Litchfield enquirer., 1874-03-12
PFohlbltlons
A Temperance Worker" writes to the Courant. as follows

A'Temperance Worker" writes to the Courant, as follows:
 The writer of this article desires as a temperance man, to thank the republican party for emitting temperance in construct ing it's platform. It is just what it ought always to have done, and it is the policy which every political party should adopt on this, and kindred questions. There are certain political interests which cannot be thrown into the arena of party politics without positive injury Educational matters, humane and penal institutions, laws pertaining to the Sabbath, the pun ishment of crime and the morals of the people, should stand on their own merits and not be forced by distinctive party or ganlzatlons, or party tactics. In all states where the political parties are so evenly
 balanced as to be liable to frequent chang es, such questions suffer seriously when
 they are made the football of conflicting 1 parties, and are much more likely to se-
 cure permanent success when they are | the spontaneous outgrowth of a healthy public sentiment. In our system of gov
 ernment, law effecting morals must have It's foundation deep lad in the heart and conscience of the people, or fail of accom- plishing it's desired object.
 Look at the history of the Maine law in this state. The temperance strength com blned to secure it, and it was regarded as a great victory for temperance. One of the political parties voted so solid against It as to make the issue of Maine law and anti Maine law distinct and positive. At hrst the liquor dealers were crest-falIen and d1sheartened. Some abandoned the busi- ness for the time, others took down their signs and closed their shutters The vic
 tory was apparently complete and glori- l ous Tn It's results, but it was of very short | duration. Thirsty customers soon found
 the back doors of their old resorts un- bolted. Drunken men were again seen
 on the streets and the violations of the law became notorious. Then determined men in all parts of the state rose up to enforce the law. In our town SIX as com petent men as could be selected, started out with we'll matured plans, and in a sin gle day made 8 descent on twelve of the worst places, seized the liquors, and serv- ed their writs. Six of the strongest cases were brought to trial first and failed. X T0Ue was entered in all the others. The
 dlscomtited officer and his aids carted back the seized liquors to the original
 owners amid the jeers of the loafers about
 the saloons. Then began the era of free rum.
 In the campaign preceding the enact ment of the law, its advocates estimated that there were one hundred. and thirty one places licensed by law, and two hun dred and eighteen selling without li- cense. The whole number of licenses granted last year was seventeen hundred and ninety-four. The Temperance Jour- nal has recently stated that there are now Tn this state, from four to five thousand places selling intoxicating liquors. Ac- cord1ng to the United States census the population increased, from 1850 to 1870, torty-seven per cent. Intemperance has increased, during the same length of time more than two hundred per cent.
 These are facis that will no be denied and they are worthy of serious considera- tion. How came the friends of temper ance to be so disappointed in the Maine
 law? It was not and could not be enforc- ed. 1t failed just where any similar, law en-
 acted as distinct party measure, will be
 likely to fail in the trial by partizan ju- r1es, and in the elective officers who have the double duty of enforcing the law and Keeping themselves in office Not state evenly balanced in politics, like ours, has been able as yet to promote the cause or temperance by any law as a party meas ure. When liquor cases were brought to trial 1t was found that the jury represent ed two parties, Maine law and anti-Maine law, and the courts could no more make them agree on 0 verdict of guilty than you can mix oil and water. Every officer who had anything to do with it discharg- ed or neglected lis duty according to his political views and interests. Juries be- came demoralized and indifferent to the sacredness of the jury trial. One of the men to whom we have referred as aiding Tn selzlng the liquors, will iell you to day that the jury trial is a farce and ought to be abolished. The Maine law was the best that could be desired at the time The way in which it was secured was q fatal mistake. The good it promised scarcely lasted twelve months. The evils 1t entailed on the morals of the people, in the corruptions of the jury trial and in the loss of respect for law, still remain AS an Illustration of the intense par isan spirit which anima'es es the third party movement we refer to the Temperance Journal of this month. Here are some of It's expressions in reference to the omis. sions of temperance in the republican platform:-"The mark is now off''-''it is on the rum side"-''a self convicted falsi- fer and hypocrite"-a condemned crimi- nal awaiting its execution by the people" ont of its refugees of lies and now ownes up that they were lies and takes it's stand on the side of the devil. Can 1t be possible that a cause which is so closely allied to christianity as temper ance is, is to be promoted by such utter- ances? Very few partizan journals stoop so low. However desirable a temperance law may be 1t cannot justify such means. They err greatly who think that temper ance, or any worthy cause affecting the morals of the people, can be advanced by such an anti-christian spirit. It at onco lowers the whole movement down to the plane of political partizanship and takes out of 1t that moral power which is after all it's chief strength No matter what law IS obtained in this spirit it must prove a failure. This partizan bitterness will act and react between the parties until it crops out in every election and extends to judges, juries and executive officers. They who truly love and honor temper ance for it's own sake should daily pray that the temperance cause may be dcliv- cred from political parties.
 A Trumbul correspondent of the Bridgeport Farmer urges the re-nomina- ton Of the Hon. Nathaniel Wheeler for State senator. and says: "But for him and his efforts and influence, the vacancies on the bench would have been filled, and this county, the third in importance in the state, would have been without resident judge of the superior court He, and he alone, of all the prominent men in the party, has the pluck and dares to beard the re- doubtable lion from Hartford, and acts counter to his many plans for. furthering the interests of his own peculiar section, at the expense of other portions of the state. Return Mir. Wheeler to the senate and let the first district send ner Eaton and the fourth her English, if they choose, we will have a man there who is fully their peer, not perhaps so much of an orator as the first named, but in tact, in judgment, and in sound practical common sense, by no means his inferior"