The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-03-20
Gr0g Shans-N0. ".

How do men usually estimate iiut-
tons, good or bad as to their degre> Ian ac-
denefit? by the extent Of = . OF merit or
on society; good or bad; - -ieir '"naence up
l know that by Co. ,o' .-'eie Is no o'her RUE.
his hrothe of all !; that man who hates
no e. sr is guilty OF murder, though he gives
preston to his evil wish But am speak
ing now, OF our ordinary mode of Judging of
1he actlons OF men as they affect society. The
poor widow, who in giving her mite, bestows all
ner llvlng, in Gods view is morebenevolent than
.n . millionaire who gives thousands; the man
VINO robs a garden, by the gospel rule, is as
wicked and sins as deeply, as the men who have
stolen millions from city treasury. But am
not dealing with the liquor traffic now so much
in the light of divine as of human law.
How then do we estimate bad actions. as To
their degree of criminality, so as to be able to
affix to them just penalty by the law? 1t is
by determining as accurately as we can, the ex-
tent of mischief resulting from them, more or
less, to society. l know of no other rule. do
ways apportioned by the law in this way, but
that SUCH is the rule. Why should not this rule
be applied to the liquor traffic, it is to other
things forbidden by the iawa The foreign slave
trade was formerly lawful business, and was
expressly provided for and protected by our ma
tional Constitution, until the year 1903, 1t is
now, and has been for many years. forbidden by
the law, which stigmatizes it as piracy and
Furnishes it by the penalty of death, This change
in the law has been the result of changed
public opinion upon the subject of slavery and
the slave trade.
A man steals some article Yalusd at dollar;
the owner OF the article loses to that amount;
the thief is fined five dollars or imprisoned,
perhaps, five, ten or thirty days. Another pas
SOS q counterfeit enc dollar note, knowing it 10
be worthless; ne who receives II loses dollar.
no more; but in thiss CASE Tie gully party is
sent to States Prison for term Of years, though
the loss in both cases is the same, Why Is this
difference In the penalty? Because the passing
OF counterfeit money is supposed to be great
erpublic mischief than petty larceny; there is
no other reason, and it operates in the same
way through the entire catalogue of crimes.
Applying this rule to the liquor trffic, where
would it find its place in the Scale of crime and
what should be its punishment.
Isummon up here, SO that we can all see and
hear them, the fathers, mothers, wives hus-
bands, childten, in this State who are in any way,
victims of the liquor traffic what vast as
sembly they are, numbered by many. many
thousands. Examine them carefully; we see
there every form and shape of human suffering,
bodily and 1Gaptal inflicted upon these wretch
ed people by the liquor traffic Every degree of
poverty, pauperism and crime are there; the
greatest agony of all, is that of parents and
children and husbands and wives over the deg
radiation and ruin of others, holding to them
these relations; there is no other SORROW like
that.
summon up here the authors of all this
frightful misery-the trafficers in strong drink,
and the owners of the premises where this
dreadful trade is carried ON, and having them
face to face with their wretched victims
call upon the entire body of the people to look
on this picture and on that. 1 demand of them
if it ought to be permitted that these rumsell-
ers shall continue a trade in violation of the
law of the land, which inevitably entails such
fearful misery upon our fellow men. Look at
they are aliens to our country and our institu-
tions: they have come to us from the lowest
stratum of European society, and have brought
with them and seek to perpetuate here, the
vices, ignorance and degradation in which they
were born AMI bred. Accustomed in their own
country, to a constant warfare against the laws
OF God and man, they here, yield no obedience
to requirements necessary to the common well
fare; they are operated upon by no considers
tions for the general good, but are only to be
controlled and repressed in their evil ways by
the strong hand of authority
From which does society suffer more, from
the making aHd passing of counterfeit money,
or from the liquor traffic? 7 ask all intelligent,
right-thinking people. With common consent
the answer is, from the liquor traffic; then why
not place it in the scale of crime above counter
felt money? From which does the community
suffer more, from burglary, highway robbery
and house burning or from the liquor traffic?
The answer will be the same, even from the
rumseuerS themselves why not place the
rumsellng, then, above those offences in the
scale of crime? From which does society suf
fer the more, year by year, from all the muir
ders committed in the State, or from the liquor
traffic? The answer will still be the same,
hundred times more from that dreadful trade;
why then should it not be placed in the scale of
crime, side by side with murder?
Is it true or not that the grog shops, year by
year infliet more misery and suffering and
wretchedness npqa the community, than all
the other crimes combined? Is it true OF NOT
year, from the grog shops, than from all other
crimes in a quarter of a century? believe it
to be so; have no doubt of it. If this be true,
submit II it to the consideration of all thought
full men, Of whatever party in religion or poll
in all proper ways, to deliver our city and State
from this dreadful evil the results of which are
so bad, that no exasgeration is possible in de-
scribing them. z. d.