New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1874-09-17

but let not the coming and more enlightened
generations be mortified at finding it in the
| laws. Let not the laws of Georgia nor any
other State be such as shall tell postcrity
| that their ancestors were the poor. pitifII
victims of prejudice and race-hatrcd.
| At another point scarcely less vital than
the one have referred to the Republican
party Is still far short of what it should be.
Inc sole Office Of civil government Is to pro-
tect person and property. But these are not
protected where there is the dramshop. The
sum ot all other perils to person and prop
crty IS less than those incurred from the
dramshon. Nevertheless, Government is SO
uhlalthlni to its office, as To suffer the cy-
| lstencc and endless mutiplications of these
manufactures of madmen, incendiarics and
murdercrs. 1t was not to be expected that
the Democratic party would make war upon
these manufactures. That party is itself ON
the low moral plane Of the dramshop, and
| looks there, more than in all other directions,
for recruits. But we had the right to cXncct
that party beginning its existence on ground
so high as that from which the Republican
party started, and with all the inspirations
of its protested Justice ana humanity. would
have awaited itself of its large ma ioritics and
control Of the sentiment to put an end II
this infamous and internal ''retaIing Of
liquors to he drunk upon the prer,,;scs' We
| ask nothing at the hands of Government in
the name of temperancc-fOr we admit that
Government is simply brute force, which.
owes nothing to any moral reform. But in
the name OF protection we demand from il
the suppression of the dranlsh0p. Nor even
This would we demand were not the evils OF
dram selling too great to be endured and too
mighty to be removed by moral influence
1t Is only the protection that is Indispensable
and that we cannot have otherwise, which
we call on Government for. Whatever else
| than dram-selng is connected with and pro-
motive OF lntempcrancc we will be able to
get along without calm" for help on the
Hercules of Government.
why Is II that duty so plain as the shut
| ting VI, OF the dramshop has not been dis
charged by the Republican party? In the
first place, it has feared that it would thereby
reduce its popularity and its votes. 1t has
lacked faith in its power to convert men to
| The right by It's own example Of the right
| The handful of the abolitionists. by their
persistency in the mighty right, succeeded in
converting the nation. Truth fails of success,
| only when its advocates fail to trust it. In
the second place the Republican party has
| been confused and embarrassed by the ex-
travagant claims which the great body Of the
temperance men make upon the Government
| shall take the cause of temperance in hand,
remove all hindrances from its way, and crown
| ii with success. The lines, which so distinct
| ~ separate the coercion of Government from
| the liberties of the individual and family.
| they would ellacc; and, instead of Coutentin"
themselves with the merely incidental but
| nevertheless all sufficient aid of a faithfully
protective Government, they would 50 far
withdraw their cause from the realm of moral
| influences as to leave it to he the direct in
terest and work of Government. As vain,
however, as Legitimate would be all the
working OF Government for the cause OF tenn.
perancc. 1t Is only outside OF Government,
and with all due acknowledgment of that in
| dividual freedom which is never TO be sur
rendered under any mistaken pleas for the
good of the whole, that this sacred cause can
| be carried on to success. No sumptuary
laws-no Governmental directions what the
| people shall or shall not eat and driak-wiII
ever he allowed to override free peoples
| free choice
All wise and good men long foy The dav
which shall witness entire diseontiuuancc ~
the traffic in Intoxicating drinks. But its
coming, instead of being fastened, will be
greatly retarded, by laws for the absolute
prohibition Of such traffic and by all political
action for such laws. Hence as one. who,
for very nearly fifty years, has hcsitatcd at
no expenditure of time or money in the cause
OF temperance, do | regret the organization
OF political parties for such abolition And
not less do | regret it because it favors the
return OF the Democratic party to powcr-an
event which every man breads ineXprcsaibly,
who has spent his life in fighting the devils
OF Democracy and slavery.
The few thousand votes which my worthy
friend Hon. Myron II. Clark will receive will
not help the cause of temperancc-for since
he goes for absolute prohibition instead Of
merely against the dramshop, he is on a wrong
! temperance track. Nevertheless though his
vote Will be small, yet since sUven-cighthS
OF it will come from Republicans, it may pos
sbly be large enough to turn the scale in
favor of the Democratic candidate. Such
candidate may be Il very worthy man--and
yet his success, being Il Democratic victory,
would be very great evil. l know not who
will be the Republican candidate. He may
be in himself quite unworthy of the nominal
ton, and yet his success be important because
a defeat OF the Democratic party. But the
Republican candidate may be the eminent
scholar, soldier, and statesman who is orr
present unsurpassed Governor. II was he
who sounded our Keynote in the late war,
when he ordered the shooting on the spot Of
whoever dishOnorcd our Country'S flag and
hence his reelection could not fail to bring
joy to every loyal heart. JOY, too, would it
bring to every friend of temperance who
knows, as | know, that Governor Dix's heart
and habits are both Oh the side of temper
ance.
close with saying that I view as absurd
ties all Local Option Laws" and License
Laws" and Civil Damages Laws and
that would have every instance Of drunk
enness regarded as voluntary and respon-
sible insanity, and therefore to be punished
severely.
PETERBoRo, September s, 1874.
G.. :.