Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-07-03
INNER AND rNTEmPERANCE.

# is a popular, but mistaken, idea
.,.ot oil crimes are, more or less, ascrib-
,I.lo n the sale and use of, intoxicating
Iionors: that is, that all.crimes increase
-. diminish as the sale and use of such
beverages is restrained or unrestricted.
The fact may be, and, probably, is true,
:, reference to the lesser grades of
ario,es. such as common assaults, as
ror1ts with dangerous weapons, breaches
Of the peace, street disturbances, etc.
When. however, we come to the higher
ara les of crime, this theory will not
IoId truc Take, forinstance, burglaries,
larceny or arson, they are as frequent in
.rl,cas where it is unlawful to deal in
ii5rors. as where its sale is open and I'M
rsstrained. A moments reflection will
convince any one of the truth of this
.,a,cmcnt. as these are crimes which,
necessarily or naturally, have nothing
10 do with passion, as we ordinarily use
,ho term. While we would not have
s;rrlc effort relaxed in the endeavOr to
save Young men and the community
from the dangers and curses of intem-
narapcc. we would ask our citizens to
consider whether in fighting one great
-nossibIy the greatest-evil, they are
mot in danger Of allowing others, nearly,
If not quite, as dangerous to take root !?
We do not propose to catalogue these
.-roafcr or lesser vices it is not neces-
.ary that we should, as every thought
f,I man can recall the fearful list. We
M NOT think that the awful crime of
murder has its origin in the one sin of
fntcmperance to the extent generally be-
Hcyed. and it is to this particular crime
that we more particularly desire, briefly,
to call attention. 1t is, doubtless, true
that the habit of drinking is, so to speak,
am important adjunct to the cOmmittal
of this crime; that is to say that after
unr has determined to do the deed, he
often phys himself with liquor, for the
purpose of iullaming his passions and, in
+ measure, to use a vulgarism, of screw
ing his courage up to the sticking point.
This however, is not, by any means, SO
very common. When a mans mind be-
comes so dcpravcd that he can cOolly,
deliberately and maliciously plan and
determine the murder of fellow being,
he. generally, needs no adventurous aids
to enable him to consummate his pur.
posse.
For some reason or other, the crime OF
muudrr-that is the deliberate killing OF
anothcr with malice and the intent tc
hII-has been brought into peculiar
prominence with the past few years.
We have taken occasion, several times,
10 express our belief that this, or other
crimes, were not actually on the in
crcasc-only seemingly so; the seeming
increase being due entirely to the fact
that the printing press, the telegraph
and the steam power conveys informa
ton of the happening of an event a
once, to each and every household
Actual statistics prove this to be true il
Great Britain, and we see no reason tC
doubt that it is true everywhere. We
say this-although somewhat foreign tC
the subject we are considering tha
we may he consistent with ourselves
and not appear, rs the manner of some
is, to take one position to-day and an
other the next. But to come back t,
subject: murder is, just now and ha
been for some time, unusually prominen
i'm the public mind. The particular rea
son thereof, we shall not stop to inquire
any further than to ask is it owing t.
intcmperance. Take the causes ce5e6reo
the past few years, and it will be founc
that, with a single exception, this terri
bic curse has had no immediate or re
mote connection Herewith, unless on
particular case, to which we shall refer
had nm indirect, remote bearing thereon
But for intcmperance, Foster would IN
doubtcdly be alive to-day, and this is til
exception to which we referred. Th
cases of Sicklcs, Cole, and McFarlant
were entirely outside Of this matter
save as in so far as McFarland's habit
led to the separation and divorce on til
part of his wife. So with Stokes, an
the five Baltimore murdcrers who are t
be executed during the present month
We referred, a few days since, to tn
the number of condemned murderers il
Georgia, and, among these, it is nc
ticcablc fact that intoXiCation was not
moving, or, even, remote cause in barrel.
d single instance. The case of Wal
worth, now on trial in New York city
is but another illustration, and that o
Albert II. Smith, executed at Spring
field, Friday, had ITS origin in a NOR
baneful and blighting vice than intem
peranco,
1t may be objected that these are eX
ceptonal instances, but, in answer, w
appeal to the observation and reading o
every one, if the position is not correct
We understand, of course, that the ger
cral statement has been made-and
currently believed-that three quarter
Of the crimes committed are the of
spring of incompetence, but is 1t so?
not the experience and observation c
every one directly to the contrary? lie
us look for a moment at Maine. If ther
is a State where laws for the repressio
Of the sale of intoxicating liquors al
sustained by public opinion, it is i
Maine. There is no question but th6
these laws have been, to a large degree
enforced in Maine; that its sale, wit
exceptional cases, is kept within narro'
bounds, and that it has conduced TO tn
general peace, safety and welfare of til
State. Her Governor and Senators an
Representatives in Congress, some yea
or more ago, united in the statemer
That pauperism had decreased and tn
general average of crime-directly trace
able to this cause-had been perceptibl
diminished, year by year, since the pas