The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1869-11-16

tus UNIV u hste"peFauet.
The noble efforts Of some noble ladies of
Baltimore to establish an inebriate asylum Is
attracting much attention In that State to
the general subject Of Temperance and intern
perance, and the use and abuse OF intoxicat-
Ing beverages. A lady correspondent Of the
Baltimore Sun uses strong argument for
the probibitory side Of the question In the
following communication, published In that
paper Of Monday:
M,ssrs. Ed;iorG A constant reader OF your
paper, learn through 1t that the ladies OF
this city design to institute an asylum for the
reformation OF inebriates. While coincidlng
In their view concerning the treatment OF
drunkenness rs disease, as set forth in their
appeal to their sisters Of Maryland, regret
that SO much noble effort Is to be expended
In mere palliatton OF an evil which might
and should be devoted to determination. The
tritc saying that can ounce of prevention Is
worth pound OF cure" Is as true as math-
ematlcal problem.
To cure the inebriate is a noble work, but
how much will It avail when every day the
tide Of these unfortunatcs Is swelled by fresh
additiops1 So long as the mdnpdeiurc Of
druukards Is permitted to flourish, the re-
claiming OF them is almost prodtless toll
Put the mischievous stimulnnt beyond the
reach OF such as arc too weak TO resist It's
temptations, by banlsbing 1t ON the State
rs an article OF traffic. But there are OBJ
jectors. Some quote from their doctor that
pure nauors (supposing them obtainablc)
are valuable as medicine. Now physicians,
as class, arc not remarkable for sobricty,
therefore their testimony Is scarcely Impair
tiAl but even admitting that cases exist
where nothing will supply the need OF alco.
Iii La to ~ ,txsh t
druggists In small quantities, and with the
same caution used In the sale Of other pol.
sons.
The rext objection comes from the poll
tician, whose authority Is, for reasons ap-
parent, still more questionable than the
physicians. lie asserts that, under repub-
lean constitution, the State has no right to
legislate against the mans liberty to act
as he pleases In the use or disuse Of al
cohollc drinks. According to this logic che
State has no right to enact laws to deter
man from breaking into his neighbours
house, and an individual has no right to re-
strain another from the commission ofsuicidc,
as such wonld be restriction Of republiedn free
dom. Does liberty mean llcensei Is 1t not
the right aud the duty Of good and Just
government to restrict Its members in aught
that imperils the welfare Of others OF the
government.
munity. II jeopardlzes the property, COM
fort, character and LIE, not OF him alone
who Ia Its slave, but with every individual
with whom he Is associated. Is there any
right, justice or consistency In the law that
licenses liquor selling for the sake Of rcve-
nue. derived from the ruin Of thousands
whose interests 1t processes to protect Be-
hold 1t on the one hand accepting the bride
to tolerate q crlme-breeder, and on the other
nunfahtnU tho reaulfn m crime n a CnDllV N m
II were not itself accessory. Away with
revenues that are literally the price Of crime,
even though they be afterward disbursed In
charities to undo O small fraction OF the
misery they have wrought. Let justice reign
and we shall have less need Of charity.
The radical cure for inebriatlon lies In the
change of our State laws through the power
Of the ballot. From this primal part Of the
work the ladies arc excluded. Therefore,
taking facts as they stand, let the men,
claiming as they do exclusive guardianship
Of the laws, be at least faithful to the trust
assumed. And If they really appreciate the
spirit that actuates their Maryland sisters In
merciful enterprise, let them, by timely
stroke 5 q 9ssSs Ultimately abolish ta'
port. E. NJ. II.
On the other side Of the question we give
below extracts from the editorial comments
sides be heard, and then let the people make
up their verdict and judgment accordingly:
"The same objection would be fatal to all
feformatory agencies which are not able to
eradicate the evils the results Of which they
seek 10 mitigate. 30 long as human nature
remains as II Ia, the bitter fountains of evil
appetites and passions Of various Kinds will
DO constantly lowing, aud every day engulf
Ing fresh victims; but 1t Is no reason, be
cause We cannot prevent ihls, nor, indeed
save many OF the sufferers, that we should
not try 10 save some. Because the ocean
annually strews the coasts with mutitudes
OF wrecks, carrying down most Of the ship,
wrecked mariners, that Is no reason why
lifo-boats should not be built and launched
out Into the storm, to save a handful at least
from the general destruction. Because the
camp hospitals will not accommodate q 1.-THE
OF the wounded In q great battle, that Is no
reason why preparations should not be made
TO relieve as many as possible.
ave cordially concur with our correspond
ent that If the cause OF drunkenness can
be prevented, that would be much wiser aud
more eIpedent than processes for Its cure.
But the difficulty Is that temperance socie-
ties and their efforts have not enlisted sum
Client cooperation TO make Roadway against
the evil, and that 1t might be asked with
almost as much force Of all human instru-
mentalities for this object as our correspond
ent asks Of iucharitablc asylums, 'How
much will they avail, when every day the
tide ofthese unfOrtunates Is swelled by fresh
ndditionsP Tho inCbriate asylum recognizes
tho evil that stlll exists IN spite of all the
efforts that have been made to cNlirpatc 10,
and proposes only to FAVE as many Of It's
victims, or those with whom the vice has
become a disease, as possible, who, even
though they may be few In number, may DO
promising and valuable members oFsociety,
aud whose reclamation or cure win rescue
families Of women and children FROM misery
and ruin. Our correspondent, we know,
proposes to do much more. She would 'ex.
terminate intemperance-She would have n
prohibltory law. And another correspond
ent gravoly insists that drunkenness should
be made punishable offence without wait
lug for the drunkard to become disorderly.
"The moment he Is sufficiently drunk to
stagger, arrest him, send him to jail for
twenty-four hours, and put him to hard
labor. But suppose he Is OF the kind who
get drunk every day OF their lives, and to
the day OF their death, without staggering
for the number is not uncomfortable Of that
class-men who seem to have effected q
compromise with king alcohol, by which
they are left In possession Of their legs while
he controls their brains. On the other
hand, 1t Is quite possible that q man, who
10 not In the habit OF drinking, may stagger
from nervous DEBILITY, Thus the staggering
test could scarcely be regarded as infallibl {.
We might Just as well attempt to punish
men for eating too much, which is also IN
evil, and brings Its own disabilities and
physical and moral suiIcrlngs, as for gSres-
siye drinking. In fact, every vice lhat n
man has Is more or less an inlury to the
community as well as himself, ar.i, there
Tore, according to the logic Of the Commuul-
cation, there ought TO be prohLbltory lugIs-
iaton, toa greater or less cxtsRt, with refer
ence to all bad habits.
This applies to what 3 said of the rIrht
and duty OF ust Government to restrict ns
members In aught tkaI imperils the welfare
OF others OF the community In regard To
which IL may 10 further remarked that there
Is no proper Government in this country bu,
that Of tho people, who, under our thetFy Of
government, are the supreme authority, ant
have tbs right to restrict their public agents
II the people see ht to require the eri.etlncn
OF sumptuary laws and regulations, yell anC
good. But the experience Of the past ex
hibits the folly Of such Il policy. Prohlbl
tory lave against intemperance have bees
demonstrated 10 Massachusetts 10 be entIrel,
futile, and utterly incapable Of 'aorkIpg mora
reformation. The evil Of lnlE-nuernncs nv,