The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-02-02
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J by hiasilvery eloquenoc, Ny child
will not be drunkard." That con.
soling reflection was presented to his
mind by tho thought that the prog
ress ofthe tcmpcl ance cause would
be 50 great when that child should
come. upon the theatre Of active life
as to do away with the use Of ardent
spirits. He was mistaken. IF his
child did not become q drunkard it
was because he had tho inaRliness
to stay out of the dram shops and
saloons, not because there was none,
not because there wasno whiskey and
no drunkards., s,s
The question comes mp to-day how
shall this evil be put down. Moral
suasion and Temperance Societies
| will not do it, for while you. are rcform-
ling one person by such means the
beer shops and saloons arc propar,
ling ten more for your hands, and
"moral suaslonn y becomes poor STRAIT
egy. Laws prohibiting or regulat-
ling the sale OF Intoxicating bever-
ages have not done it, for tie sale
and consumption of such beverages
is enormous. You may punish by
fine and imprisonment the poor vic-
tins of this unhappy appetite (who
are more properly the subjects for q
Temperance Hospital than iaiI,)
and you will never by such means
cure them Of the curse of drinking,
for as long as every avenue is left
open and every temptation laid be-
fore them, they will satisfy an appe-
tive that is beyond their control.
You may fine and prosecute men for
selling this abomination and you viii
not stop that, for so long as II is manu-.
factlred by wholesale and the selling
oft yields good income there will
be fiends enough in human form to
deal it out to humanity. So with all
the Temperance Societies and laws
the evil is not touched.
BY going to the root Of the matter
considering drunkenness q disease.
not only q moral disease, but q dis
ease of the brain and nerves and
stomach, and then instituting such
means as may be necessary to cure
simply, hygienically the already be-
sottcd, and then by teaching the
people sound and correct physolog-
ical truths, the intelligent Reformer
ofthe present may hope to van
quish the hydra headed monster.
But without the corporation of law
they may hardly hope to accomplish
this. The Temperance reformcrs Of
the present should ask for q law pro-
bibiting the manufacture of intoxica
ting liquors, as drink, and then have
such law strictly enforced. If the
sale OF intoxicating liquors is an evil
and one that can be legislated against,
it seems to me that the mannfactarc
Of it is the thing to legislate against.
If you want to crush this evil why
not strike it at the root dry it up 1t
the fountain head. 1t is nonsense to
attempt to stop the flow Of this great
river Of intemperance through tho
land by trying to dam up some of
its little tributaries. %
A. l pass through the streets of
our young and prosperous city and
sec the word Saloon upon so many
doors, and know that they are the
gatcs-the very portals Of destruc-
tion, and that so many men, of oil
classes and nges, are daily and hourly
entering them to fall into the hands
Of the monster Intemperance, and
when / know that all over this land
in rich and populous cities, in thirv-
ing towns and villages from the At
lantic to tho Pacific shores, this
monster holds high carnival, leading
his victims through lives Of degrada-
ton, misery and crime, and at last
sending them to u drunkard's
grave, that not only the low, the al |
ready degraded and vicious are his
victims, but he extends his power and
influence into every class Of society,
oven to the great, the gifted, the in.
fuential, those who have been placed |
in positions Of responsibility and
trns t, and when l think
what constitutes a state;
Not high raised settlements and labored |
Thick wall. or mosted gate,
Hut men. high minded mea,
These constitute State"
and when "thesc" become besotted |
and drunken and not too high mind |
ed to lay in the gutter, they are no
longer tit to rule and govern great
and free country, to make laws for |
intelligent men and women; and,
when l think too, ofthe history of |
tho nations OF the past, that the So
cial evils nnrtured within the bosom
: nation, sometimes, nay often, is
its worst enemy undermining and |
.sapping its vitality, destroying its
hie, VI rcnucfiuS ~ an casy prey -fof
stronger natures, l almost tremble
tor the fate OF my country.
Let her be careful that while she
is teaching and illustrating to the
world the lessons of self governments,
she is not sustaining and strengthen
ing an evil within her which destroys
all selfgovrnment.
The prophet Isaiah in a sublime and
terrific passage OF. scripture repre-.
ssnts the King Of Babylon while pass
ing into The uudcr world .saluted by
dead rulcrs of departed Kingdoms,
saying: ANT thou become wcak as
we; ;""Art thou become like unto us2"
Heaven grant that this repnblic
may not descend to the shades of
perished pomp and greatness and soc
Ninevah and Persia, and Babylon
with dusty hicroglyphic robes and
the empty VINE cup of their luxury
rising up TO meet it, and Rome with
tho shadow Of universal empire upon
hor discrowncd hoad and hear them