The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1868-07-02
Moral Reform,

being Of perfected wisdom and good
ness uses supreme power to confer
institutions on his favored subjects
Ii may be that thcy do not embndy
their ideal in these terms; hut in all
ideal perfected governments the ab-
solute power, in some shape, to make
such reforms as are for tho good of
society, is essential. And the earn
est rolormer tinds so much that is
wrong in the world, that nothing
short of dcspotic power can set il
right. For, to wait until the mass
of the people can be educated 10
moral and social aud political science,
is equivalent to putting of govern.
mental perfection at least beyond the
reformer's day, which usually dis.
courages the most jealous, and often
turns him to a reaciiouist, or to the
most bigoted conservative.
If one person had the powor to
enact laws which would make all
persons vlrtuous and happy, how
easily the world could be reformed!
Would anybody refuse the power to
enact a law which he believed for the
welfare og mankiud2 OF course not
Every one would accept the power to
DO good to his ucighbors. To refuse
it would be to put away an opportun.
ity to confer a blessing on mankind.
And so We ind that in the matter of
power to govern society for its good
We are all despots. Aud whor peo-
pie reflect on the labor of roforminr
men by moral suasion, and consider
that, according to the judgement of
the time, society is continually grow
ing worse, how natural it is that they
should be discouraged, aud should
desire to bring in stronger power,
and to cast their burden on the law.
The reformation of mankind, by
moral influence, is. a Sisyphan labor.
We heave with temporary energies
a load which is pressed back by vices,
whose forces are as constant as
gravity. Our utmost success seems
to be to retard the course of social
dehasement, not to prevent it. The
reflection naturally arises, why should
men waste their energies in this
hopeless effort, when the law can do
it with certainty aud ease? And what
is law for, if it is not to restrain men
for their own good2 1t is true the
effort to reform men by law has not
been distinguished by success; but
this was because the laws were i'm
perfect. They left some opening
which vice drove through. There Is
always the proof that more iegisla-
ton is needed, and more stringent
penalties.
But if the law does fail in the
work of moral reform, still itrenders
Que good service: it relieves the
righteous from responsibility for the
continuance Of vice, aud puts it on
the wicked. Having made laws
whose execution would make society
good, they are not responsible for
the imperfection Of their administra
ton. The Government must stand
that. And as for the vicious classes,
have they not pronounced judgment
on them and made tn EN- criminals?
Aud is not the work OF condemnation
of the wicked a duty as much as the
work of converting them, aud much
easier?
We used to have moral efforts
against indulgence in intoxicating
drinks. They did work marked
reform. They banished liquors from
their previously general use in do
mexic hospitality. They made drink
ing bars, drinking houses, aud the
trade in intoxicating drinks disrepu.
table. 1t was so successful as to be
entitled to be called a great social
movement. And all its success was
achieved by moral efforts. 1t thon
had recourse to the law as auxiliary.
The more it relied on the law, the
less it cared for the moral effect
Eventually it cast its burden wholly
on the law, and all organized moral
effort ceased. And so we have
sounded the whole gamet of prohi
bitory legislation, and withal the
vice Of intemperance has had no
obstacle, aud the custom Of drinking
has gone back to what it was before
the temperance reform, if not a
lower pitch.
In Ohio these reformers Of society
by Law wero determined that the
State Constitution should be strictly
virtuous in this regard. They made
a clause forbidding the Legislature t.
license the sale Of Intoxicating drinks
BY this they were going to withdraw
all government recognition of thii
commerce Aud if IL did not di,
upon this disoonteuance, it left the
way open for prohibitary laws. And
so we have the most stringent pro-
hibitory laws, and the trade Is prac-
tieally free, aud intemperAnee RACES
1t is not brilliant moral success
but it satisfies a great many that b,
this constitutional provision the,
have washed their hands Of the re-
sponsibility. and that the prohibition.
laws have shifted il to the officers o
government, and therefore, thoy ar
opposed to any disturbance Of thi
happy arrangement.
The almost good that the law evel
did in the matter OF the trlifii Ia ia
toxieaiing liquors, wis 10 piaeo som
restrictions on the tr,de. by licen.
laws, aud Iaus TO bring il SiIhiI