Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1882-04-18
may possibly agitate the consciences Of

these men
Secondly. If moral suasion is the only
agency to be employed, then we nigh
as well repeal all laws against duelling
gambling, dishonest practices of every
kind, and resolve society into coaxint
school. Has a man murdered you
| wife ? Plead with him not to murder
your children. Has he stolen you
horse? Urge him not to appropriate
your carriage. Has he knocked yor
| down upon the street Implorc him t.
love you, assuring him, meanwhile
that no matter how often he knocks
you down, he shall be visited with NJ
severer punishment than moral suasiOn
Adopt this course, and turn over the
morals of the community to the preach
ers, and to moral suasion, and society
would be swept from existence in thu
explosion of vice that would shake
heay en- and earth !
Is it said that, 'If men are determined
to drink. they will get liquor in spite II
all laws ?" But the fact Is, few drink.
ing men are determined to drink. They
have thousand times determined not
to drink but the temptations have beer
too strong for them. Ninetenths of the
drinking is due to the red lights, anC
the convenient opportunities offered
| Ninetenths of the drinkers drink only
when they come to town.
It may be said that the only hope O
the drunkard is sound conversion
Well, is that any reason why society
should 20 on manufacturing drunkardsi
If it is entirely beyond our power t.
remedy these evils of intemperance
ought we not to be extremely cautious
how we allow them to be produced
And can we expect conversions, if We
require the converts, not only to resist
temptations from within, but the temp
tations maintained by law, and sane
toned by ourselves as citizens?
Some one, it may be, responds, 90
course we must endeavor to suppress
intemperance by laws, but we must EN-
plOy moral suasiOn alone until we sue.
ceed in creating public sentiment
which will enforce the laws" But will
such sentiment be produced by leach
ing men to regard moral suasion as the
only legitimate agency? Will a. jury
tutOred to view criminals az proper per.
sons to be coaxed, but not punished, be
likely to have due regard to the majesty
of insulted justice?
My third point is, that society should
not undertake to regulate evil by law
Its business is, not to regulate it, but &c
remove it. Some maintain that we can.
not prevent the sale of liquor altogether
aud, therefore, we ought to license it
and thus have it carried on under prop
er restrictions.
AS liquor selling is licensed in oul
community, so there are communities
in which, on the same principle, gam
bling and lewdness are licensed. All
this is wrong. Liquor-se1ling, as we
have it among US, is evil, and the true
object of legislation, is to prevent, moi
to protect evil.
What would we think of a law that
should authorize poisoning or arson
under proper checks, and with suitable
security in regard to the good moral
character of him who Eshould commit
/ either of these crimes I?
1t is wrong principle to bring the
laws into conflict with those considera
tions which must be used to restrain
men from vice-to authorize by law 6
thing from which men must be dissua
ded by moral suasiOn.
Let a father approach o liquor seller
and complain to him that his business
is running his son-let a wife come tC
him with tears and tell him of the WOO
and poverty and wretchedness that his
business is introducing into her once
happy home. He has only TO show his
license. He is doing busin ess as Legal
as that of the farmer. Hence, as a re
straint upon intemperance, the license
system has failed, and must always fail
This is now admitted by its friends, Sc
that whereas such laws were, many
10 70, >:
ping" they are now denominated
their eXerting any restraint has beer
is, this day, under the solemn sanction
of the laws.
i But, it may be said, "If we canno,
enforce license law, how can we ex.
pect to enforce prohibitory law ?" ]
answer, that the reason our license law
is not enforced, is because it is not worth
enforcing. At conference of doZer
gentiemen, ,most Of them onneeted with
the municipal government, held in this
city 8 few years ago, for the purpose O.
of considering whether anything could
be done for the prevention of intemper
ance and Sabbath breaking by the en-.
forcement of the laws, it was agreed
that the laws on these subjects were moi
such as to furnish an adequate basis fol
action. A license law will always be
evaded because the section in il which
authorizes the sale of liquor, invariably
and inevitably breaks down all the 9th
er sections, and there is no way to en-
force it. Its enemies, the temperance
men, of course, will not. and its friends
generally sympathize with the culprit
Suppose you convict q man of selling
LIQUOR to a minor, that will not stop him
end others from selling to the came
boy, the moment be is of age.
Suppose you keep him from selling or
Sunday, his business will go on the
more briskiy on Monday. And then
the penalties attached to the breaking
of sucn laws are not severe enough. A
fine in such a lucrative business is nc
punishment at all, for this money can
be made out OF the consumers.
One of our city papers was crying out
last week against the inefficiency of the
dog-law, and the remedy proposed was
that the law be made more stringent
In like manner, we propose something
more stringent than the laws we have
bad heretofore in reference to intamper.
ance. '--'S''''
My fourth point is, that q prohibitory
law-that is, law prohibiting the man.
ufacture and sale of the means ofintem-
perance, except for necessary purposes
is constitutional and entirely reasonable
and e4uitabls.
Chief Justice Fancy, of the Supreme
Court of the U. s., said, II see nothing
in the Constitution of the United States
to prevent any State from prohibiting
this traffic altogether, if its thinks prop
er."
Justice Carter said, "If the State has
the powe of restraint by license to any
extent, she may go to the extent of pro
hibitory sales altogether"
In reply TO the argument that the i'm
porter purchases the right to sell wher
be pays duties, Justice Daniels said
mo such right as the one supposed Ii
purchased by the importer" Justice
Grier said. "If loss OF revenue shoulc
occur to the U. States from diminish
ed consumption of ardent spirits. sht
will be gamer thousand.fold in ths
health, wealth, and happiness Of the
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