Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1867-12-26

The result OF eur deliberations was
that some steps must be taken by which
the tide of obloquy which had been
rushing In upon the friends OF the pro-
hioltory law might be turned In anothsr
direction, thereby proving the fnlsity 81
the Oft repeated assertions OF We
avowed enemy OF prohibition. One pf
the strong appeals which have BEN
made, both In public and private, by tie
protested friends aud open enemies pr
legal enactments has been Yon have,
say they, no confidence in your own
offspring; If you had you would ee
that II was better cared for, but nov
you seldom test Its increasing strength
Of which you so often boast, and whn
regarded In any way 1t Is by testipgts
powers on some poor, low, contemplate
groggery where defense is impossible
and resistance entirely out OF the qps'
ton.
In order, therefore, to silence tbse
whispers OF calumny and establish BE-
yond controversy the power and "a.
cacy OF the law, and that 1t wouldac
complish all that was claimed byits
warmest friends, your committee di.
rected their agent to commence his OPP
eratioDs first upon the Respectable plices
where Respectable men are Respectfully
ruined and by this Respectable )ro.
cess converted into suitable tenants for
the lower grade or what may be more
properly termed the common receptacle
or the ultimate end or terminus o. all
who graduate at the more respectable re-
sort OF the incipient drinker, as DseGsus
Areyni not only steep but exceeding Zip
perry, and hence the bottom is oon
reached. need not say that these in
structious have been carried out to the
letter. The change which has been
wrought In St. Adams since our last an
nual convention tells most clearly hat
an influence has been felt, evidently the
work OF strong hands and determined
hearts, The enemy have been driven
from their strong holds and there are
yet many Aarons and Hurs to stay up
the weary hands Of him who has toiled
in our service like the prophet o. old
with little or no compensation, but the
Mosaic promise that ore day he shall
stand upon Mt Nebo and gaze with
undimmed eyes upon land redeemed
disenthraled from the blightiug, wither
ing curse of Rum with all the terrible
consequences which ever follow in it:
wake, and the happy consciousness tina
these glorious results are In some meas
ure the work of his hands and Coz
grant that, like one OF old, his bodil,
vigor may not be abated until he shall
see the temperance banner wave IL
triumph upon every hill to-
through every valley, not oGly in til,
land Of the Pnritans, but throughou
the world. Bellows Falls, Bennington
Manchester and many OF our large vii
lagos to day are in the same category
and will rise up with one accord an
bless the labors OF our faithful Stat
Agent.
The enemy with which we have to con
tend is covert one. His batteries ar,
masked his position is every where sur
rounded by entertainments. He throw
out his skirmishers right and left
Every prspsrs.ionhad been made a. tn
last session of our Legislature to wip'
out everything pertaining to prohibit
= ton, and reinstGte the old, and thorough
ly tested license system, bat our ubiqu.
tous Agent W&s there-frm. uncomprom
ising friends of temperance were there
and when 1t wGs Gscertained that III
ground was thus preoccupied, 1t wa
sive movement.
Youricommittee have learned an i'm
portant fact, s. g., the end for which W
have been toiling for the last half cen
tury can only be reached by unceasini
: toll and eternal vigilance. When "
view the temperance movement from
our present stand point, We have ever
reason for encouragement. The Stat
Temperance Society organized in 1872
still lives. 1t has survived the alter
natives OF relapse and revival of interest
5 from lisping infancy 1t has grown
vigorous manhood. Ia 1928 the frs
county temperance society was or
ganized In Addison County, and Still
continues to exert healthy influence il
the community. Numerous town so
cieties have sprung up in different local
tiles, auxiliary to the county society
which are represented here to day. M
merous other organizations, such as tn
Good Tenplars, Rechabites, &C., hav
multiplied rapidly lnevery portion of th
State, and much good has been accom-
plished through these instrumentalties
The young men have in many instance
been snatched as brands from the burn
ing through the untiring efforts Of Goot
Templars, and we say to them, "GoC
speed you in your labors of love-" VIII
would not feel honored in having hi
name enrolled with that catalogue o
worthless who breasted the storm of con
tumely and reproach which descended
upon the devoted heads Of that pionee
band, who declared uudying hostilit,
to alcoholic drinks as a beverage.
That little band have passed away
but they fell fully caparisoned for thu
fight they had donned the temperance
srmor for life, and fell upon the ba tie
field with their face to the foe"
Shall We emulate their example, anC
swear eternal fidelity to the cause FOL
which we are here assembled The en-
envy may bring their battering rams Il
demolish our temperance fortress, bu
it will be in vain. The granite of tn
Green Mountain State seems to posses
, more power of resistance than the Stat