The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1868-08-14

4 Bill was presented before the Eng
fish House of Commons during last ses-
sion, called the Sunday Liquor Bill, and
referred to a Select Committee, who re-
ported against it, and it failed of passing.
The bill was, as its name partly indi-
Gates, for the purpose of closing, on sun
day, places where liquor is kept for sale,
so far at least as to prevent such sale on
Sundays Ia their report, the Commit
tee allude TO the steady improvement IN
the morals, habits, tastes, and manners
of the people, resulting from the advance
Of education, the wider diffusion OF
knowledge, and the moral influences
brought to bear upon them. They OBJ
serve that the upper and middle classes
are far more temperate at the present
day than they Were at the early part of
the century, and as they believed that
rs the working classes advance in self
improvement, the vice OF drunkenness
viii gradually disappear withoutth the ne
cessity for further legislation OF coerc-
i've description. With these opinions
the Committee sag they cannot support
the Bill, but would rather trust TO the
further developmentofmoral influences.
"The following passage of the Com
mittec's Report" says the London
Times, Of July 26, "will have full
weight with reasonable minds
..,.,.,~..9 -. r-,.,, ff,gtaraitt4Q
that very large number of persons
make use Of public houses on sunday
against whom no complaint whatever Is
alIeaeG. and to whom further Testric-
tions to the.extent contemplated 10y the
Bill would be productive Of serious IN
convenience. And whist this ineon-
venienoe would occasion great discon-
tent among such persons, il by no means
follows that a commensurate benefit
would result with regard 10 the class
against whom such restrictions would
be especially directed. Those vi no drink
to excess form a very small percentage
of the whole number OF persons who
make use of public houses on Il sunday,
and ii is probable that many of these
persons. if deprived of their present IA
cilities for obtaining liquor, would nave
recourse 20 drinking in private houses,
and to various methods OF eVadlng the
law. For, however beneficial may be
the results of restriction within certain
limits. its enforcement to such an extent
as to cause any violent Interference with
the habits of the people, has tendency
to create a discomfort which is sure TO
be followed by evasion, the law rs
brought into disrepute. and effects are
not unfrequently produced the very re-
verse and opposite OF those intended by
the Legislature.
There is something in all this 10 cause
thinking men in our own land, who are
sincere in their desire ofprogress of the
cause Of temperance, to ponder wei the
means used in promoting their object,
which is equally the object of all we'll
wishers of the human family. Wemay
assert it to be Il truth that every person
in our state is at heart in favor OF tenn
perancen so-called, and none more sin
cerely so than those who seem to deny
this in practice by the abuse Of liquor.
We may also assert that legislative
prohibition mas failed TO prevent this
abuse, so at variance with the well-being
of individuals, and the prosperity, hap
pines, and peace Of families; and also,
that means having no aid from or sup
port in coercion, have taken up many OF
the cases which legislation fails TO reach,
and applied the proper remedy, inducing
unfortunate victims OF incorporate APP
pctites to heed the counsels of friends
and the best promptings of their own
hearts thus reinstating the soul in its
supremacy overthe body. Every moral
victory, every individual victory, which
is good ia aSeJ, is Of this kind which
teaches or ids the man togoycrn him
self Laws which aim 20 aid in this
work may be made seryicable or not
according to the wisdom Of legislators
and rulers; but laws which aim to 0c-
coDlpiish such work have invariably
failed whenever they have come to a
lest, and in the nature Of things must
continue to fail.