New-York tribune., 1869-03-13
THE EXCISE LAW.
GRAND MASS MEETING IN BRooKtyv.

iicatons Of the Metropolitan Excise law The meeting
was an earnest and impressive The spacious bud.
ing was crowded with an audience Of unusual intei.
gence and respectaby and the stage was occupied by
some Of the most distinguished citizens OF Kings County
Mr.. A. A. Robbins Chairman of the Citizens Committee
| of Arrangements called the meeting to order.
ard nominated ex-Judgc Dkeman as its Chairman,
who was unanimously elected. The Rev Theodore L.
Cuyer in very brief speech, spoke OF the beneficial ef
fects which the Excise Law had wrought in New.York
and Brooklyn during the thiryone months in which It
had been in force, and Of the efforts which the rum
sellers and local politicians Of the two cities were now
makingt to secure its modification in such way would
totally destroy is efficiency lie then nominated the fol-
lowing list of Vceesidents and Secretaries who
unanimously elected:
T presi9eahThe Hon Stewart L. Woodo the Hon H. II Van
pg1' & ~ D o. Iu' T u, og a. Su ue Bos n A. Lam
sa T. ] a'y; q & Mo'l & cen a H. r. d ~ paa H. D. G o5aH go
Cu,er the Rev }. B. Tlomas tie Father FnGsor Rev
cs4ied the Rev n r. Smith. tie hsy. rev. $ 7. spear
a. #oodrad esq Nose, BcscG ESQ., IL R. Cove. 60. wsisr +
T TD ' " ' s, .R T['E w RoS: ,,c sa & C % c bss& W & 4
The Rsy wm Bsae T S5eaed the Rev. A a. Lawson, the
gerT,iaries-J. 4 Ts7lor s b 6ayrs and eight other,
John A. Taylor esq First secretary, then read the call
ior the hcolhg, Wmch was slgle1 ny eN-Mayor Wood
ey-M9yor Booth the Rev Henry Ward Bcechcr the Rev
Theodore L. Cuycr, Gen. H. 4. Duryca and many others
OF the most distinguished cltzers Of BROOKLYN The Rev
George Lansing Taylor one Of the delegates from the
Kings County Temperance Association 10 oppose the
modification OF the law before the Committee on the In
terror Of the Legislature stated in clear and
as It stands Tho present Excise law is not, nor
intended to be prohbitary law in every respect
forms before this bill was passed The Excise Law only
collected three scattered provisions, and rearranged
better aud more valuable provisions that had not been
the subject Of unlntcrmucd and bitter attack ana
auimadyersiOu. The changes proposed 10y the liquor
dealers were numerous, aud attacked every NlIH out
liquor shops instead of closing NJ midnight, as they are
nm boTrItrr This WAS urcd for the sake OF the thcaer
fpGre " ln j VfH
the thcatcrs until nearly y o'clock, the hour when tho
sonous we're ot,ed TO clusc and so tho DOOR thcater
cucrs had % return home thirsty The pertinhciY win
Nc iionor dealer derived large poItion Of their bust
ness flom the patrons Of the theatcrs aud he asacd
,roeJ to send their children to the theaer There
was another point which he begged serious attention
and thought There was no one thing mat contributed
to more effect the ruin of young women an the practice
of coming from the thcacr with tho passions excited
the Imagination ahlmc aud hurryng TO the wine shop
He appealed 10 parents 10 think OF this, but other
wise he appealed To the respectable people, who liked 10
attend the thcatcr whether hey approved the argument
that the liquor shops should be kept opcn TO accommo
date them Then IL was urged that the liquor saloons
should be opened al o'clock m. instead Of
courmodate printers and others who worked
on morning newspaper ana also the mMAet men VINO
early TO town aud needed drink 81 LIQUOR before
commencing busnes He the speaker had 100 hisn IN
min Franklin 10 believe that 'ey Muuu Do Mll.E H.
knowledge that liquor was 20 necessary TO them hlt le
should DC altered 10 accommodate them, ana he would
appeal 10 the honest farmer or ln"iheI Eliucc, II my H
such should bc iu the audience, to snow What tIcY
"a
prohibition the qnordealcrs were WlhhE 20 t2ae ht iho
same hour saturday as on other nights, hut they
sunday "afer the Sunday services" n order 10 allow
their customers an opportunity o getting comfortably
not time enough week days given up 10 drunktnut-s
and dcbauchcry, without yielding UP portion uI we
fcaons asked for by the enemies Of the Law" ana an
swered their arguments fully AT ne close o. nis a,
subsequently adopted enthusiastically;
sc IN tlr or crime wmortT. disease.
