The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-03-19

Legislature TN Regard TO the use o
Alcoholic Drinss.
We continue our quotations from tht
report of testimony now being takeI
before the Massachusetts Legislature IL
regard to the respective merits of tota
prohibition or restrictive liquor laws:
Mr.. F. D. Ellis, of West Roxbury
does business in Boston, his native
place being Medfeld. The witness de
scribed the effects of the traffic upor
| those engaged in it, as illustrated by
the habits of The keepers of the only tav.
ern in MeddeId for a series OF years. o!
! forty tavern keepers in Norfolk eoun.
l ", thirty became drunkards. Med6eld
was very drunken town. The wit.
| ness sold liquor with a license in Med
/ field, in Sudbury, and also sold in New
Hampshire Two of his partners be-
! came drunkards. There is not one glass
! drank in Medtield now for twenty here.
tofore, and the same is true of Sudbury
and Foxborough. The time referred 10
I by the witness was in ISIS. He thought
a great change had been produced in
most of the country towns by the ub-
seuce of the sale of liquor. FOxborsugh
Is one OF these towns.
On the cross-examination, the wit
ness asserted that the temperance ref
ormation had reached its elimination
before the passage OF the prohi oitory
law. The course up 10 thar time was
| forwarded by moral means, discussion,
&c Tue law resulted from the discus
slou- For the last fifteen years the
amount of temperance discussion had
decreased. The witness said some
classes of people drank more than fit-
teen or twenty years ago. The for
mer practice Of leaving the town to
decide whether they would grant Ii
censes, acted well. When the town of
Foxborough was referred TO by Mr..
Ellis, as an instance of the effect Of the
temperance reformation, he was not
aware that in 1864, the town agent sold
81, ,564 worth OF liquor; in 1865, 81, $50;
1886, S2,l7O. There might be circum-
stances in which 10 sell 4 glass OF liquor
would not be sin. The State agency,
under the law, has right to traffic IN
article.
Hon. Nehemiah Boynton, of Chelsea,
stated that his convictions and impress
sions were against a license law, be-
cause X would increase the sale of
liquor, drunkenness aud crime. Wit
ness thought that the liquor dealers
were contributing largely 10 break
down the prohibitory law. He saw
considerable intoxication in the streets,
about the same as formerly. He be-
lieved the open traffic could be sup
pressed. a majority of the people OF
Chelsea are in favor of a prohibitory
law.
Rev. Charles Cleveland, city mission
ary for thirty-three years, gave his ex-
perieDce with the poor of Boston in re-
lation to the cause OF temperance. He
referred to the license law, as he had
seen its operation, and characterized
the system as rotten He advised that
the prohibitory law be sustained in all
respects. With regard 10 his personal
habits, the venerable missionary stated
that he once took "a little wine for his
often inhrmaties," but did not know !;
he neither used tobacco, which he con-
sidered the harbinger of strong drink.
Hon. Amasa Walker. ofNorth Brook
field, was not in favor of the law when
enacted, but stated that it should be sus-
tanned, asi[ took the citadel of intem-
perance by storm. He believed that il
was good law and popular. A ma
Jority of the voters were Tor it, and of
the people, women and children, nine
out of ten favored the enactment.
The witness remarked that the fact
the liquor dealers were in favor of a
license, was enough to determine him
against it. BE then proceeded to speak
OF what he called the popular fallaeies
respecting this law. He denied that
intemperance had increased under the
law, bTt if IL had, it was owing to the
decentralization OF the war, the intro
duction OF lager beer, and the demorali-
zstion produced by paper currency,
which Richard Golden pronounced as
bad as that caused by slavery.
He then asserted that il cannot be true
that the prohibitory system would in
crease the illicit sale. He referred TO
the statement that the law was arbitra-
ry, and contended it was SO only as all
laws are arbitrary The witness allu-
a. tn he ann FUFNF rNF IL
North BrOokield between 1872 ana ISIS,
and said the idea was absurd that there
was as much liquor drank now as then
Governor Andrew remarked nobody
asserted there was as much liquor drank
as hfty years ago.
The witness proceeded to expose an
other fallacy that there was no inLoxi-
cation in France. He asserted that in
temperance did exist, but the police
took of those Intoxicated so quickly as
to escape observation. He declared that
the poverty OF France was owing to
conscription and wine drinking. The
gradual diminution of the increase OF
population IN France was owing to its
wine drinking. Mr.. Walker then al
Iuded to the effect of the use of beer in
England, and concluded by hoping that
the prohibitory Law would be sustained
and executed.
On the cross-examination by ex-
Governor Andrew, Mr.. Walker answer
ed that he could not state which had
been the most temperate nation, and
which the most drunken in Europe.
He could not say which was the poorest
nation in Europe. He admitted that
the people of Spain are the most tenn
perate in Europe, and the Scotch the
most drunken. Are you not aware
that the prohibitOry law originated in
Scotland, and that il struggled the
hardest and lasted the longest there?
he said he WAS not aware of the fact.
He was then asked If he did not know
that in Sweden, where the law acted as
practically prohibitory, private distiI-
lation increased 10 such a degree as TO
amount TO ten gallons to every inhabi-
tantf The witness avowed his lack of
knowledge of the fact.
In France, three-fourths of the peo-
pie, Mr.. Walker admitted, were una bic
10 procure wine, and therefore The
poverty OF the people is not owing to
wine. The frightful taxation on the
land is the chief cause of the poverty.
1.-The oxthat beats out the corn is itself
muzzled," so the witness confessed.
He also admitted that temperance is
now increasing in Scotland Withoutthe
law. He stated that the slough of
despond into which society was plunged
some years ago, with regard TO tenn
perance, Was owing TO the excessive use
of New England rum.
The temperance reform originated in
moral convictions, and not from law.
The abusive use of intoxicating drinks
is a voluntary act upon the individual.
and Mr. Walker stated. in reply to a
question by Ex-Governor Andrew, TINT
he wanted 10 rear his children so that
he could trust them outside of Afassa-
chusetts. It would be humbug and =
sham to depend upon powers of resist
ance caused by the influence OF law,
rather than upon the character.
Rev. DR.. Todd, pastor OF The First