Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1872-10-09
For Tho journal.
Prohibition.

Il
1t seems there are some who claim to he tenn
perance men who are more than willing that our
prohibitory law should remain a dcad letter until
public opinion shall be educated up to the point
that there would he but little difficulty in en-.
forcing the law, ~" when the law will hardly
be needed The same unfricndly influence may
be seen in this that opposed the enactment Of
prohibitory law, and since it, enactment, has op.
posed It's execution
! The writer could hardly have used fewer words
to express his opinion Of our prohbtory law than
tn SO above quoted law not to hceniorccd until
| it becomes unnecessary, which signifies no law.
Is law unnecessary against the gora eyil-an evil
which is the cause Of more misery, crime
and death than all others2 Apply to other
laws the principle advanced in the above extract,
md we should have no law against swearing and
other sins Of darker dye. 4 man advocating
no legislation on such subjects, would be conss
tent in trying to strike out from Gods law.
Thou shalt not take the name OF the Lord thy
God in vain, Thou shalt not kill, Thou
shalt not commit adultery" Public opinion
hardly sustains these 70 the degree Of execut-
ing the law, except " occasionally on an auda-
cjus offender and yet they stand rs sublimey
beautiful in their moral grandeur as when written
| by the finger Of God and delivered on sinai.
" Thou shalt not kill " God has written it it is
HIS law man has copied it, and made it the law
Of man to man, and yet statistics show that in
this, our own enlightened country, he Is guilty Of
sixty thousand deaths annually, and from one
cause alone lniempemnce
] "a o..
shall it be erased from the tablets on which God
has inscribed it, and from our own statute books?
and shalt we, while this and other laws seem u
dead letter, instead of trying 10 enforce them,
say ~ the murderer, the adulterer, the S,hbath-
breaker, please do not commit these sins which
some men term crimes2 Shall we say 10 them
we have no law or none 70 eniorcc-wc would
not ubridge our lberties-we want liberty -glo-
rioas hbsriyl Liberty for uhat2 Liberty 70 sell
md drink The accursed thing that maketh drum
KEN and liberty to do the foul deeds that fjllow
in its train
II reforms were left to these lovers of liberty
how soon, if it were possible, would they turn
the wheels Of progress backward, and we should
hear them advocating tie liberty or the slave
holder to hold slaves as now, it is liberty to be-
come slaves 70 Demon that drags thousands
upon thousands every year down to the lowest
depths OF degradation and final death
Man has given helping hand to his fallen
brother through the prohihitory law, which points
directly to the RumsHtr-the instrument Of mis-
cry and death while the Rumseer juins with
those preaching moral suasion. When the finger
Of the law is pointed at him he will tremble, and
protest that his rights and liberty threatened.
His right and liberty to spread crime aud death
IS threatened In our prohibiory law is seen the
finger that wrote " Thou shalt not kill" it j.
not thou mayst not but " Thou shalt not kill
to the Rum'ciier' Consideration and charity are
recommended Then in consideration Of the
Rumseller's best good in this world and his ever
lasting salvation in another and in sweet charity
70 the whole human race, and in duty to ourselves,
to our fcllow-men, and to God, let Us prohibH The
eristence of The Rumseler.