The national Republican., 1867-07-20
THE TEMPERANCE CAUSE.


Of progress and decline their days of tri.
umph and depression. This country is
now experiencing one Of these periods Of
revival. and the uprising in behalf Of tenn.
perance is not local nor circumscribed,
but widespread and general. Men in all
the walks and avocations Of life, are now
giving their attention to this movement,
and many Of the great men, statemen,
lawyers, and others in high positions, are
giving to this cause the weight Of their
influence. Whatever may be our personal
views Of this question, we still feel it to be
our duty as a journalist to note the condi.
ton and progress Of all movements that
tend to promote good morals, human wei.
fare, and the happiness Of mankind. There
is no evil so widespread, and none surely
that produces so much misery and mis-
chief, as intemperance. We cordially well
come, therefore, every effort which is cal.
culated to check the strides Of this mon
ster evil.
In the present state of public opinion
effective instrumentality or agency that
can be used in carrying forward the tenn
perance cause to its grand contamination.
We do not oppose prohibition, nor deny
its effective power in promoting temper
ance. That society has the right to pro-
hibit the sale Of intoxicating liquors by
stringent laws no one will question. The
main dificulty-and we have studied the
question Of the application of law for the
removal Of intemperance and noted its
successes and failures as accurately and
as clearly as any one-is that our people
are disposed to rely upon what the law
will do, and to neglect those other moral
agencies which are indispensable in pro
noting temperance. We are accustomed
to expect too much from laws in this coun.
try. Our people are prone to lose sight Of
one important fact, and that is that we
are governed more by public opinion than
by law. A law that is coincident with
public opinion will be enforced, and one
that is not, will lie on the statute book a
dead letter. What the temperance men
most need, then, is to educate the people
up to the sticking point, so to speak;
create a healthy public sentiment that will
enforce law, and great good may be done.
But above all things, we would caution
the temperance people against placing too
much confidence in law. Make the most
stringent law that can be framed, it will,
nevertheless, be evaded. 1t can be relied
upon no further than there is behind il q
strong moral sentiment in its favor, to
back II up. Starting with the pOstulate
that th. tr~sAs In intoxicating liquors, to
be used as beverages, is q wrong, we
can see no reason or propriety in licensing
that wrong; neither can we adopt the no
law policy; we must, therefore, adopt pro-
hibition. The objection which is often
urged against prohibitory laws is that they
cannot be enforced and that as they must
remain nugatory upon the statute-book
they should be repealed. This is q hasty
and an unwarrantable conclusion.
The laws Of God himself are constantly
violated by sinful mortals; but the Divine
Being has not yet seen fit to repeal them
because human beings violate them. We
have laws against profanity, against what
Is called the desecration of the Sabbath,
and these statutes are rarely enforced.
Yet no man thinks one moment of caus-
ing their repeal. We contend, therefore.
that society has the right to prohibit by
law the sale of intoxicating liquors, and
that it is the duty of societyt to do it. The
evil we would guard against is the tenden.
cy among our temperance people to rely
too implicitly upon the law to do the work,
and hence to neglect the moral agencies
which are the most potent powers in their
hands. 1t was announced, not long since,
by leading temperance man in this city,
that Congress would within nine months,
pass probihitory law for the District of
Columbia. This being probable, let our
temperance people prepare for it. Do not
rely too much upon it. Accept it as q
helper, and do what you can with il: but
do not fold your arms and say the work is |
done.
NTpcuI IrrNr IIupIpy W. houo |