Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-04-23

decline the conditions.
The Argus having given one side of the
Temperance question Sd thorough a showing,
| hoped to give his readers faint glimpse OF
the other side; failing in this, respectfully
ask caring in your columns.
Shall LaWleSSneSS be Tolerated "
| Mr.. EDToR:-You ask in your last edito-
rial, g Shall laa0lossness be tolerated?" THIS
is the question that the temperance people of
Montpelier have been trying to solve. They
worked on it for several months, and at the
last March meeting found the answer, " No :
zoe toiH no longer tolerate la,oIessness
Ia working this question, we had first to
learn the value of several hundred diferen Mt
characters, their relation to each other and
to the ballot-box. 10 be sure these figures
were all stamped man. Some, clear cut and
indelible; but in many cases the imprint
was very faint, and in a few quite illegible
To determine the true value OF 50 many char
acters was no small work. \ character Of
no significance in itself would, in certain
combinations, become most significant, and a
minus quantity assume monstrous proper
tions. Again, character 7ignifcAn. alone,
when put in near relation tO the hall0t-box
! became aught, or gave the sign vi a minus
quantity, While others would take a fourth
ami fifth power for good or evil, Tor law or
: l,s,
the real value of every man on this question,
and answered in favor of law although you,
| the Editor Of The Argus, reiterated every
week, We will not tolerate law, or the friends
of law. Who are the opponents OF law :?
The rumseller, certainly, whose business is
law breaking; the rum drinker in most cases
| What Of editors, who mike it business
to uphold and dclenI the lAw-bceakerS, and
,raduce the friends OF law ? You say you
= believe in government of the people, "
Was not this law made by the pope, and
are you not as nuca bound by your oath to
sustain this law while it IS On tae Statute
Book as others ? You say You are opposed
to it because it is a sunp uary las. Ehe
burglar, counterfeiter and murdere- have
iaetr reasons for Directing - o.her Laws.
There are few but VIII acsnjwled5e that
intemperance is the caus3 Of more crime aud
misery than all otler evils. Il Is n)t ris1,
to enact laws against this worst OF evils =?
Can law punish crime, aad have n c)gniz-
ance of the cause? SuppOsinS women IN
this country expeaie1 millions, annually,
for intoxicating drinks which made them
IDIOTS and manjlcs-)biects Of disgust, and
torments to their relatives AMI frien Is, re
sulti1g finally in the death of sixty thousand
mothers, sisters, wives, and daughters every
year, would men think there was any reason
for law? They would embrace our law first
for financial reasons, AMI three times as IA
sanitary measure for the physical. mental,
and moral of womanhood.
You say you have a IN ssion; that IS, to ex-
pose wrong wherever you fad it. 1t that is
the rule, please give the exceptions; Except
he be a rumseler or drinker in this place
or agrees with you on polltlcli and theoioIl-
cal questions. The last hides maltsude OF
sins-even the unpardon able one OF being a
temperance man.
When you can show that drunkenness will
not debauch mind and bo ly, and bring the
purest and proudest low, then en- you give
a good reason for your treatment of the TEN
perance cause, and those who try to sustain
it, Some pretend they do not care what you
say; you re not worthy an answer thai
YOU will not reason, but resort to weapon:
gentlemen are not acquainted with We
think our friends need little courage But
as it is, you go youc way the wrong you dc
is not righted, and the right is not defended
in our papers as against yju. The rum seller
and drinker look upon you as their strong
hold, and their c)nl ieucs in you was not
shaken, even when you delivered your tota
alb ,tinenc, lecture. You are so ficm and con-
sistent friend of the rum-interest, an
stand by them 50 stoutiy, that SON; accuse
You of being in their pay. Your power Of
divinatoa and representation are wonderful,
when brought to play upon your opponents.
Temperance men, we believe, were not made
exceptions to the rule g All men are sin.
ners," but with YOU men sin 10 that the )
are tenperAnc, men, and the more thai they
are active and efficient, and are sure first or
last to bring down your anathemas upon
their heads You enable each temperance
man to say of you, have fund one - who
told me all the things that ever l did,
with variations). One would judse by you
that intemperance rather than temperance
was promoter Of all the virtues Ii you
should change your tactics, and undertake
the work of publishing all the sins attribu
table to rum committed in our midst, an /