The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1875-08-31
Written for The Spirit of Democracy

Written for The Spirit of Democracy
Temperance.
1t is presumed that no one who has
due regard for truth and the feelings of
the unfortunate will question the cor.
rectness of the allegation in my article,
published in THE SPIRIE of August 10th,
that the Sardis murder and the murders
generally that have been committed in
Monroe county, have had their origin
in drunkenness.
We'll what Of it, and what worse is
she than other counties ?" asks some
one with an air of indifference. 1t is
not my purpose to discuss the relative
moral status of Monroe county, but it
Is my purpose to show that she has not
We. done what the interests of the cause
of moral reform require at her hands.
She has not given that protection to the
moral interests OF her citizens, especial
ly of the innocent and helpless, that she
could and should have extended over
them.
There is another thing which it is not
my intention to do viz: to try to amuse
the readers of The SPIRIT with temper
ance anecdotes Or Ialher anecdotes
about unfortunate and ruined inebriates.
1t occurs to my mind that the cause of
sohrietv and temperance has been dam
aged by an effort to please the public
ear by sport making of that unfortunate
class of our countrymen Very poorly
at least does it become Minister of the
gospel of that compassionate Redeemer
whose heart was SO easily touched by
the miseries and weaknesses of man
kind, TO indulge "in fun making" at the
expense of him concerning whom it is
said in Gods holy word, '.No drnnkard
shall inherit the kingdom of Heaven"
The charge that Monroe county has
failed of duty as regard. the. grea:
qnestions of sobriety and morality may
not be we'll taken by some, and without
explanation is quite liable to be misun.
derstood. H. ..~... ...fa-...
AS serious as it appears it could not
easily be made more mild If there
have been no such failures, how then can
we account for the awful crimes COM
mitted, year after year, upon her soil !?
And how can we hope for anything bet
ter in the future? And why urge re-
formation in the pulpit or through the
press, If there be no room for it2
Bat it is foregone conclusion that
those bloody deeds would not have been
committed had it not been for drunken
ness. If this conclusion be not correct
let it be shown to be incorrect. Boldly
and yet kindly does it challenge investi
CATION. Probably no one will be found
who will dare say that Craig, Hender-
son, or any one of the notorious Bark
ers, with Others who might be mention
ed as Monroe county's murderers,s not
even ep'ing the money lovirg Daniel
Salisbury, would have ever been accused
Of murder had it not bAen for. the great
evil that do most earnestly desire to
help talk down, write down, pray down
and also force down. .,.5.a..a., ~.
AS drunkenness is. most fruitful
cause of murder, than which there is no
greater crime, it follows that any com.
nunity will prevent much OF the latter
by removing the fotmer-it's acknowl-
edged fruitful source 80.
!, ITO do this is a consummation greatly
to be wished" To be Indifferent re.
specting such a result seems to me
would not be very commendable to any
one.
In thus finding security against like
occurrences, namely, by the destruction
of their most fruitful cause, we are nat.
urally led to consider the various influ-
ences and causes which tend to drunk
enness itself. In the investigation of
these the reader will likely see the main
respect In which it is regarded that the
people Of "Old Monroe" have not done
righteously.
But as l desire not to be tedious at
any one writing, nothing more viii be
added at present.
Bethesda, Ohio. j. A. WALTERS.
1855 n
E Secretary Bristow is paving the
way for the abolition of the fractional
currency and return 10 the employment
Of silver coin for small change, by dispo-
sing Of $20,000,000 of FIVE per cent
bonds in the purchase of bullion. He
finds authority for so doing in the specie
resumption. act Of last winter, and some
of our contemporaries associate the
transaction with the general plan of re.
sumption adopted by Congress, aud. are
already beginning to calculate the
amount it will cost the country. No.
body believes that the Secretary, ,anticpa-
ting trouble, has begun atthis early day
to prepare for an event which is nearly
three years off.and everybody who knows
anything at all, must be aware that the ex-
change of small silver coins for fraction
al currency will not hasten for sin gle
day the return to gold basis. Dds.
patch. i'
re- The Yearly Meeting of the Chris
n Il -