The Idaho world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1864-1918, 1874-02-26
From the Montanian.
Temperance Evil Effects Of tho Liquor Lii
cense Law-Total Prohibition Tho Views Of an
Old Miner.
ALDER GuLcH. Jan. 10th. 1874.

EDITOR MONlANlAN.- Oh 0uVO
cate of the Temperance cause, hope
it will not be intruding on you to pub
lish in your columns an old miners
views upon the subject.
Perhaps nothing now stands more in
the way Of advancing the cause of tenn
perance and causing it to become uni
versal than the fact that ardent spirits
is authorized by law, and thus receives
the sanction and support of legislation
This is public testimony to the world
that the sale of ardent spirits, and Of
course the drinking of it, are right-a
fundamental and fatal error, destructive
in it's effects to the life that now is, and
the next thing to be accomplished, there
fore is, by the universal diffusion of in.
formation and the exertion of kind NOR
al influence, to produce throughout the
community the conviction that the laws
which authorize the traffic in ardent
spirits as a drink, in licensing men to
pursue it, are morally wrong-opposed
in their influence to the laws of God,
and that the public good, instead of re-
curing that some men should sell ar
dent spirits, utterly forbids that this
should be done by any, and that no man
or body of men, who understand, or
have the means of understanding this
subject, can be instrumental in making
such laws without the commission of
sin; and as such laws are morally
wrong they never can be politically
right, or beneficial, or expedient. While
Jehovah lives, righteousness, and that
alone, will exalt nation, sin in any
form, and especially, if sanctioned by
law, will be a reproach and nuisance
to any people. That this is plainly and
strongly the case with the traffic in ar
dent spirits, and that the laws which
authorize il are morally wrong, and in
their influence opposed to the will OF
God, is manifest from the following con-
siderations, viz:
lst Ardent spirit is a poison, and the
drinking o! it is not needtul or bcncii-
cial to men. Even a moderate use Of il
is positively hurtful, and is violation
of the laws Of health and life OF course
no man has natural right to furnish
it, or TO wish for laws which shall au-
thorize him to do it, even in savage
state, without guilt Such laws would
lcgalze sin and violate the law of God
Ind No man acquires Alright to make
such laws by entering into society; and
no body Of men by the establishment
of civil government The only legiti-
mate object of government is to protect
and 10 benefit the community. 1t has
no right, any more than individuals, to
iniure that community, or 10 pass laws
which authorize others to do it; and if
it does it violates the divine will. and |
the individuals who compose it will, at
the divine tribunal, and ought, at the |
bar Of public opinion, to be held rcspon-
sible for the effects. The personal res
possibility Of each individual for the in
fluence which he cxcrts, is in no case
merged in the general mass, or swallow
cd up and lost in the the responsibility
of the body. Each one is bound by OBJ
legations which he can never throw off. |
in whatever situation or capacity he
may act, to honor God, and do the
greatest good of which he is capable to
in no case has he right to
injure others or be instrumental in max
ing laws which will authorize them to
do it; it would be having right to do
wrong, which carries on its face evil
dence of falsehood
Sd. The authorizing of men by law
to traffic in ardent spirits as drink,
is inconsistent with the temperance of
the community Temperance is the
moderate and proper use of things
beneficial, and it is abstinence from
things hurtfu Ardent spirit being
one of the hurtful things, temperance,
with regard to this, is abstinence-per.
petual, entire, universal abstinence.
But by authorizing men to sell it, and
protesting to do this for public good,
legislators declare that to buy it ard
drink it is right and useful. This is
not only false, but promotes intemper-
ance. TO use thing which is, in its
nature hurtful, is intemperance no less {
really than to use beneficial thing to
excess, and is often more injurious, es- {
oecially when the use of it, as in the
case of ardent spirits, even in small !