The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1881-09-09

A temperance meeting. In the interest of local
option, was held In the Court House. on Monday
evening. The meeting was called to order by DIR.
was called to the chair. Prayer was offered by
Rev. Mr.. Craighill. after which Rev. DIR. q. X. Nell
son, Secretary Of Diocesan temperance Society of
the Protestant Episcopal Church, and Vice Presi-
dent of the State Temperance Alliance for Anne
Arundel county, was introduced as the speaker
of the evening.
DIR. Nelson opened by conceding that temper
ance men should be able to assign good and suf-
heient reasons for the agitation Of the temperance
question in Its present form. This they were able
to do. A great and distressing evil exists in our
midst, seriously affecting the physical intellec-
tual, moral and politico- economical condition of
society 1t is estimated that The use of intoxicat-
ing beverages in this country sends from 5000
10 100000 of our people to the drunkard's grave,
every year. The evil Is not confined 10 the ill
born, nor to the jewellers in novels and filthy
alleys. tenters palata homes and strikes down
the refined the cultured the noblest life. as well.
While seven hundred millions of dollars are ex
pended to sustain life, excepting alone the article
of meat, seven hundred and fifty millions are ex
pended in intoxicating drink. Various cxpedi-
cnts have been adopted to remedy this evil
Christianity in nearly every church form has been
terrain church Instituted a Temperance society.
Mr.: Wesley enioined abstinence on the early
Methodist preachers. The Roman Catholic
or Matthew, and to. day that church has its tenn
perance organization i'll nearly every diocese
me church Of England fell in line in 1870, and the
1881. The license law of 1870 was not originally
for purposes of revenue as now but to regulate
the liquor traffic and diminish the evil results
One of the colonies enacted prohibition law as
early as 1888. The moral suasion method has
been in use outside of the Church, since the days
of the Washingtonians in 1910, in temperance or
CARNATIONS under multitude of names. But
what have these good men accomplished. They
have done much to modify the dreadful effects but
very little towar the permanent overthrow OF
the cause The statistics of 1879 inform us that
the increase in the sales Of that year amounted TO
46OOO0OO of gaons-30 900 600 of beer and IT, 600
of other liquors. Thus the work of destruction
goes on despite all the efforts of the Christian
Church and moral reform associations and must
continue to so long as the traffic is permitted I'M
der the sanction of law. The potency of the evil
is in the traffic and the end of all permanent tenn
quiet and sure means of the law And of all the
methods of Obtaining prohibitory law the local
Pon Sf nod is to be because it is
undeniable proof that the sovereign people de-
nand it for their protection, and will maintain it
in force.
1t is objected to this law that it is unconsitu-
tional. This objection has no standing. The de-
csions OF the courts have settled that question:
Three cases in the Supreme Court of the United
States were cited, while the Supreme Courts Of
the States uniformly sustain the constitutonality
of the measure. Another objection is that II is Il
violation of Individual rights But this is mis-
apprehension of the limits of individual rights
Individual rights must subserve the general good.
For one man to claim the right to destroy his
ncighbor or for one class It men to claim the
right to intliet injury and ruin upon another is an
a6surdity; This principal lies at The foundation n,I
isa. public evil then no man has Alright to engage
in it.
Another objection is that it is an attempt to
lcgislate men into morality. What il isI Have
we not many such laws? What is more common
than to prohibit men by law from doing that
which is injurious to the interests and well-beng
of others? 1t is true that compelled morality is
without virtue but do not for this reason al
low men to do any thing they please however in
furious to others and to society in general. This
would be to surrender the rights of the public to
the individual.
Other objections were noticed, and the advan-
tages of local option in our own State and else =
where, were shown by facts and statistics, but we
cogent in argument, impressive in facts, and en-
trely free from offensive epithcts and allegations,
and was listened to with marked attention.
At the close of the lecture Rev. Mr. Benson
made Il statement of the plan proposed in this
county to obtain local option law from the next
legislature. He said: "The temperance quGs-
tion is not party question. 1t is question with
the whole people. 1t is not intended to disturb
the parties with it, but to hold il as pure and
clean temperance question. The executive COM
mittecs OF the political parties have been request
ed to recommend that For and Against Local
Option be printed on all the tickets With this
request the Democratic committee has complied,
and no doubt the Republican committee will do
SO when i meets. This vote by agreement with
the parties, ana the pledge of the candidates is
to be accepted as n vote Of instruction. Then if
a majority of the votes cast be found For Local
option our representatives will be bound by
party agreement and personal pledge to ask the
legislature to hearkcn to the voice of their conct-
tuency and enact law for the ratification of the
people in the usual way.