The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1869-10-29
DAILY PRESS.
I iday Mo'ning, Octob 20, 1869.
A Plain Word with our Tsmper.,ce
Frieuds.
PORTLAND
BY THE REV. THEODORE L. cUYLER.

BY THE REV. THEODORE l.. CUYIER
From the New York independently
1t is not a very pleasant occupation to be
digging down in the mud and mile 10 lay the
foundation stones for a needed edifce. 1t
costs toll. and time and back-aches. A far
more exhllaiating work is to put up ornament
ed cornices and lofty tOwers-to bring the
topmost stone with shoutings." But with
| out solid foundation, where is the super
structure?
Many OF our Jealous temperance brethren
are In danger Of this very blunder. They
| earnestly long for prohibitory legislation, but
do almost nothing to create the temperance
public sentiment. They want prohibitory
laws, but they do nothing to make the votes
which must enact the laws. They clamor tor
political temperance party" bat they for
get that successful parties are made up of
men converted 10 moral ideas. So, when you
urge them to call meetings, and to organize
local societies, and to circulate tracts, and
procure total abstinence pledges, and to
spread abroad solid temperance truth, and to
educate the children, and to open their pui ses
and pay the bills for all these needtul Efforts,
they sneeringly reply: 'Pshaw! we got out Of
that slough OF moral suasion ten years asoF
1t suits these brethren good deal better to
hold conventions, to pass good strong resou-
| parties on paper For a dozen years the
| State Temperance conventions OF New YoIk
| have been passing resolutions for total pro-
hibition, and nothing less" but we are no
nearer to a wholesome prohibitoIy law for
| all their paper manilestoes. BIetbrenl i, for
| one, am as heartily in favor of shutting up
| the rum dens by law as Neal Dow OF Gerrit
smith can be; yet / am convinced we must
change our tactics, or we shall never secure
prnhihifn lppiSla or pnf)rcp il
There are many other hindrances in,tbe
way OF the proposed party, which forbear to
name. Its sanguine ad 3ocates point to the
triumph of the free soil party in 1860, and
say that there is a parallel between an anti
slavery parry and an anti-dram shop party
which forebodes success to the Chicago or
ganzation. But there is really no parallel
between the two cases. The man who founds
his expectations of the success Of a national
prohibition party on the election of President
Lincoln IN 1860, builds on moonshine. who
soe,er is deceived thereby is not WISE" In
the year 1858, the cause OF prohibition was
far more popular than the cause OF emanci-
patton. But to-day slavery is dead-killed
alike by the folly OF it's friends and by the
pluck of It's enemies. And the rum-trattic
survives in growing strength, looming up as
| terrible as the gates oil hell" The party
which demolishes it must be the most power
full party that has yet been organized on this
continent.
But it is not the main object of this article
to present the huge difficulties in the path of
a national political party OF probibitlonsts.
Suppose we overrule these difficulties? Sup
pose we admit that third party policy is the
best and wlsest policy? What then?
Most assuredly, ii a successful third party is
created, it must be made up of converts to
great moral idea. These converts must be
made by dissemination OF truth. There must
be thorough discussion OF the real nature of
the alcoholic beverages which we propose to
prohibit. We must convince the voters that
alcoholic drinks are poisons, and MOI iUod,
warmth or strength. We must arouse the
popular conscience. We must enlist the pull
pit and the press, and the Sunday school. We
must organize thousands of societies, and cir
culate millions OF documents at large pee, n
iary cost. We must scatter widely such vol
umes as DIR. Lees "Text Book OF Temper
ance;" we must arouse the ministry by such
startling home truths as are presented In "Dr.
Wlllouohby and His Wine." We must secure
the pledged abstinence OF the majority OF the
people. (For we have no faith in the efforts
| of any man for prohibition while he is secret
| ly tipplng over his wine-slass.l We must
revolutionIze the drinking usaees OF society.
| For it is absurd to suppose that while ma
| jority OF the community really wish to ofier
and TO drink intoxicating liquors they will ev-
er vote to have the traffic in liquors utterly
prohibited. In short, we must convert the
| majority of society to total abstinence before
prohibition can be triumphant. 1his conver-
sion can only be effected by constant, unre-
| mitted, and expensive moral suasion. The
| honest probibltionist who opposes moral sua-
| sion opposes prohibition. Is 1t not time that
| this silly and suicidal slang against moral
| suasion" was banished forever from the tenn
perance ranks?
The only places in which prohibition is sue
cessful to-day are those places il Illinois,
Massachusetts, Maine and Vermont, in which
| temperance efforts have produced pubic
| sentiment in favor OF total abstinence. In all
o.her places prohibtory laws are not really
enforced; and for all practical purposes they
are not worth chew OF tobacco.
| Now brethren and co-workers, these be
| plain truths and worth your consideration.
1t the coming years are to be spent in hold
ing conventions and passing empty resolu-
| tions against grog-shops, without doing at
home TO convert people against grog-drink-
| ing; if any more "lhird-party" looleries like
| that in Maine are to be enacted as the settled
| policy OF the temperance reform, then l, for
| one, must be counted out OF any national
| prohibitory party. Other people may build
castles in the air, if they admire such an arch
| itectuIe. prefer, in my humble way, 10 dig
l
nent reform. l prefer TO use pulpit, pew,
purse and tongue to convert people to toial
abstinence. When they are thus converted
they are saved from drunk, mess; they VIII
| oppose drinking customs; they will never
/ give penny to support the accused liquor
traffic; they will be likely to vote against the
advocates of rum-selling for office. when
mems minds are enlightened, and their con-
sciences are aroused to vote against legallzlng
Il chaIl hav no. lot tOf
| and not before.
For the present, let us dig deep in the pub
lie conscience and lay foundations. A mighty
educational work is to be done and at once
1t must be done, too, on solid pecuniary ba.
sis,
| Total abstinence is the dictate of science
and OF Chris ianity. Tipping, drunkenness
| and dram-selling are OF the Devil. But, how
ever right may be our cause, the work OF God
will not be prosecuted with success unless il
| is inspired by love and regulated BY the
soundest principles of common sense.