Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1871-03-09

Non suasion u Inebriates

Moral Suasion Of Inebriates,
-
Should an inebriate be held inca
pable and irresponsibleq Ifso, he
should be made Incompetent by
law. There il an impcrfection and
Inconsistency in both onr moral
ideas and our laws on this subject
They assume the inebmate Is inca-
pable; that is, ,heis overcome BY his
appetite, and can not atop drinking,
and, therefore, they proceed to
hold Others responsible for his con
dition, and to impose penalties on
them, and to authorize his family
10 prosecute them for damages
done them through selling him
drink. And yet they allow him 70
continue free and in the control Of
hisproperty, wife and children, just
as If he were capable, although he
goes On ii The mostprofigate man.
ner, sq0anderiDg one and abusing
the Others.
There is a palpable inconsistency
and injustice, in this It comes
from DIN error in both ways-drst,
by assuming that the inebriate can
not resist bis habit Of drink; and
scconyl by assuming chat Is NOR
allvthaceountable, and still leav
ing him free and in the control of
his property and family. The inc
briate IS not helpless. In criminal
practice the courts have pretty
much abandoned the notion that
intoxication makes a person ire
sponsible for a criminal act. The
intoxication Is a part OF the crimi-
nal intent, for it is the common
practice Of deliberate wrong doers
to stimulate. themselves with drink
ID prepafii 3 90 commit crime.
And in regard to inebriates who
commit no other otfense than to
squander their property or abuse
their families, or neglectto provide
for their support, we have no right
to assume that they can not help il
till we have tried the means ot
moral suasion upon them.
And when we say moral suasior
we mean that they shall be made tC
realize that they are morally &c
countable, and that this, like every
other ofFense against their Owl
well being or that Of their fellow
men, has its certain penalties al
ngesent there is no theory ofmoral
accountability and no penalty close
~ related to the offense The man
may be wasting his energies and
his property and proceeding IN the
road to rain; but the progress is 80
Gradual that it brings.no shock to
his feelings. The general bunting
of the sensibililies and mental fa-
cilities by the regular habit ol
drink tends to smooth his down
ward way. And when it does plunge
him into mental trouble, he is apI
to find relief in the indulgence thai
Is running him. Thus the mora
penalty that comes in this way
tends in most cases to promote the
CfIeHse.
Bit suppose Wa provide d posi-
tive consequence which the inebrl.
ate shall realize as certain to fol'
low, SO that when he calculates the
inducements 10 indulgence this
shall enter in. Suppose we pro
vide that when he puts this thing
10 his mouth to steal awayshis
brains -doesit deliberately and re.
peatedly, knowing the wrong he Is
doing to himself and TO Others, We
provide that the law shall accept his
stiuation and shall act upon It by
placing him where he shall be kept
from tile means Of ruin, suspended
from the control Of his property
and family, and allow opportuni
ties to come TO bis right mind, and
u fully realize his oflense and its
consequences.
Does any one believe that ifthis
consequence were made certain the
ihebriate would b longer inbecile,
helpless, unabIeto resist his appe.
tile, and morally maccountable
Here comes in a new moral ele.
ment, widely different from the 81.
lent pity and subdued grief Of
friends, and the careful nursing 70
restore him from d debanch, and
the care taken by all that nothing
shall be said to remind him Of his
fMlina ar 10 burt his feelings, lest II
might bring him again 70 drink,
And here "a something different
from the helpless and humble wlle,
WHO lluh IfiAlsF teAtRNtt n NNssftsfsa
from her husband, and who abject
lv nurses him and represses the
cries III hungry children This n
what We mean BY moral suason fos
tnebrates, the moral conviction of
their minds that their otfense has q
penalty.
This treatment of inehrlates ls
equally proper and necessary,
whether we assume that they are
incompetent irresponsible. lin
capable, VI II improper that they
should be free, and II 10 the duty OF
the pubic To carg tor them, u
morally accountable, they should
We held to their just responsibility
Upcn either theory the inobriate
who makes himself incapable of
discharelug Ills duties, who squan-