Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1875-08-19
Incorporate Temperance.
From the Hartford Churchmnn

L nv vi buC
people from its English home was a
great reverence for law. But this
inheritance has been greatly impaired,
if not pro igaIly squandered
A grog-shop in Western village
was recently closed-or rather de-
stroyed-by means of what, in the
eye of the law, was burglary and
arson. No doubt it was a nuisance
productive of great mischief in the
community. But there would be a
still greater nuisance if every such
place was to be broken up by vio-
lence, or destroyed by secret crime.
That would establish the precedent
that whatever offended the ideas of
any one man in the neighborhood,
he might proceed to remove by
whatever action seemed to him most
effectutaI This broadly carried out
is simple anarchy.
We are sorry to say that the pro-
fessors of total abstinence are seem
ingly most ready for this sort of
thing. They will never be content
with restraining an evil, they must
extirpate it. We have no question
but that some of these reformers con-
stanty regret that the Ark did not
founder in mid-deluge, so that Noah
should never have planted his fatal
vineyard They cannot SEQ the reac-
ton they produce is moro harmful
than the evil temporarily abated.
They utterly confuse three things:
selling liquor, which is in Itself not
wrong; using liquor, which is wrong on
ly as it is dangeroue; and Intoxicating
ones self, which is sin. 1t is gu to
time that they found out tho truth,
that it is simply impossible by the
law to prohibit drinking. There is
but one way to stop intemperance,
and that is by the voluntary absti-
hence Of those who are in danger Of
yielding to it. There has boen much
said about the consuming and irresiat-
able appetite for drink. We believe
that this is sreatly Overrated. The
moral craving for stimulus is far
more operative than the physical.
If the alIurements can be taken
away, and they can be, by substitnt-
ing something Else, which led men to
wish to drink, the physical appetite
can soon be conquered. Exceptional
cases, such as make the stock in trade
of the average temperance lecturers,
do not prove the theory they set up
The true legislation on the subject
should be precautionary, viz: rigid
inspection and cofscation applied TO
all adulterated and poisonous liquors,
laws regulating sales TO minors, and
real, honest enforcement of a Ii.
censing system.
We do not expect, for long years
to come, to see this. We presume
the community will get on as it has
done with this conflict between ex
treme radicals on the one side and
reckless, constituencies dealers on
the other The great body of the
peorl' will side with neither, will re-
gre both. But ore thing there is
by which The incorporate temper
ance party do most of all ALLEVIATE
those who would sympathizo with
them. II by their attacks upon
what they cAl "moderate drinking"
70 insist upon it that the man who
governs his appetite is responsible
for The acts OF tho man who does
not govern j., is fAIl cy which pro-
duces only disgust. Carry this Gu
into other thing; say that the 'giti
mate merchant is res con 4ible for the
gam bier, that the man who fad Joy
and comfort in domestic ! f. j. re-
sponsible for the RIGHTEOUSNESS hieh
runs riot in tho cities; the man who
reads good books il partaker Of the
sin Of him who reads vi, books; and
one has the standard prohibiti1nst
argument.
The Western Crusade" proved an
ter fallnre; and now its partisans
arc resorting 10 moro extreme meas
ures But there is only one cure for
drunkenness, and that is enabling
men to control themselves. That
can be done by giving other motives,
and putting them under the sway of
higher inducements. Bat this can
not be done in day. The impa-
tience for completed results, and the
desire to become the leaders in n
prominent cause, have led tomper-
anee mcn into intemperanee of speech
and action They must learn to alb
stain from unreasonableness ere they
can hope to have the public on thier
side.
1t is slways wefi TO remember that
virtue is no l1nger virtue than whils
it is free and uncontrolled, and that
God has placed men in the midst of
the many pleasures of this world
that they may make right use of
them.