The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1878-03-16

Here is the commonwealth of Massachusetts
What if she should make Il law that every
man who is habitually Incorporate shall lose
good judgment? We should say that she is
terribly in earnest. That is fearful thing to
do. Would you vote for any such regulation
Probably not, if you have been educated liber-
ally. Take away mans judgment for habitu.
al intemperance? Why, the thing he most
needs under such temptation is sound judg.
ment; and to crush in his good sense is to
tempt him more, and perhaps to ruin him!
Ask me to vote for Il law that every man who
is habitually Incorporate shall lose good judg
ment! Not |. | have been better brought up
was born in Boston. Iaughter)
Here is IA commonwealth Of which we have
heard, where the laws are not passed by count
of heads and clack of tongues-a common
wealth governed by Superior Powers, among
which there is no vacancy waiting to be filled
by any human election, and in that common
wealth such is the law, and it is executed every
time. Applause) What do you think that
commonwealth means? 1t is terribly in earn
est 1t is terribly partisan. 1t has an opinion
us to the difference between temperance and
intemperancc. If across the vault of the sky
were written that opinion in letters OF fire, il
could not be proclaimed more emphatiCally
than it is by the law that every habiually in
temperate man loses good judgment.
But now, you will vote for IA law in Massa
chusetts, providing that every man who is ha
bitualy and pcrslstently incorporate shall have
every nerve attacked by pain, shall find the
very holy of holes of the physical organism
invaded by hot pnchers, shall be put upon the
rack and tortured, as If demons had him, and
shall go hence in delirium tremcns. Very few
men would vote for such a law as that. 1t is a
terrible thing to ignore a mans health. His
family depends on him. children depend on
him. orphans are to he regarded. We must
be liberal. There cannot possibly be passed
any such regulation unless we forget the inter
ests Of wives and of these little ones who are
not responsible for coming into the world
Surely liberalism will have no support to give
to a law by which habitual lntemperance in
capacitates a man for the supporting ofhis fami
ly. There is, however, Power yonder which
seems not to be governed by sentiment like
this; which has made law that every habitu
ally incorporate man shall have his veins tor
tured, and shall have every nerve seized in
red hot plncerS. That government is terribly
in earnest. That j. wrlt it does. 1t does that
every time You Nnp,J that There is not q
particle of doubt This subject Here is not i
Scintllla of unrest mems minds on this whole
topic. What do yu. suppose the government
means?
But, now, what - it should be enacted in
MASSACHUSETTS,, IN .,stlltlOn 10 DOtn these Othcl
laws, that every Ibltually Incorporate man
shall transmit Il , leased constitution to his
offspring, and thai as injury to the health o
the children shall ,.;Iurr 20 the third and tho
fourth generations? Who would vote for such
aregulation: Where is the person who thinks
that on the whole, whatever we do the nature
of things is on our side? where Is the man thai
believes that it is safe to teach the people to re
lyon an opportunity for repentance after death
that would not exclaim with horror if pro
position were made to pass such a law II.
thy servant dog that he should do thi,
thing?' If Massachusetts should adopt sucl
Il law, and execute it every time, you would bC
sure of two things at least, that She is terribly
partisan, and that she is terribly in earnest
The Supreme Powers have enacted such n law
and executed it every time; and they have no
made an apology for six thousand years
LAnnllnsnl