The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1867-12-07


n Democratic President.
6slsl-.ssss---
Temperance-.-GOo Tcmplars.
Editor State Rights Democrat:
1t is matter of serious conjecture
how the good people of Lebanon main
tain that long-continued notoricty for
union, harmony and unaffected friend
ship in all their social aud secular re-
lations. 1t mnst be owing TO the pau-
city of that curious, inquisitivc, inter
meddling sort of persons that make il
Il part of their business to pry into
the private affairs of our ncighbors
Selling any trifling circumstance, stuff.
ing it into the capacious budget of
madam rumor, to be bruitcd about
and To receive the various Impressions
that may be made upon it by those
that receive and distribute; occasion
ally revamped by the originator until
it is changed from n harmless incident
to m unblushing and poignant false
hood-engendcring ill-humored strife
with petty recriminations between
| friends.
We have thought the fear of this
state of things has retarded the
growth of our town and deferred bu.
siness men from making their homes
among us. Now, we wish to- disabusc
the public mind OF that suspicious no,
| toriety that outside rumor 30 cruelty
awards US. If strangers appear in our
midst with evident intentions of max,
/ ing this their permanent abiding place
no matter what may be the photo
| graphic impression for vice or virtue
/ they are not subjected Ia the itchy
espionage OF tattling huckstcrs, galvan
lied by christianity, estimating merit
and character by rejecting their own
| Everybody il free 10 attend to lIis owr
/ business, If according To the ritual
vet if any should fail 10 do SO, therci i,
always some generous soul ready Il
attend TO 1t for him.
We were passing along, ono Sunday
morning, not many miles from thi,
place, and encountered couple o
boys playing marbles, and attempted
to reprovc them for their wicked dis
regard of the holy Sabbath, whcreup
on young America" very prompt,
informed Us that We might enhance
the value Of our earthly goods an,
enjoy excellent health by simply at
tending to our own business, intima
ting in language more pungcnt thar
polite that we were the exterior o
sausage. We accepted the iuvcnil,
rebuff as a key to their training, sug
gestive Of wise principle for action
that is, If we would be healthy
wealthy and contented at all times
and escape the ycngcful sarcasm O
wounded vanity, We should attend T.
our own business.
The Good Tcmplars of this place
with commcndable zeal, are bcndin;
their energies to destroy the germs q
intemperance and improve and purif
the moral atmosphere. Certainly ther
is no one, unless he is inexcusably has
or wofully wanting in duty, would 70
a moment dissent from any and ever
movement whose real object is the r,
moval of that deadly enemy of man
happiness and advancemcnt-inte
perance. But the man, or men, loOs
and alone or compactly organized, tina
come forth caparisoned in the logger
, of temperance, to attain different oil
iect, are more criminal than the mos
debauched inebriate, though he steal
the means that enables him TO commi
his excesses. It must not be infcrre
t from thit that we even insinuate tina
: the Good Templars are an organic;
, tion Of knavish imposters. We kRo'
that Il large majority Of them are sir
cerely devoted to the cause OF temper
ancc; and we also know that the c:
balistic leaders of the organization III
!, identified with political party tha
has, iii the name OF patriotism an
christianity, committed almost ever
9 Imaginable outrage-pillaged the PEI
pie, plundered the Government an
, reduced thieving to science. Thes
blunt reflections may be deemed b
some as the distempercd hailucin
5 tions of a rumsodden topper But "
D claim to be strictly temperate, as "
' never imbibe unless we are sick {
want it. We have ever been an II
? finching supporter, both by precel
: and example, of true temperance age
l cics; but have looked with distru
f upon every secret organization who's
I aYowed object was the correction
: a public evil, and especially fit seer
. ed to smack of party politics. Ever
combination of persons that avow
/ determination to effect a moral or p
i litical rerorm, in which all have a
q equal interest, it is due to the publ
that they conceal no part of the
scheme from open inspection; ar
q when they do so it is strong presum
= tive proof that they are afraid
3 ashamed of something. No gre
moral or political reformation, havir
> its handspring tempered in scores
{ has successfully withstood the scrur
Il ny Of intelligent freemen. 1t is inco