The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-02-02
TEMPERANCE LEGISLATION.

ADDRESS OF MRS. GOV. WALLACE BEFORE
THE SENATE AND HOUSE IN JOINT CoNNEN-
ION.
On Thursday afternoon, Jan. p, the Senate
and House OF Representatives assembled in
Joint session to listen to the memorial of the
Ladies' Temperance Union, of this state. THE
report below is taken from the Daily Sentinel of
Jan.2
The chair announced the programme that had
been placed In his hands.
First
MRS. DIR. HERvEY APPEALED
to the throne of grace that the Divine ear should
be opened to the prayers of believing Children
Lord, impress upon every heart desire TO do
Thy bidding. May the great crime of intemper-
ance be crushed out. Oh, Lord. hcw; long: May az
our life. strengthen the sisters as they speak,
that they may speak to thy Divine honor and
After supplication the chair introduced
MRS. GOV. WALLACE,
Mr.. President aud Members of the Senate and
House of Representatives OF the state of In
diana:
hold in my hands a petition and remon-
STRANGE from the women of the state of Indiana,
which esteem 1t a privilege to read in your
presence; and although we have been taCnt-
ingly told that your minds are made up, and
that 1t will avail US but little, stll we nave more
than to believe that you will ignore such a pro-
the legal and law-abiding women Of your state.
The true men of this nation have not been
won't in the past to disregard the wishes of the
She then read the
TEMPERANCE PETITION OF THE WOMEN OF
INDIANA.
To the General Assembly of the State of Indiana:
We, the undersigned, citizens and petitioners
of the state of Indiana, would respectfully SUBJ
NIT 10 your honorable body the following
preamble and petition:
Ne a r1nx as avfI fha
parent of vice. pauperism and crime, which evif
we believe ought TO be suppressed by all proper
2. We regard drinking houses as the nurseries
OF this great evil, in emPting the unwary, and
for Strong drink, therefore, ~ 49,
Resolved, /. That while we depend upon
religion and moral sentime Mt making our ap
peal 10 God and humanity the grand ele-
ments of power in advancing the cause of .tem-
pefance, we claim for ourselves, and all We hold
dear, the protection of law against vice, pauper-
ism and crime which result from drunkenness
and the help of law in restraining and REFRESHING
the liquor trafic, which is the prolific cause Of
Resolved. 2. That, although the women Of
America have no voice in making the laws by
which they must abide and from which they
must receive, or fail TO receive protection, they
have an unquestionable right to stand even
upon THE THRESHOLD OF LEGISLATION,
and plead with the men who can cross that
threshold, in favor of those laws which they be-
lieve best calculated TO protect their own inter-
ests and the morals of the society in which
themselves and their children are to live.
Therefore, While we do not clamor for any ad =
ditioDal civil or political rights, We would pray
you, irrespective of party, as men, legislators,
husbands, sons, and brothers, to regard our
rights wives, mothers, daughters and sisters,
who suffer prominently from the effects of the
citizens and petitions, and that you require
every man who would sell intoxicating liquors,
of the legal voters on his application for 4 per-
nit to so sell, but also of majority of women
over twenty-one years of age, resident in the
n,
proposes 10 sell intoxicating liquors.
And your petitioners will ever pTav. Signed by
2IOI5O women over Is years of age repreSe ntfng
~ counties. She prefaced her address with the
remark that may other petitions had already
been presented and were before that body. Then
she said:
Gentlemen of the Senate and House of Repre-
Sentatives:
Do not suppose that we come before you this
day fanatics, agitators. or reformers: neither
as women who would leave the sacred and be-
loved precincts of home to enter the arena of
political strife.
such thing be very far from every one of US,
in rebellion and utter their protest against the
responsibility laid upon us.
But desperate cases require desperate remedies.
Shall we be silent any longer2 Nay, verify!
And although 1t is not our purpose to array the
women of this land against the men, you will
have TO close the churches and public schools,
burn the Bibles, demolish the machinery which
gives TO woman leisure for improvement and
development, crush out all the God given In
StinctS, and roll the world back In It's history
thousand years, ere this movement of the women
can be stopped. 1t is the natural Outgrowth OF
her suffering and enlightenment, the pent-up
agony of years, and it must be heard, "Rachel
for ted because they are not"
Neither is it my purpose to endeavor 70
prove that society has the right to protect ITSELF
that is self-evident propositions foregone
conclusion. Or to insult you by arguments in
against the evils of intemperanee. Every day
our papers TEEN with accounts of the horrid
our courts are filled with them, and the natural
presumption is, that the gentlemen composing
this honorable body have eyes and ears, with
the ability TO reason from cause TO effect
But we come to you as earnest, Chrlstian SUIT
fering women, from all petitions ana relations
in lie, appalled, and terrified at he magnitude
of the liquor traffic, and It's threatening aspect,
with reference to the liberties of our country,
Realizing, as we do, that the perpetuity of our
free and glorious institutions depends upon the
virtue and intelligence OF the people, we would
dom and knowledge, how long can nation
withstand The corrupting influence OF sucn dc,
mOralizing element in its midst? All noweriul
moneoed monopolies are dangerous TO the ltber-
ties of free people, and that danger is Increased
a thousand fold when the monopoly is
WICKED AND DEvILIsH
in its tendencies. The question is, shall we con-
troll it, or shall it destroy us? Already, in our
great cities and large towns 1t holds the balance
of power il corrupts the ballot. intimidates our
executive officers, and defies the law, and IL Will
ever be so as long as you attempt to compromise
with evil. "Be not deceived! God is not Knocked
Whatsoever man soweth, that shall he also
reap. 49,. =
evil by law, an evil which impoverishes the
land, destroys the happiness OF our homes, and
bv its system of sure and criminal poisoning
sends annually to the drunkards grave $1,000
OF our sons. Every dollar accruing TO the state
derived from such source o
revenue brings curse with i
Ourchildren are being educated by 1t, our hands
are covered with 1t, our very garments arr
spotted with 1t. Who are the law makers Of THU
land? Nocrowned head, no viii of an arbitrary
despat rules oyer us, but we, the people, are oul
own rulers. and we stand arraigned this day a
the bar OF God as a nation o
murderers We are partceps criminis just 50
far as our individual influence extends, TO al
the chine and sorrow resulting from this dia
bolicai traffic, and all over this broad land 1t
wretched and helpless victims are stretching
forth their hands and crying to us for aid ant