New-York tribune., 1878-12-18

Of Capada reporting in 1875 state out OF 2S2s9
commitments to the gaos of the Provinces OF Ontario
were eoSmed either for drnnkeuess or for crimes
petrated under the influence OF drink"
NTEMPERANCE IN THIS COUNTRY.
This 10 not mere provincial imitation Of the fashions
OF the mother country for alas in our own land under
our beloved republican institutions the same startling
facts exist Massachusetts, great keeper OF Plymouth
Rock and of the virtues that landed there tells the
The repOriof her State Board OF Charities Tor
1869 says The proportion Of crime traceaDle 10 TINS
great vice must be down heretofore at not ess
than fourhs" and her Inspectors OF state prisons ID
1868 give the same proportion. Coming closer home'
we have the testimony Of Board OF Police Justices
in their report Of l974 "We are fully satisfied say
they. that intoxIcatOn is the one great eaang oase
that renders the existence OF our ponce courts h0
sary." ,.,o. o,,.u,,red .snaratelv bv
Dr. Harris, corresponding secretary CT the frson ESQ
cation fourteen instgated by Intoxicating dhhs
The line of witnesses might streteh out 10 'he
little stronger. 1t is established beyond argument
by Official statistics by the experience OF courts oy inc
observation OF enlightened philanthropists that the
prevalence Of intemperanoe in every country is the
standard by which It's crimes may be measured What
vrtue and bappiness Whatever man or woman does
do that spreads nemperance crime promotes
vice and misery, and lessons virtue and happl-
ration NewYork will stand at the great tudg-
bar The official who goes IN to-day and out To-
will carry his own load of vice and need OF vir
tue but neither State municipality vii ever rise to
the simplest of all duties-the prevention ot
the people are brought by individual effort TO
realize the necessity of that herolsm: s1rL,nrS Ile
shown by the dmlnution OF the latter wherever The
former is wholly or partially suppressed
FATHER MATTHEW AND FRANCIS MURPHY.
Whether the suppression be the result OF probitory
laws OF the efforts OF the advocates of temperance,
makes no difference with the general truth of he propo
siion Taken all It's aspects, perhaps the most won
deru temperance reformation o, any age was that led
by Father Matthew, in Ireland cannot speak his
he than all Others called the patron saint of Ire
land. Before the close OF oeo6Gr 1855 fafner
total abstinence. Well names are nothing Ihngs are
much LordIMOrpsth when Secretary for Ireland, III an
address ON tile condition Of Ireland gave these statistics
Of cases of murder attempts al murd Onences against
the person. aggravated eSsaus, and cntting ana MAIN
ng-there were, he save, in 1887 1905; 1888, loos
1889 1907; 1S4O, l73.
Ireland had fallen of 100000 gallons; The pubic
houses where liquors retaled mad essened by -
in The CITY Dublin alone; the persons imprisoned IN
the Brdewe tthe principal clty PRISON. nta Hlleh III
single year from 1876 10 twenY-ihree, and more lngn
100 cells in the Bridewell being empty the Smthheld
Prison actually closed
and figures Not 10 war. nor 70 pcsttence nor to fam
ine for these unhappiy begctt"TS OF crime Motto
sferner execution of the laws nor to greater severity
of punsnents for these alwgys relax ~ crime dDln-
ishes changes the excise law OF the country Ior
Trey for the most part renamed intact. No, II must
planting himself tue rock OF temperance, and supple
mcntug his priesuy power WIN CHRISTIAN clnrt! anu
love by his burning zeal and eloquence awoke al the
emotional OF mis- volatile race ana bullt up bar
rer Of voluntary pledges between them ana the great
curse Ol theri country.
