Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1878-04-17
Tho W0rklngmen,

ages rs 10 perseyeIe IN tho work O
placing Tho labodng men where the,
belong Ia The social world, A natloI
IL worth no more nor no less thai
what labor produces II is labor Tia
produces wealth, The question o
labor II a very important Issue, AM
should be treated with all due eonsid
Grafton, Labor and capital shoald q
on IN perfect hlrmony with each 9th
er, but this Ia not doneI capital 4
constantly seeking combination, a0C
the aggregation Of capital Is tho grea
Idea OF those which direct II, fhl'
being true, the interest n the labor
Ing man requires that he should keep
himself we'll informed upon all pollll
cal affairs aud vote understandngly
The great danger to the laborlng man
i the side issues which designing
men are constantly lhrustlns forward
TO deceive and to mislead the masses,
Thus the party which wicld1 capital
forms an alliance with the sentiment
tJisls and gets up IN agitation upon
all sorts of issues 10 humbag and To
deceive the honest laboring man, The
temperance question is one Of these
side issues, 1t appeals TO the moral
sentiment Of the people, and itS advo'
Gates claim that iulcmpcreucc Is an
evil, which no one will deny, II he
ing an admitted evil, what is the rem
cdy which they propose as cure for
iolcmperenee! Why, they muSt leg
isatc, They must enact prohibItoy
laws 10 Punish those who deal in the
article, and think that they can. by
the aid OF the law, State Conslabes,
courts and juries, Squelch all indu'-
geuce in alcoholic drinks, Thirty
years OF legislation have not made the
people temperate, but have increased
liquor drinking aud crime. Why is
this, let us inquire! 1t is plain that
by the assistance Of temperance votes
the republican party has managed to
retain its power in New England, and
when IN power the republican leaders
90 to work to fasIcn upon the people
laws which tend TO make the rich
richer and the poor poorer. The true
way to make men temperate is through
the agency Of moral suasion and by
educating them up to the importance
of being temperate. The mighty in.
Auence of n moral power have pro-
duced all the temperance there is to
be found, while all the prohib,ory
laws upon the statute books in the
nation never yet reformed a single
drunkard, and never will. Ministers
may howl about prohlbitory laws (;
canting hypocrites may talk temper
ance laws, while they take their "snif
tiers" behind the door, yet all this
bowling and all this talk never re-
formed man and never prevented a
man from forming the habit of drink
ing. Thousands upon thousands of
dollars have been spent in legislation
in an endeavor &c force people to be
temperate and to support lot of Off
Gals to live upon the Taxpayers, We
are in favor of temperance, but are
utterly opposed to all prohibitory laws
which cannot be enforced. We de-
sire TO call the attention of the work
ing class to the designs of those who
are using The temperance issue for
political purposes, and to warn every
denocrat to beware of the purpose
which the temperance leaders have in
view, which is simply to humbug the
democrats and good, honest temper
ence men into voting the republican
ticket. What cares Neal Dow for
the cause of Temperance, or what care
the loud-m outhed political temperance
de,nagogues in Massachusetts? What
these leaders want is votes to elect
them to seats in the Legislature, in
Congress, to the Governorsbip and to
United States Scholarships. These
men drag the cause of temperance IN
the dirty waters of politics, while the
only way men may become temperate
is by leaving off drinking, which
work can only be accomplished by an
appeal to the intelligence and good
sense of the masses. 1t is idle 10 talk
of prohibition or of prohibilory laws
to cure the evil of drinking; other
agencies must be employed TO accom- =
plish this great work, or it will not be
done. We appeal to all workingmen
to let alone all side issues, which the
politicians use for political purposes,
to advance sec,arian and political dem
agogucs, and to saddle a heavy ex-
,anea unon the peonle and unon tho