Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1878-02-08
THE COUNTY NE VS.
FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.
SAYBROOK.

Eds TeI:-As you were not present at
the Temperance convention last Friday, l
thought sketch of the proceedings,
might be acceptable.
Prof Tuokerman. was elected Chair
man, and F.yA. Pettibone Sec'y.
The usual committees were appointed,
and during their absence, reports from the
different towns represented, were present.
ed, showing the temperance element to he
in different stages of activity in the sever
al towns heard from. Geneva being No.
all things considered.
The towns reporting, were Ashtabula,
Austinburg, Conneaut, Denmark, Jeffer
son, 'Kingsville, Monroe, Geneva, Say
bro5k and Williamsfsld.
1 have not Intentionally omitted any
town, that made any report, and do not
propose to repeat all that was said and
done, but to confne myself TO the three
prominent ideas before the Convention.
On the question of organizing County
Society, auxiliary to the State and Ma
ticnal Temperance Union. quite a spirited
discussion sprang up. Messrs. Camp and
e. ]. PinAey for, and W. q. Hubbard and
others against; decided by standing vote,
% for % against.
One of the resolutions. which brought
so many of the speakers to the floor. as re-
membered by me, in substance, pledged
temperance men to use all honorable
means, to elect men to office, for the pur-
pose of snacting more stringent laws, to
suppress the liquor traffic.
This was interpreted by Messrs. Hub
bard McGiffert and Fassett to mean the
formation of prohibition yearly to all OF
which they were strongly opposed. 1t was
during the discussion which followed the
introduction Of this resolution, that Mr..
Hubbard, VINO seemed to represent the SEN
timent of the Ashtabula SocisLy, gave ut
terance to principles that am 10th to be-
lievs.th mass of Christian men and wo-
men of this county will endorse.
As l understood him, he was strongly
opposed to the temperance movement com
ing under the control of sectarian
or political influence they should re-
lY wholly upon the law of kindness
to influence Saloon-keepers and the
makers of intoxicating drinks if we
brought in the aid of the law it would be
fighting them, and arouse all their evil
passions, and put it out of our power to
reclaim them. We call Mr.. Hubbard's at
tention to the fact that the title of the
state and national organization Is theC Chris
ttGn Temperance Union. The movement
was designed to be in the interest OF Chris
tianity, it being well known fact that no
reformatory movement, having for its object
the elevation and well being of man, will
ever achieve permanent success, without Its
being the outgrowth of the Christian rell-
gion. As the Bible says. the soul that is
washed returns again to her wallowlng In
the mire; the nature and appetites OF the
animal undergoes no change by the wash
ing so very many drunksrds, who sign the
pledge, without radical change in their
moral natures, are not able in their
own strength to long resist the
cravings of their appetites, and
the temptations that surround them.
We understand that Christianity is the
corner stone, and foundation of all true re-
form, it undsrliss all the efforts to raise
the fallen, to reclaim and restore them to
their true position in the world. 1T is the
Christian religion that exists between
Great Britain and the United States and
the lowest type of heather nations to he
found anywhere on the globe. You elimi-
nate the Christian religion from the tenn
perance work and you infict an incalcula-
bic injury upon its power for good. 1t is
idle to talk of sectarian influence, We
know of no Christian worker in the tenn
perancs cause, that desires to see it
brought under the control of and Church,
but we do know Of scores who believe that
the ultimate triumph of temperance de-
pends upon the Christianity of the rank
and file Of the temperance army.
As to the political action Of Temperance
men, we cannot, as we are mentally consti-
tuted, separate the man from the vOter.
We believe thorough Temperance man
will vote as he talks, for temperance men
first, last, and all the time; not necessarily
in a so called Prohibition Party, but use