Something analogous Is even now in progress in our
city, Analogous that its leacer and advocate Is an
Iishman u OF the enthusiastic Cloqucnc" oI the lrlsh
III tuat is chief object is tile rescue o. ne fallen victims
drink; IN tnat II seeks The intellect through the
avenues Of heart by appeals TO mans nature and
God grant that NAV be analogous asso III the might OF
its extent and influence. -
have selected the strong example OF the repfes-
sion OF crime 10y the successful efforts Of the rends OF
temperance nos because IL stands aOEe but because
time will not permit the detail Of more. teel bound 10
add however, that in my Judgment the Efforts OF tenn
pcrauce organizations in our country whatever We may
Of action have done more 70 prevent crime by spreading
and maintaining temperance especially among me
cated sy stems of police
BENEFITS OF PROHIBITION.
The relation Of fntemperance 10 crime Is also plainly
manifest where drunkenness is repressed by partial
complete prohibition The OF towns and villages
where 10y arrangements ofheir founders, no liquors
or intoxicating drinks have ever allowed to be Sold
furnish sroug evidence. yineland. with It's 10000
se PseOf force SiGGut Of ons soHabe who also
sTo. the s7 poor roSr s 'ag .oe fGT SO'a
rate M s%snf .%os 10 ihe
town Of 5000 people, and liquOrshOp. II uses aud
nH w ~ cIed ont Of its poot fund Bavaria Hnois
town OF the population, Win absolute prohibition
was without drunkard, without pauper, aud
without crime. small town III western
New-York founded some years ago hy a
gentleman. who made It condition IN all his title deeds
That il liquors sold the land should revert 70 hiu
The condition became the subject OF htEat.on ~ olr
ejectmeu That village has none OF the incidents OF n-
temperance and the same thing Is true OF nuMelou
other places whose founders have established prohlb
tOn. .,-- :,
the lDhabitans were all tetoaleIs or temperance
men Tney are less conclusive perhaps, but they GER
tainlv show the value OF the absence Of temptaiIon
How is il then where prohibition exists by absolute
law3 l Will not take Maine, the hackneyed
sieee te that G 80 in 1870 her convictions Tor crime
under prohibition only 43l or one in every 1859
while in our State (excusve OF this city, under license,
the convictions 5473, IN every go souls.
Can it be tst the rural & OF & ~ T. SO
But take eCOnDectcut-iacetiOusy called the land Of
i sTic is shown to have diminished rs per cent on The
r. tstOration OF hCense III 1873 crime Increased 90
Hartford according TO Official returns presented
by the Rev. MIR. walker crime increased IN that city
400 per cent In NewLondon the prison was empty ana
the tailor out Of business while after prohibition
went into effect. Connecticut has now a local option
act Under it London lately voted FOR no license
found III The ke,0- York Herald, few mornings ago,
a letter from NewOndon amenting at great length the
present suferings Of thirsty souls IN mat CITY, Inc con
cudng portions of the letter naive and 20 much
to my purpose that you Will pardon me tor reading
"There are OF course sides to the question and
OF them h perhaps, exhibited IN the records OF the police
law has been in operation. The force consists OF
captain. sergeant and FIVE patrolmen The cap
cation heretofore averaged between thirty-nve and
Noyember-in fact II only six, as one OF them got
tpsy night before the law went into operatOn
Dut not arrested untl luz NhOIc
number of arrests all charges each month Is about
100 and the number af persons locked up on other
charges than drunkenness shows q corresponding de-
crease because many crimes grow out Of that.
Anoher point that the class OF persons most Injured
By drinking impossible 10 oDtahlquOr. The poor
wretcn who on Saturday night would got drunk and
sduander his weeks earnings find 10 sell him
rum because does he In the streets in
drunken condition than he Is arrested and forced TO
testify against those who sold bin the liquor That class
drinkers Ia then benefited by the law, and
II bring this ABOUT that the moderate drinkers suf
fer annoyance aud strangers total OeDryatioD.
Again, the houses where gambling and other vices
flourish complain Of the new law. IL seems odd at
The first blush that tney should be afraid 20 break
one law In establishments which depend for their ex