Litchfield enquirer., 1879-01-23

the fashions of the mother country for alas in our own beloved republican institutions, the same startling facts exist. Massachusetts, great keepers of Plymouth Rock and of the virtues that landed there, tells the same tale. The report of her State Board of Charities for 1869 says: ''The proportion of crime tracea ble to this great vice must be set down as here tofore at no lefs than fOur-fifths," and her h. spectors of State Prisons in 1878 gave the same proportion. Coming closer home, we have testimony of our Board of Police Justices in their report of 1874 ''We are fully satisfied" say they, that intoxication is the one great leading cause that renders the existence of our police courts necessary"
 Of seventeen cases of murder, examined separately by Dr. Harris, corresponding secre tary of the Prison Association, fourteen were instigated by intoxicaticating drinks. The line of witnesses might stretch out to the crack of doom The case would only be lit tie stronger. It is established beyond argu- ment by official statistics, by the experience of courts, by the observation of enlightened phi lanthropists, that the prevalence of intemper- aEce in every country is the standard by which it's crimes may be measured. Whatever man Or woman can do that checks intemperance diminlshes crime, lessens vice and misery and promotes virtue and happiness. Whatever man or woman does do that spreads intemper- ance increases crime, promotes vice and mis- cry, and lessens virtue and happiness The State has no soul to damn. The corporation of New York will never stand at the great judgement bar. The official who goes in to- day and out t0-morrow will carry his own load of vice and need of virtue; but neither State nor municipality will ever rise to the simplest of all duties-the prevention of crime and mis- cry at the fountain head--until the people are brought by individual effort to realize the ne- cessity of that heroism. The relation of in temperance to crime is also strikingly shown by the diminution of the latter wherever the former is wholly or partially suppressed.
 FATHER MATTHEW AND FRANCIS MURPHY.
 Whether the suppression be the result of prohibitory laws or the efforts Ot the advocates of temperance, make no difference with the general truth of the proposition. Taken in all it's respects, perhaps the most wonderful tenn perance reformation of any age led by Father Matthew, in Ireland. 1 cannot speak hIs name without emotions of deepest veneration. Wor- thier he than all others to be called the patron of Ireland Before the close of October, 1888, Father Matthew had enrolled more than 250 900 names on his pledges of total abstinence. Well, names are nothing. Things are much. Lord Nlorpeth, when Secretary of Ireland, in an address on the condition of Ireland, gave these statistics of cases of murder, offences against the person, aggravated assaults, and cutfng and maming-there were he says, in 1887 12, 096 1858, Il ,059; 1889, 1.097; 1840, 173
 Between 1888 and 1940 the consumption of spirits in Ireland has fallen off on 5000, GOO gallons; the public houses where liquors were retailed had lessened by 230 in the City of Doublin alone; the persons imprisoned in the Bridewell (the principal city prison) had fal- lon q SinuIa vnor fron1 126 tN oO6 moro than 100 cells in the Brdewel being empty, the Smithfeld Prison was actually closed.
 To what can be attributed this amazing ar ray of facts and figures? Not to war, nor to pestilence, nor to famine, for these are unhap- oily begetters of crime. Not to sterner eX- ecution of the laws nor to greater severity of punishments, for these always relax as crime diminishes. Not to changes in the excise law of the country, for they for the most part re- mained intact. No, it must stand as an his toric truth that one bold, humane man, plan ting himself on the rock of temperance, and supplementing his priestly power with Chris tian charity and love, by his burning zeal and eloquence awoke all the emotional nature of his volatile race, and built up barrier of vol untary pledges between them and the great curse of the country.
 Something analogous is even DOW in prog ress in our city. Analogous in that it's leader and advocate is an Irishman full of the enthu- siastic el0quence of the Irish nature; in that it's motive power is humanity and love; in that its chef object is the rescue of the fallen victims of drink; in that it seeks the intellect through the avenues of the heart by appeals to mans nature and God grant that it may be analogous also in the might of it's extent and influence.
 l have selected the one strong example of the repression of crime by the successful ef- forts of the friends of temperance, not because it stands alone, but because time will not per init the detail of more. feel bound to add, however, than in my judgment the efforts of temperance organizations in our country, what ever we may think of the wisdom or discretion of some of their modes of action, have done more to prevent crime by spreading and main taining temperance. than all our numerous and complicated systems of police.
 BENEFITS OF PROHIBITION.
 The relation of intemperance to crime is also plainly manifest were drunkenness is re- pressed by partial or complete prohibition. The cases of towns and villages where, by the arrangements of their founders, no liquors or intoxicating drinks have been allowed to be sold, furnish strong evidence. Vineland, with it's 10, 900 people, without grog shop, and with police force of one constable, who is dlso oVtISceE ol Ine poOI \WlGu sdIdIy lOI both offices of $75. reports in some years a single crime. and poor rate swelling to the aggegate of $4 year, Greeley, in Colorado is another town of 3, 900 people, and no liquor shop. 1t uses and needs no police force, and in two years and half $7 only was called out of it's poor fund. Bavaria, Illinois, a town of the same population, with absolute prohibition, was without drunkard, without a pauper, and without crime. X small town Tn Wes tern New York was founded some years ago by gentleman, who made it a condition in all his title deeds that if liquor were sold the land should revert to him. The condition became the subject of litigation in our courts and was held to be valid and enforceable by eiectment That village has none of the incidents of in temperance and the same thing is true of nu- merous other places whose founders have es tablished prohibition.
 It may be said that these are not fair exam ples because the inhabitants were all tet0tallers or temperance men. They are less conclusive perhaps, but they certainly show the value of the absence of temptation. How is it then where prohibition exists by absolute law? will not take Maine. the hackneyed theme of so many contradictions, further than to state that in 1870 her convictions for crime under prohibition were only 431, or one in every 1889, while in our state Exclusive of this clty), under license, the convictions were 5,4.3, or one in every 62O souls. Can it be that the rural population of New York is so much more addicted to crime than the people of Maine
 But take Connecticut -facetiously called ''the land of steady habits Under the pro- hibition law of 1854, crime is shown to have diminished 75 per cent. On the restoration of license in 1873 crime increased 50 per cent. ill single year, and in two years in Hartford, according to official returns presented by the Rev. Mir. Walker, crime increased in that city 400 per cent. In New London the prison was empty and the jailor out of business for while after prohibition went into effect. Con- necticut has now a legal option act Under it New London lately voted for no license
 l found in the New York Herald, few mornings ago. letter from New London la menting at great lengths the present sufferings of thirsty souls in that city. The concluding portions of the letter are so naive and 80 much krNr %h,<x