The New York herald., 1869-09-05

also OF incendiaries. madnen and murderers Not
To XIII. Government Is surely very false to its trust
ana very delinquent In It's duty IN licensing or per-
mtng NE dramsnop ny TINS asehess n ran anu oes ae
tuted protector Of the persons and properly OF its
snojects-unworthy, indeed, OF the name OF cNh
government
Seoond-rhe other reason for our calling on gov
ernment to rid the land OF the dramshop Is that the
cause OF temperance would, though but inciden-
taiiy, be nevertheless Immensely benefited by TINS
measure for protecting person and property. TO
those who deny that government has the right 90
undertake To help the cause OF temperance we reply
that, however this may be- this cause has neverthe-
less most certainly the right of being inclden ally
benented bv any OF the confesseiy legitimate ac-
tons OF government Moreover, n 1t must be ad-
mitted that government has no right to make the
ects, nevertheless must also be admitted that
ernment has no right TO hinder that cause-mosI EN-
able obstacle OF the dramshop.
But II Is said that the government will not respond
to the call TO suppress the dramsnop unless 1t come
from great political party. This Is but too possible,
Notwithstanding that, in all matters which involve
questions OF fundamental morality, the ruler ts
bound to consult not the wil OF the people but the
the minister OF God" lie Is. whether IL does or
does not please the people, to act IN accordance with
the divine WILL But too possible also, Is t thar both
OF our existing political parties in sucn bondage
to the interests and policies which cluster around
ana uphold the dralshop that neither or them wl
ever consent to demand its suppression. Hence Is
II that are assembled In TINS convention TO de-
clare The necessity Tor new political organization,
aud To call upon our countrymen North anu South
East and West 10 come into It, And our call IL
not to the friends of temperance only; 1t IL also to
all the friends Of righteous Rovernment-to all who
would have government faithful to It's duty to DO
tect person and property.
Just here wnere we have been speaking OF the
high and sacred mission OF government Is the place
TO enter most earnest and solemn protest against
the scheme called "local option" In the scheme FOR
government allowing the dramshop In those locaii-
ties which IKE 1t and disallowng IN those locali
ties which do not like It, Would the friends OF this
local opton' have 1t adopted IN the case OF thett
nf 0Af nr tI-
tainly not. They would have government forbid
these offences everywhere, and entirely irrespective
OF the popular choice anywhere. Why then. would
they have the acuon OF government In regard to
dram selling turn on the popular will
These offences, IN the comparison OF their effects,
sink into mere peccadlloes by the side OF
dram selling Why, then are they 30 inconsistent
rs to nave government forbid these and spare 1t
The solution of this inconsistency Is, that while peo
pie are educated and chiefly in such cases, by The
mightly educating power OF the law to regard these
offences as crimes. they can hardly be brought TO
regard as criminal that which is shielded by the
laws, and Is 80 far made sacred. This con
ditioning the action OF government on the
selling-this sinking OF government from its divine
commission and absolute authority into mere SER
ana disgrace 1t and render 1t ineffective against all
wrongs. Government should not be so degraded
On the contrary II should be so magnfed that not
slavery drain selling, nor, indeed, any other
mon CRIME, could make headway under Its forms.
