The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1870-01-20
lis True Meaningf

Under the heading, a Little Com
mon Sense the Courier OF yesterday
gives us its idea of the meaning of the
following resolution, adopted by the
last Democratic Convention:
Res0loed, That any attempt to reg
ulate the moral ideas, appetites or in
nocent amusements of the people, by
the Legislature, is unWise and des-
potic."
The Courier, promising that men Of
intelligence will naturally desire to
know how this resolution can be con-
strued into an endorsement of the
basest passions of men, when it bears
upon its face a reference only to the
healthful enjoyment and natural free
dom of mankind" proceeds to attack
a mar of straw by denouncing every
body who elassiies what is known as
1.-THE social evil among innocent
amusements. We shall lot attempt
to defend this man Of straw.
The Courier may buffet him to
its hearts content. He represents
nobody. aud therefore has no friends.
Nobody, that We know of, has CLASH
fed the social evil 2 as an . inno-
cent amusement" unless the resolu-
ton aforesaid does so.
But to come nearer to the point.
Having disposed Of its man Of straw,
the Courier proceeds as follows:
When men speak of " moral ideas,
appetites and innocent amusements !"
IN q single sentence, 1t is manifest to
every sensible person that the " appe-
tites referred to are natural appe-
tites-not depraved and debased ones.
We understand the theory Of this
whole discussion by the who join
issue with the resolution. of the Dem
ocratic State Convention. They mean,
IN plain language, to say that q man
who visits q saloon and drinks a glass
of lager beer on the Sabbath day is
rs vile and debased as the man who
violates his manhood In a den of
prostitution. They put the two acts
on a.par.
The opponents of the resolution
under discussion, have not attacked
it on the ground that it was All expires
sion Of hostility to Sunday laws.
Neither have they assaulted it as
taking ground in behalf of the saloon
keepers. 1t does not refer directly to
Sunday laws or saloon keepers. If it
is intended to be applied to them. it
is only by liberal aud not a literal
construction of its language. What
we contend is, that the same latitude
of construction will make it defend
prostitution and every species of vice
and ~indeeency.
The Courier certainly has not analyz-
ed the resolution and become familiar
with the meaning ofthe words ofwhich
it is composed. To say that mems
moral ideas shall not lie regulated by
law, is nonsense. unless it is meant that
laws must not be enacted against the
actions growing out Of those ideas.
A man may entertain what ideas he
p~leases of morality, and so long as
they remain mere ideas in his own
brain, there is no law now in exist
ence that pretends to regulate, con
troll or direct them. But when he
proposes to embody his ideas in ac-
tons, then he may come in conflict
with existing laws. Now. if the reso-
luton above quoted means anything.
it means that all laws regulating the
actions of men, growing out of their
peculiar ideas Of morality, as desrotic
and unwise. In other words, all laws
for the preservation and perpetuation
of morality, are "despotic and I'm
wise"
Notwithstanding it is almost an in.
suit to the intelligence of our readers
to enlarge upon this point. We will
add one or two thoughts. Suppose.
on reading the resolution aforesaid
after a Democratic victory at the
polls, some Mormon. dissatisfied with
his surroundings at Salt Lake, should
conclude to move with his man
wives to Indiana. The officer OF
justice waits on him soon after his
arrival with a charge of bigamy.
Astonished, the Mormon would ex-
claim: My moral ideas on this ques.
ton are that a man has a right to as
many wives as he can get to live>with
him, The Democratic party las de-