Tbs Ercsl,p IA, been greatly Instrumental dmebrr crime
aud drisrn has peace and good orer 10 he CITY,
Fs.oirsd THEREFORE tS vs earnestly ,rh,e,nr protest
any modification o the law aBi regari The am 90 reduce
R.oir,t That hereafter We s vote who hyor. The
would orsa our ssi.ati, to rum is.-rrliar
The Chairman then introduced he Hon Gerritt Smith
who was received with enthusiastic applause . .
Mr., Smith. on being introduced said: shall the
cveri' Thus exclaimed one who was heartwoary Of
war and bloodshcd. And w, might the friends
forever l-shall drunkenness never cndl WHO
hath wo, who hath sorrow, who contention,
who hath redncss OF eyesi It's the drunkard OF all
men the dunkard Is the most miserable, and ~ all men
he docs the most 10 make men most miserable. One
drukard IN family u enough to make whole family
miserable and break every heart IN tlat family. one
drunkard in IA family is enough 10 disgrace a whole
family. There arc ~ this land nearly or quile million
Of dunkurds. They ana their families constitute
no trlrug proportion Of the American people.
large share Of poverty trdccahe Ia these drunk
ards II s generally because their fathers duukards
that children have 20 TO bed hungry aud put on tat
tered garments when they rise IN the morning Were
there no drunkenness there would bc puorousos aud
nIusbousrs The drunkar. being generally poor, con-
tributes nothing toward charitable causes. The sober
have TO build tho churches and schoolhouscs alone
But We must not forget the fact that the
drunkards ballot il as potent as that OF The sober
man We must not forget the fact that sometimes tho
dunkard gets into the halls Of lrgsatou Tho larger
share of the crimes OF the world from drunkenness
Men are mpced into crimes by the passion ana ftcnIy
OF int0xicatou There is man IN tins land whose c
safe from the murderer or mis- property from the In.
Cendiary, while thero are drunknrds among us Nhdt
shall who sober, do toward saving the druuEdrl
and delivering the country from me curse curse 81
nence We oppose the manufacture aud sale OF rum
and consccfate our votes 10 the cauec OF temperance y
supporting Only men VINO are olpo'e9 70 Il,'nslIs uiai'
shops Of any kind These are some OF the ways IN which
we can work for the salvation ~ the drunkaId But by
cutting of the means OF making moderate drnkers we
cut Oh the source from which all the drunk.
ards come, NO one man perboUs would d"AiF be
better II no did II the first drink made man drunk
deadly poison that destroyed life az No Is
eltdeceiyed the temperate driuker. He thinks he Is
ara and the fanauca coldwater teetoaler; aud they
claim to be the best friends of temperance SO FAR rom
this they are its worst than the drHnkaTd
Ia fact the dnkards are not 80 much Tie enemies o tue
causc Of Temperance after Az for they furnish ns with
mann me- avoids strong drink and ho does not take one
the footsteps OF The long train Of respccta,
veal. minded cousin Of Thomas Jefferson. having
observed thrt squirrels destructive the ont
side rows OF corn proposed 10 get up patent corn eI
without any outside lf Wc could only get RIA OF
tbe e outside rows Of temperate drinkers! lAppause
IN we could do this would soon be crowned
with trumph for when the present race OF drnnards
died off there would be source from which 10 MI up
tbe ranks. Tie speaker said every temperate
drIpker was on his way 10 ruin, though
he might not reach II: but every such moderate
drinking runs danger Of reaching u. At least one IN
ten moderate drinkers became drunkaId u heltr
flat one In ten should be shot than tnat one IN ten
should DC q druukard. There was. said Mr. smith, no
such thing the temperate se 0f Intoxicating liquors
Auv ipdu gence was a certain measure Of drunkenness
In ms yon he had Travelled ovcrthe country his sulEy
ar cntter and occasionally stopped at tayerns and
takeu his iayOrite glnSing lle cOuld look
back now and see the peril no was ~