The Idaho world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1864-1918, 1874-02-26

wish to do it, they take it for granted
that it is right. Thus they ward off the
conviction, which they would otherwise
feel. of it's enormous wickedness and
guilt. They tell you that it is allowed
by law that they have gotten license
and paid for it; that this is a land Of
liberty; and begin to clamor about their
rights to increase the taxes, democrat.
ize the character, destroy the health,
shorten the lives and ruin the souls OF
men; and the fact that Legislators, as
we'll as rum-sellers and rum-drinkers
act as if they were right, and as if the
public good required that some men
should continue the traffic, presents one
of the greatest obstacles to the prog.
ress of Temperance Reform. 1t pre-.
vents, in the mind Of thousands, the
conviction of the demoralizing char
acter, the deadly effects, the enormous
Injustice, the gross oppression, the high
handed immortality, and the tremendous
guilt of that desolating traffic. Were
it not for the ramparts which legisla-
ton has thrown around it, the pressure
of public Indignation, as light and vir.
tue increase, and facts are developed,
would sweep it away or sink it into the
abyss from which it's fires, smoke and
stencil would no more escape to annoy
and dosolate the earth.
4th. Laws that authorize the licensing
of men to traffic in ardent spirits, vic
late the first principles of political econ
omy, and are highly injurious to the
wealth of a nation.
9th. The traffic in ardent spirits i'm
pairs the health of nation. Health
depends on one great law, viz: The ac-
ton of certain agents upon the appro-
pirate organs in the human body, which
agents and organs. "the product of the
divine hand" are so perfectly adapted
one to the other, that in view of all
their consequences TO endless being,
their author pronounced them 10 be very
good perfect, good enough to satisfy
the mind Of Jehovah. Light, for in
stance, was made for the eye, air for
the lungs, and food, nourlshing food and
drink, for the digestive organs--caus-
ing, by their operations, the functions
of vision. respiration, nutrition, and
the various movements on which
health and life depend But for what
organ in the body was ardent spirits
made? There is none What organ in
the body needs lis stimulus in order TO
perform, in the most perfect manner,
healthy ac;iong There is none. What
gland can extract from it the least nu-
trlmcnt, or any thing which can CON
tribute 10 health, or in any way be use
ful in the animal economy? There is
none. The anatomist, the Psychologist,
the chemist and the physician examine
with the minutcst care every part
throughout the whole body, and they
can find none; God has made none, and
there is none. Nor is there an organ
whose healthy action is not disturbed |
by ardent spirits, and which does not
nstinctvclv reject it? This is not for
want of Kindness in the system toward
friends. but because ardent spirits is an
encmy-a mortal enemy To sanction
by law the recruiting and equipping of
such an enemy. and 10 send him ont 10
iesolatc the falrest portion of Gods her
tage, is an outrage upon all principles,
not only of patriotism but Of humanity.
which bids defiance to parallel in histo.
~ of Legislation. 1t is an outrage al.
most too gross for sober consultation.
1t would seem to be hardly possible, in
view of its fruits, that it should be toll.
Grated, we will not say in any Chris
ian, but in any civilized State. Even
under the first rays of civil
cation, has almostinstincively denounc-
ID it. And were it not for the pcstilen.
ial moral atmosphere which it produ.
,es, and the deteriorating and stupy-
wing effects which that atmosphere oc.
'asions, its continuance would seem to
&c hardly possible, or it's removal need
more than its own doings?