has been too prominent mark in the
case and has compelled many to yield a
too ahject obeisance to that; and thus
the gigantic barrier which satan has
reared against the onward progress of
temperance is suffered to stand and grow
and TO bid defiance 10 the entertainments
of moral teachings and true christianity.
The failure of the law, or rather the rea
son why il has not been enforced is, that
people are not obliged to turn informers
and prosecute their neighbors, and they
bate to make themselves conspicuous as
such in liquor trial against, perhaps, their
sext door neighbor, while they would b.
too glad to see it done by somebody else,
and SO they all lie still and fold their
hands, while the rumseller goes on and
plies his terrible calling, running the sons
and brothers Of those very men who are
waiting and anxious for somebody else to
awake from their lethargy and say to the
rumseller, "Stop where you are sell no
more, or you suffer the penalties Of vi.
olated law and an injured community VI
Here 10 where the fault has been, and it
is nowhere else. Every man has waited
for his neighbor. Each mans duty has
been shirked and laid upon bis neigbbor.
and so no one has done anything but
moan, and grumble, and whine and ac-
cuse his neighbor Of conniving with rum,
sellers and aiding and abettipg them in
their traffic. Prayer is what lifts the
christians soul to God and heaven, but
he must offer it himself; his brother in
the church cannot do it for him and wafI
his soul TO the gates Of bliss he cannot
perform this duty by proxy as is the Gus
tom Of the votaries Of the Virgin Mary.
He must work himself and lay firmly
hold upon the horns OF the altar before
he receives the Divine shower. Just so
j. is with stopping the sale of liquor; if
we take hold and work and agtate mat.
ters ourselves, and prosecute, and keep
watch and ward upon the rumseller and
bis victims, the work is done no trouble
q 1t all. The difficulty is in making up
our minds to do il, and when we do that,
the work is all but accomplished. The
public has slumbered, is slumberiug still !;
il is apathetic, dozy and blind. And Il
the great public has been slumbering it
Is very natural that its officers Of justice,
its legislators and even its churches and
ministers should be .inciured with the
same infection or worse one; hence it
10 not surprising 20 us that judges and
juries, and states attorneys, have fallen
into the same pit with the rest. We can.
not expect the servant to be more virtu-
pus than the master. If we shirk our
duty upon them they must not be blamed
for throwing it upon others, and so on
The truth is the reform should begin at
bome-wi,h the people. We should not
allow the rumseller IL sell openly or CO.
verify and then curse tbs law because il
does not stop him. No law is selfenfor-
cling, nor can il be made so; It must have
lfs officers, and these officers mus, be
backed by the moral senses and the pop
ular will. And when certain men pro-
Tossing TO be temperance men cry Out.
adovn With the prohibitory laws" ait is
non effective s" a Is a dead letter." lei
them rather cry spt against the stupidity
and the criminal negligence of the peo-
pie fer net enforcing il. and they wilb