The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1879-05-23
n The hope of the temperance cause

n The hope of the temperance cause
is in the women. AS a general thing
men at heart care little for the right or
wrong of any kind of traffic unless its
evils touch them as individuals. They
grow careless and Indifferent to the
moral evils which the custom of ages
has allowed to exist, and though them
selves free from vice and intemperance,
they do not feel called upon to interfere
with others who are its victims or pro-
moters. In matters of reform they re-
gard do-nothingism as commendable,
or at least proper, and look with Sc
cret and disappearing dread upon the
raging radical who threatens to remodel
things. When confronted with state
ment of the evils of intemperance, they
assent; they admit that the liquor traf.
fic ought TO be suppressed; but if their
aid is sought in the effort 10 suppress it
there are few who do not prove reluct-
ant to "meddle with the NATTER" who
do not prefer to stand back and see how
the assailant fares in his assault.
Hence as rule the men who come out
boldly and work for the destruction of
the liquor traffic are those who have
themselves been injured by it, either in
themselves or In near friends. Our
most effective temperance workers are
reformed drunkards, and their most
active followers and supporters are
those whose relatives and friends are
drunkards. But few men who have let
liquor alone all their lives are to be
found in the ranks of the active fighters
against the traffic. Every one is glad
to see open drunkenness put down, to
see disreputable dealers fined, and to
see the results ofthe traffic rendered in
visible; but when the effort is made to
bring the provisions of our prohibitory
law to bear upon respectable" drug
gists and hotel keepers, they draw back
and say that public opinion will not sus-
tain them. If it depended upon men
alone, we never could hope for sup
precision of the traffic, and all attempts
to restrict the openand disorderly sale
and use of liquor would be useless, be-
cause the general sense of justice is too
strong not to see that it is outrageous to
permit one class of men to violate law
with impunity, while another class is
visited with its fullest penalties. 1t is
this sense of justice which in jury trials
and otherwise so often battles the effort
to bling liquor dealers to punishment.
But women are seldom influenced on
such questions by any consideration for
the position or responsibility of the
criminal. The mildest and sweetest
woman who ever blessed a man with
her companionship is upon all ques-
tions of society evils the fiercest and
most uncompromising of reformers. If
their political power were equal to their
good will in the cause, an undiscrimi-
mating punishment would fall upon ev-
cry violator Of the law irrespective of
his position In society. A jury COM
posed Of women would be terrible to
such. Legal bubbles could not befool
them, nor would any sneakiDg fear of
the criminals influence lesd them to
disregard their oaths and disgrace the
law, as too often.happens now. Women
to-day are the only really effective work
ing force for reform. They are not
afraid. They do what they can. IL is
about time for timid man to recognize
their power and value as reformers.
II he desires to see our laws executed,
but fears to execute them, let him give
women the power to execute them.
Let him, II he does no more, cover
down behind her voluminous dress,
aud unseen give her the help she needs.