The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1873-04-17
from the New York observ
Rum and Crime,


to vast majority of the crimes of vio-
lence which are daily shocking the read
ers of the public journals. That there
has been a great increase of crime, and
especially of murderous assaults, is un-
questionable 1t is a matter for careful
investigation and profound thought, to
what this increase is owing. There are
many causes to be taken into the ac-
count Itmay be one of the fruits of our
late war in which so large a portion OF
our young men were made familiar with
the instant taking away of life. 1t may
be owing in part to the generally demor-
allzlng influence of war upon a communi-
ty. 1t may be owing still more to the
nIaterialistic tendency of the times, in
which religious influences seem to be los
ing their power over the hearts of so
many who cast off all thought of the fu-
ture world, and live only for the present
The great increase of wealth, much of
which is acquired by questionable and
unlawful m a ms induces epieurean,
sensualistic ideas, that shut out, the
thought of retribution, and lead men to
give themselves up not merely to the
pleasures but to the passions and vices of
the present hour. And so we might go
on to speak of many more of the under
lying causes which are manifesting them
selves in the prevalence of crime. But
4
stands out before all others as the parent,
the fostering mother. of the brood of
criminal assaults which have shocked
the community, and which cause every
I1citizen to live more or less in fear for his
| life. Now and then there is cool, de-
liberate murder committed from pure
malice, or for purposes of gain but the
great majority of murders that have so
| harrassed the public attention of late
| have hlnr fad 1ra6dp tho 6iro0f
| inspiration of rum. No one doubts that
this was the procuring cause of the mur-
der of Putnam which has been expiated
| by the death Of his murderer on the gal
lows. Gaffney, who died on the scaffold
at Buffalo few days previous, exacted q
| promise from his only son, just before
the execution, that he would never taste
Intoxicating liquor. How many murder
ers have on the scaffold utter ed the same
warning against rum, as that which has
brought them to a felon's end7 The
family broils in the low haunts of the
city which have so frequently of late end
ed in murder have almost invariably
been the fruits of intoxication Even
where murder has been the result of de-
liberate calculation, rum has usually
been one efof the chosen and necessary in
struments for its commission. We re-
member one case in which it was proven
been hired to assist in the deed, was
found to be wavering, when the princi-
pal handed him a glass of brandy, and
| said, Here, you fool, take this" and he
took 1t, and was at once nerYed for stIik-
ing the fatal blow
Lesser crimes in a great proportion are
the direct result of thasame cause Only
last week we recorded the sentence of
| two youths in this city to fifteen years
| pleaded guilty, but excused themselves
on the ground OF their being intoxicated.
When the grog-shops. of the city were
closed on Sunday (they are now general
/ ly IN full blast4 the arrests for nearly all
| offenses were Immediately diminished,
and continued to be comparatively few
as long as the fountains of crime were
half closed
The public are perfectly familiar with
all these facts and no one doubts the con-
! clusion, that if the free use of intoxicat-
ing liquors could be restrained, crime
would be diminished in equal proper
ton. But it is matter of amazement,
that the public remain so Indifferent to-
! the efforts that are made to restrain their
| use both by moral suasion and by legal
enaetments. 1t is not merely question,
/ OF morality or religion, deeply as these
/ interests are involved It is question
/ VI al 4S Iu6SIlOua ztAG Sdf6GY OF
! human life it is a question of protection
! in all that relates to the welfare of the
| citizen and of society; it is question of
the perpetuity of our institutions. We
are, in this one respect, in q truly alarm
! ing state. There, are to-day and any day
in the week, Sundays not excepted,
/ thousands of places opened for the sale
of these very fluids (many of them adul-
terated with maddening poisonsl, that
! Ill
of these places are open in utter defiance
of law, and what is done to suppress
! them Some of the friends of Temper
/ ance have exerted themselves to keep up
the few feeble barriers that the law in
terposes between the evil and its results,
but the'sworn officers Of the law by their
! inactivity, if not by their opposition, eff
fectually thwart their efforts. And there
| is nothing about which many otherwise
i good citizens seem more jealous, than in
/ regard to putting any restraint upon the
sale of intoxicating liquors. They think
it right to forbid the storage and sale of
| powder, except in very small quantities,
within the city limits. They think it
1 right to restrict the sale of fireworks,
and for what reason2 Because some one
might be hurt, They think it right to
put the most rigid checks upon the sale.
| by druggists of arsenic a other
/ dChAOW4CNSSA PO4SOIASl Dc
cause some one might purchase them for
! the sake of committing suicide or muir
der. But when it comes to putting re-
straint upon the sale of intoxieating
liquors, many of which are dragged with
poison, and which are pouring constant
| tide of crime and death on the commu-
nifty, they are up in arms. 1t is restrict
| ing human liberty. Our Legislature at
this very time is under powerful press
ure to remove some of the feeble restric-
tions upon the traffic that now exist. ~
Two things we must have or this tide
of crime will flow on. First, we must
have more, instead of less stringent laws
prohibiting the free sale of alcoholic liq-
uors, or or,malking those who traffic in them
responsible for the crimes to which they
are so manifestly accessory. And, second,
we must have sounder, sterner moral
sense prevailing which shall demand
and secure the enforcement of such laws.
Neither of these without the other win
! be of any great avail Temperance socie-
/ ties are doing good and great work in
saving individuals, but the subject is one
! in which the interests of the whole coma
munity are involved and in which the
power of law and the power of a correct
/ public sentiment must be brought to
/ bear with irresistible force We are not
nation of drunkards, but we are
the long-suffering slaves of drunkard,
makers and of men who are manufactur-
| ing criminals.
tr..~ g.. Al-A.:.. n. ~.