The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1879-09-25

| the righteous soul Of Vcritas. wac vexed
| like an armed monk of the Middle Ages
he PUSHES from his cloister and challenges
the right of free thought and free speecl
in this year of our Lord 1879. l wrote
under an assumed name. but | was care
full to make no personal allusion which
could by any possibility give offence
| Although voted for the present Village
| Council and voted for them because the,
represented the temperance sentiment.
did not then know and cannot now
recall the name of a single member 81
that Board except that of its respected
/ President. thank 'Veritas" for an on
por,unitv given me to express my hiel
appreciation of Judge Baldwin. both at
a LAWYER and GENTLEMAN. 1t is cvi
dent that he is not "Veritas'' If Won,
contributor of the radical persuasion
meant honestly to contrOvcrt the under
living Verities of my innocent production
why does he 60 out Of his way to make
personal attack? Why by inuendo doe:
ho single out prominent Lawyer of on
Village who contributed nOthing even il
the way Of suggestion towards my article
He missed his mark. and it is singular
that a BIC GUN which scatters so much
should hava hit no body. ! will not fol
low the example of Veritas. But con
fpss some curiosity as to who the man is
He is demagogue whatever else he may
Der He so egregiouslv mistakes the law
it is clear he connot be a LAWYER Hi.
production is so diSjointed and wantins
in continuity of thought. it reminds IN,
of well-moant but undigested sermons
which have heard somewhere; but ths
animus of his article is SO angry. so un
II, II ,1.s =,
the possible superstition that it was writ
ten by minister of the Gospel of peace
and good will. | am shut up to the con
clusion that it was written bv an earnes
but ignorant fanatic: one of those mis-
taken souls who, with perhaps an homes
zeal for the accomplishment Of single
end, lose sight Of reason and common
sense. They are fools who crush in
where angels fear to tread. have reat
this article of Veritas carefully and hav.
endeavored to dig out of the debris it
salient points. They may be grouped
under three heads. First. an ignoran
misconception or willful misrnpresenta
ton of Tax payers motives. This cal
afford to pass without comment. 'Evi
to him who evil thinks. Second. an ar
gument which undertakes to show tha
the word "give" inserted in the Viii q
Ordinance is proper and in harmon witt
the general laws Of the State. This
shall refute Third. a not unusnal bn
unmistakable exhibition of that vin1ictiv
and malicious arrogance and intolcran"
which By some unexplained law of tn
human heart and mind attaches to ever
man Of extreme and fanatical proclivi'ios
This it will be profitable to consider fo
it involves principles which far out-rcacl
in importance any merely local or TEN
porarv question There is no controvenS
between Veritas and mys"lf as to ere
straining" the sale Of spirituous LIQUORS
nor even As to total prohibition" III
der circumstances of tine and place
These questions were not raised by me
and the Y need not nov be discussed. TIL
whole present controversy turns upon tn
use and logical and legal import of tn
term give as introduced into the Nil!a~
Ordinance. What was said bv me a to-
financial scheme originated hv the Villag
Council was a joke which Veritas coul
not he expected to comprehend. VIVA
| held and now hold is this, that the III
qualified use of the word give in tn
i Village Ordinance, which is prohibition,
forbids and inhi5its the giving or use {
. spirituous. malt, fermented or vinou
liquors under any and all circumstance
: for purposes either convivial. medicinal
meci. anicalor sacram"ntal, unless the pa
ties 50 irving or using the same first oil
tanis license so to do. As Il logica! re
suit held and hold that Physical
co,:ld not administer an atom OF slim.
ilants in a case of life and death. no"
mother administer to dy to her b lhy
the agonies of cole. without maxim
themselves liable under he Village la
Ito fine and Imprisonment. IBIS was IN
"arcumentum al absurdum. which is
Legitimate and often the most cOnc'usiv
method of reasoning. Int 1t gives O.
fence to Veritas and he charges m. Wit
resorting to ridicule for the want OF fac,
and argument Very well. Twill chang
the order of my going for you. 1t may sIl
YOU better. You combat my interpretatio
of the word give" and seek to avoid til
I logical sequence. How? BY saving tina
lit is not the Scope or spirit" of the ord
nance to prohibit the giving of stimulant
i,:uder all circumstances and that tn
words under any and all circumstances
foo, or an angel? When the law express
Iv saws that whatsoever gives" spirituo,,s
, malt fermented or vinous liquors with
ont arst having obtained license. is nc
the iancus re Of the law explicit and CON
nrehensiye? Would it have added an
force to the Ordincnce if it had rea
..whoever under any and all circun
t stances gives &C." To give means t
give. and to sell means to SCI. or til
English language has lost its significanc'
and unless qualified, Ito give" means
: give under any and all circumstance
Thou shalt not steal is the law; br
lVeritas says no, that is not tn
.'scope or spirit of the law, it near
thou shalt not steal except under certai
circumstances Thou Shalt not gi1
spirituous, malt, fermented or vino,
z liquors" is the Village law, but Verit'
saws no, that is not the Scope {
u spirit of the law. it means thou shalt nj
k give spirituous, malt. fermented or vino,
tliauors in Joe. Lichtwark's Saloon. Ho
"an man so stultify himself? How ca
It |he undertake to insult the intelligence
this community by asserting that WHIT
5 the law says one thing it means anoth
d and a wholly different thing? Jud,
Baldwin, the respected President of Il
n Village council, would not say that. A tn
= ologian accustomed to deal with the e
act and explicit statements of scriptu
IS would not say that. No man of comm,
I intelligence would say that if he meant
be honest. To fortify himself in his d
n fence of the word give Veritas charg
lime with 'ignorantly or wilfully wit
holding the facts and triumphantly quot
r. the following from the organic act. "A
" to restrain any person from giving
, dealing in spiritious. malt. formen,ed
g. vinous liquors unless authorized by gu
Village council" and he cont nds that I
ordinance followed the Statute. Twas
familiar with this act when l wrote l
former communication as am now, q
answer by saying if the Legislat,
IT contemplated an act subversive of fun
- mental rights, so much the worse for
e'l Legislature. The consequential and !
lica1 re suits of infemperate and fanati