Smyrna times., 1874-10-28
A Judges Temperance Lecture.

At Morris Grundy County, Illinois, three
saloon koepers-one woman and two men
were arrested and indicted for selling liquor to
minors. AS usual in such cases. the liquor
sellers were lavish of their funds in aid of their
unfortunate CO. workers, and eminent counsel
was employed in defence of these destroyers of
the bodies and souls of the young and rising
generation. But the proof Of their guilt was
so fully demonstrated, that the jury were COM
PEELED to pronounce them guilty. Hon. j. N.
Reading, the presiding Judge, in pronouncing
the sentence of the Court, used the following
language:
'Thc jury having found you guilty of selling
Intoxicating liquors to a minor, it remains for
the Court to pronounce the sentence Of the law.
The penalty of this offence, fixed By the Legis-
lature, indicates that it considered the crime to
be of serious character. BY the law, you
may sell to men, and to women, if they will
buy. YOu have given your bond, and paid for
your license to sell to them, and no one has the
| right to modest you in your legal business. No
matter what the consequences may be, no mat
ter what poverty and destitution are produced
| by selling according to law, you have paid your
money for this privilege, and you are licensed to
pursue your calling No matter what families
are distracted and rendered miserable, no mat
ter what wives are treated with violence, what
children starve or mourn over the degradation
| OF parent, your business is legaliZed and no
one may interfere with you in it. No matter
what mother may agonize over the loss of
son, or sister blush for the shame of brother,
you have the right to disregard them all and
pursue your legal calling; you are licensed.
You may fit your lawful place of business in the
most entlclng and captivating form you may
furnish it with the most elegant and costly
quipments of your lawful trade; you may hll
it with the allurements to amusement; you
may use all your art to induce visitors you may
skillfuly arrange and expose to view your choice
wines and captivating beverages you may
then induce thirst by all cOntrivances, to pro-
ducc a raging appetite for drink and then you
, may supply that appetite to the full---because
it is lawful you have a license. You may
J allow boys, almost children, to frequent your
8 saloon they may witness the apparent salts
faction with which their seniors Quaf the
sparkling glass you may be schooling and train
} ing them for the period of twenty one, when
t they too can participate for all this is lawful.
: You may hold the cup to their very lips; but
you must not let them drink-that is unlawful.
But, while you have all these privileges for the
| money which you pay, this poor privilege Of
/ selling to children is denied you. Here parents
e have the right to say, Leave my son to me
9 until the law gives you the right to destroy him.
> Do not anticipate that terrible moment when
q can assert for him no further rights of protec
!, ton. That will be soon enough for me, for his
MOTHER tor his sisters, tor his frends, and toI
the community, to see him take his road tC
# death. Give him to US in his childhood, a
h least. let us have few years of his young
n life, in which we may enjoy his innocent, tC
% repay us in some degree for the care and lov'
y we have lavShed upon him.. This is something
E you, who now stands prisoner at the bar, hav'
e not paid for, this is not embraced in you
Is license. You have your bond to use to it
le full extent; but in thus taking your pound o
a flesh, you draw the blood, and that which j
le nearest the heart. The law, in its wisdom, doe
h. not permit this and you must obey the law
in BY the vertict Of the jury, you have been tOun'
er guilty of transgressing the law. Its extrem
o. panaty is thirty days imprisonment in tn
county jail and 800 fine; its lowest, ten day
Mt imprsment and $50 fine.
re For this offence the Court sentences you I
ten days imprisonment in the county Jail, an
r that You pay fine of SIS and the costs an
to that you stand committed until the fine an
n. costs OF this prosecution are paid.
ce As may be imagined, the delivery of such
ms sentence produced considerable commotion-
tie being praised by the Temperance people as tn
ia best temperance speech of the season.
ct Friends Rricc.