Wilmington daily gazette., 1874-03-19
From the Boston Post.
Federal Liquor Commission

Tue brief but thoroughly pertinent speech |
OF Senator Bayard, of Delaware, on the pro-
poSal to raise Congressional commission
10 Investigate the res ult5 OF the nquor tral-
nc OF the country. of course with a'view 10
Suggestions which shall terminate in legis
lation, unfortunately was made for the mi
nority of the Senate instead OF the majority
on final vote of 26 10 2l the "experts
wsre Commissioned. Senator Bayard's ad'
mitted scholarly qualities, his elevated range
of thoug ht, his classic dlction, and his log
ical power in combination with his fertility
of Illustration, have long since marked him
as one OF the exceptional men OF the SENATE 9,
and excited the general interest in whatever
he discusses III that body. He we'll styled
the proposal one 10 establish "roying'
com mission, iu quest Of statistics to form
the basis of future legislation on the subject
OF the traffic in alcoholic drinks in different
States. But inasmuch as the States alone
possess the power TO legisiate, he insisted
| very properly that to them ought to be left
1 the business of aocum lating statistics, He
challenged the Sanate to point to a single
| trace or authority in the Constitution for
| Congressional legislation on matters OF tenn
perance aud IntempeI ange in the seyera
States, arguing that II the Federal Govern
ment has not the authority to enter State
| and assumes so large "a part of its necessary
police powers, Congress can havs nothing
| Ia do with the sahject whatever. The whole
tuuUstlou was thus compressed into the
com pact aud clear statement possible. The
loose notions and shapeless sentiment that
drag all such matters before Congress. as II
il possessed an inherent sovereignty over
everything and could dictate to the people
in all their business and pei sonal relations,
lawaited just such an analytic scouIgiug as,
from his Constitutional common sense, Sem
ator Blyard knows how To successfully ad-
minister. lie repddiated with unanswera-
bio logic the assumption cherished by SO
| many well-meaning persons, that every
thing which ia right in itself should nsces :
sarlly be performed by Congress" They
clearly forget thdl this is a Government of
derived aud limited powers, all of which
are distinctly enumerated, together witt
the purposes anu ob)octs Tor which they
| were dolegated.
: Senator yard, however, would have III,
Commission obtain the statistics of MISERY
caused by intenperance. brought on II
lturu by the harassments OF lie, by extrava
gance in families, by simple desire to finI
y d refuge. though dolusiye one, from th
u eyi that pursue SO many through thei
whole career, and from the numerous socis
l iollies that disgust, ALLEVIATE aud impoveris
l. | at last their blind yotaries. He would ad
10 ditionaliy have the HISTOLOGY of the ques
ton clearly presented by this Commiss
as 1t has for years been carefully studied b
l. the men of science, aud the inyestigatio
l. include the facts that distinctivel tend |
lshow that intemperanca Is, In great pal
or certainly physical disease aud In nume
10 GUS instances matter Of Inheritance aboU
(which the unhappy victim could have n
choice. In his enlightened opiuion the il
| ebriaie asylums that are spTinging up al
Iapplying the only efficient remedies 10 a
levh which seems wholly out OF the reach
flaw or persuasion merely. or the appallir
= magnitude OF this evil Senator Bayard pr
fsssed himself sadly aware, but even tn,
personal knowledge cannot induce him
wrest the Federal Government from |
true function ana convert 1t into an engiu
of On for ced temperance which Is certain {
lack, In any event, the essential quality Q
permanency. In his view, there Is fata
tuatrow-mindedness in attempting by Pre-
Inhibition to Mt tha tastas and temperance
| of one into another. He cannot comprehcr
Ithe theory of coercive laws for promotir
4 Temperance. 1.-The vice of intelnperaRce
| TO prevail, he would have it as open as 20
sibie that 1t may be a warning to those WI
WITNESS it, and avoid the dissimulation ar
lhypocrisy which enfoi cement begets. Bri
and comparatively discursive as was til
admirable speech of the Delaware Senate
bs it was long enough to effect uslly puuctu
ed the moral assumptions OF modern Prohit
alf tion. as we'll as TO set forth IN impresst
an terms the Constitutional limitations of d
NJ NJ | Federal Government In reference to &
,u- | whole class of interested and impulsi
SITS propositions,