The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1881-12-02

uMiddlebury INDUCED in tenn
psrance meeting Tuesday evening,
which is understood to be the prelude
to . series of such meetings for the
winter. What practical results are
aimed at has not yet been developed,
but perhaps no long time will elapse
before we shall know. fit is intend
cd to hold simply Temperance meet
ings" for the moral influence thereof,
while no harm will probably result, it
10 certain that little benefit in the way
OF reducing the amount of rum drink
ing In our midst will follow. "Moral
suasion" has had its "innings" in the
past, and has probably done all the
good 1t will do to the present genera
lion. Consequently it would seem
that . series of temperance meetings
entered upon for the sake of giving our
orators chance to talk will prove q
waste Of time and breath. The drunk
ards don't care to 60 TO temperance
meetings as general thing. And we
cannot blame them, for at this stage
there 10 little to be said which is new,
and there is nothing drearier than to
listen to repeated tand reiterated re-
hashings of standard temperance argu-
ment, even by good speakers. The
fact 10, temperance meetings for tenn
psrance talk are to-day simply refuge
for coward consciences which know
their duties, but dare not do them.
The duty of to-day is not to talk, but
do. We have q law on our statute
books which ought to enable the peo-
pie to shut up every rum hole in their
midst. Only one thing prevents, and
that il cowardice. Before brave and
well-planned assault the fellows who
are night and day violating the law I'm.
der our eyes and noses co Md not stand
for an instant. That is where temper.
ance work should come in. Our bust.
ness men, our good citizens Of both
sexes should insist determinedly upon
their right to live in place unpolluted
by the beastliness of the rum-traffic
They ehould declare that rum and
rum-sellers have had their day, and that
now Is the time for law and decency to
prevail. II they are in earnest in the
cause Of law and order, they should
give of their time and means; they
should plan and sustain effective as
saults against individual rumsellers
they should employ detective work To
secure the evidence which most mon
strous perjury SO frequently cheats
them of, and they should make few
examples Of the perjurers which will
deter others from the same crime. In
fact, they must fight the devil with fire
II they are not willing, or are afraid
to do all this, they might as well droI
their tempeFance meetings. The rum
seller, working day I and night, wcei
days and SRRdays, can turn out fifty
drunkardsl where temperance talk car
convert ape, Az should remember
that therspgt safercement tof The
penalties Of ne Lax you'd paralyze the
rum trsfIlc at opos. No man will con
tinus in the businsss II 1t is made I'M
profitable and igaoninious 70 him
He can stand semi-oeeasional raids, bu
o determined and dangerous public
opinion, active and jealous to fight
him, will rout him easily. III we have
mot men and women enough in town
vho ere willing n ~ real work for the
) cake Of law, ordaR s9d decency, tenn
pssSncs meetings ~ not help the
case In the lessE u We are not pre-
pared to WORK " earnest, IL each one
only cares to stsna ~ and see a few &c