Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1871-02-23

Though its days and dreams are dead
[From the Eaton Weekly Regsterl
THE TEMPERANCE QUESTION
INA LEGAL POINT OF VIEW.
Few questions are 30 Interesting
and extensive, as that of Temper
ance, which, happily, now engages
the attention of the American peo-
Pile and various ways and means
are devised to arrest the progress ot
this great evil, with hopes of finally
extirpating it from our land. The
moral of the question is generally
discussed ard presented in all its
features, by our temp rance speak
ers and writer's but propose, in
a brief manner, to examine into
the liquor traffic from legal point
of view.
We are warranted, by Holy Writ,
in believing that up to the time OF
the flood, law, order and govern
ment, were unknown, and conse-
quently, violence filed the earth,
which called forth the wrath OF
God in the destruction of all the
human race, except Noah and his
family; which proved that strict
legal rules and powerful influences
must be brought to hear, to check
the evil tendency Of mankind, in.
herited by the fall Of Adam. But
from the days of Nimrod, as man
kind increased in number, craft
and ambition, it became necessary
to conceive ideas of ornament
government, to preserve the good
order of the world, and protect
the people in life, liberty, prosper
ity and pursuit of happiness, This
| is the true and natural foundation
of all government, the idea and OBJ
iect of all law.
| The question which I propose to
notice is: Is the liquor law what it
ought to be in legal principle, and
in comparison with other laws :?
Now the statute Of Ohio proyides
that any person engaged in a prize
fight, shall, on conviction, be i'm
prisoned in the penitentiary for not
| less than one nor more than ten
years; whereas, the same statute,
by u supplementary law, provides
that any person furnishing liquor
to be drank where sold, to minors,
or to persons intoxicated, or in the
habit Of getting intoxicated, shall
be fined in any sum not less tfan
ten, nor more than one hundred
dollars, or be imprisoned not more
than thirty days, at the discretion
of the court Which is the greater
evil of the two, can be determined
by the number Of persons afflicted
thereby. Now in a pugilistic com
bat, but two persons can be direct
ly concerned. The tendency is i'm
moral, but those preparing for the
contest abstain from Intoxicating
drinks and rigidly train themselves
for a full development Of all the
physical qualities, and one Of the
parties frequently comes out of the
fight in possession of fortune.
Not SO with the vender of intoxi
eating liquors it effects the inno-
cent and helpless, All drunkards
were at one time honorable men.
The traffic consumes their wealth I;
wastes their time ruins their char
acter; destroys the Heaven born
affection for parents, wife and chill
drtn. o, who can compute the
fortunes squandered, the hopes
withered, the hearts broken, the
homes made desolate, by the liquor
traffic And yet the law says the
pugilist must be taken from society
and confined in the penitentiary
from one to ten years but the rum
seller can pay his fine Of ten dol
lars, remain in the community and
continue his nefarious occupation
Of preparing subjects for the Jail,
poor house, penitentiary and the
gallows. 1t is fundamental prin-
ciple in the enactment Of penal
statutes that the punishment should
be in proportion to the crime. Do
the liquor laws of Ohio conform to
that principleP The statute further
provides, that if any person shall
open a grave or place Of sepulture,
and remove the body therein for
the purpose of dissection, without
the consent of the relatives Of the
deceased, upon conviction thereof
he shall be fined not to exceed one
thousand dollars, or imprisoned
not more than six months, at the
discretion of the court. Now rea-
son sits as Judge in the mind, to de-
termine what is right and what is
wrong. and governs every action;