BY the way, there Is nothing that the people more
need than a higher esteem OF the sublime and sacred
functions OF government But this can come only
from right action on the part OF government. Let
the peo e see 1t sweep away the dramshop and 1t
will at once wear q new aspect IN their eyes and
command their highest esteem; ana then, too, win
the dramshop, In the light OF thus indignant action
Of the government against 1t, appear iar more
We are not unaware Of the we-nigh insuperabe
obstacles In the way Of building up an Independents
political party IN the face OF long established pollti
cal parties. Men quit such parties with great reuc-
tance very lamentabe evil Is the education of the
people into the belief that permanent political
party Is great good and therefore thatisuch party
as the republican or democratic ought not To he
broken up But permanent political party Win
the constant tendency OF any such party to destruc
ton Is heavy curse for 1t plants Itself with great
ana too frequently with mvlncble power in the wey
OF all progress and clings for Its own exist 1nce ~
the wrongs with which II Is Identified. No other
but temporary political parties are 1ustiiable no
other but such occasions call for. Right was
IL In Englishmen to form an anti-slavery party,
and right was II In them when they had disposed
Of slavery to form an antcorn law porty; ana right
also IL 1t in.them to form, US they are now doing
an ant-dratnsnop party Right was 1t In Americans
to form antislavery party, and right is 1t now for
the to pass on from the overthrow OF slavery to
nI,-drainshop party. We give this name TO our
party because none more suitabe-none more Sig
nincant nor more truly descriptive, could he given
to 1t. One argument IN favor OF our taking this
name OF the ani-dramshop party Is that it leaves
to our opponents, aud will lasten upon them, their
shop'' party We speak OF them rs one party be-
cause they will manifestly tend such uniiy fast
as the true temperance men and true friends Of
righteous civil government shall lorsake their old
parties to join our new one. The American anti
dramshop party aud the American drlmshop part,
VIII, from tins good hour. 20 on to divide between
themselves the Whole American people.
Many believe that instead OF forming new polIti-
cal party we should remain In Old ones, and put
up, here and there, now and then, anti-dramsnoD
men against the dramshop candidates presen ed
to u.s. Boting ut Irregular nominations ~ and max.
ing other nominations In their stead. Is good
expedent where the object ~ to select men from
the party who viii represent Its fundamental prn-
ciples and essential characteristics. But the eXpe-
dent IL u poor one and must ever be unsuccessful
where the object Is TO select men from the party who
will 90 counter 10 those principles ana that charac-
ter For years abo Iuonsts chung TO their pro-slnv
cry parties and sought (alas, how vany to revOlu-
tonne them by accepting now and then here and
there, nomination. No les5 vain Will be any sim-
lar attempts To revOutonlze our dramshOp par
ties. What n some OF their members shall OCCASION
ally vote against the regular nOminatOns'y IL will
avail nothing toward changing the current and
character of the parties. lnnumerable eddies In the
Niagara are, in tneir little or larger circles, turning
portions OF IL up stream. so long rs the pre-. ent
parries part es-and they VIII be until they
are broken up-any little counter movement within
them for temperance Will be OF no account rne
mighty torrent will bear all before IT. and what
more even the frends OF temperance In these par
tes VIII put harm l0stca OF ne pns the cause; for
by continuing their names TO these parties they will
continue to strengthen the rum power. these parties
being the most efficient servants of that power.
~ course we readily admit that members
ol political parties can remain IN them and
vet work successfully TO change many things
In them Nevertheless they cannot change
their ingrained aud essential character. The parties
VIII break up ere suca changes can take place. A
pro.slavery politlcal party cannot become anti
slavery party. III VIII DTcdk up DtiOrc ~ CuH
the subject of so radical a change. And, indeed II
II 80 even In the OF ecclesiastical party The
Mehodiss, Baptists aud Presbyterian churches pre-
ferred being scattered into fragments TO becoming
antslavery. Our present political parties may con.
sent TO undergo changes III respect 10 tarrs inter-
nal improvements ana many otner things. But they
cannot give up their vital connections with The
dram shop without giving up their existencc-ay.
ana rum-soaked parties they cannot fail TO be AZ
long as they continue to be parties. And those OF
their members who would escape from their guilty
responsibility for the dram snop and its horrid work
cannot do so without sundering their connections
with them. To all such penitent ones our party
will be q welcome and happy refuge.
We shall, OF course, have co encounter continn-
ally and everywhere the utter bu5 effective false
hood that IN asking government to put away The
dram shop We asking. 1t to enact that most
odious OF all laws-a sumptuary law. How inyidi-
Gus, as well as disingenuous 10 coniound VITA "a
sumptuary law q law enacted for the protection OF
society from the dram shop-thc manufactory OF
madmen and murderers-fi0m peril 10 person and
nrenter than the total Of all ine