The daily gazette., 1882-05-18

tHc NcntEhl COmmlttee had Dill framed
the first section Of which made the liquo
: traffic unlawful and declared 1t to be
! nuisance. The third section contained
local option provision. This bill was passe,
without amendment in the House of Repre-
sentatives by respectable majority and Il
due form sent TO the Senate, where 1t wa
ascertained that at least three of the min
members were avowedly In favor of 1t. Hat
1t come to vote In that body II would hav
been lost only by a majority OF twO-possibl,
Dy one. But majority having committed
themselves against 1t a substitute, miscallet
an amendment" was adopted in its stead
we see how nearly we came to the goot
Of our brightest hopes only n few month
after the organization Of our Alliance
Surely, then, we have much encouragement
to renew our efforts and increase our yea
| and energy.
Many good people believe that our bill
would have passed the Senate had IL moi
been for strong opposition to It coming very
unexpectedly from a high and influential
source. After its defeat there were certain
persons interested in the liquor business who
openly and publicly boosted that the formida-
bic opposition TO our bill was worked up by
| their efforts. II IL a well-establisbed fact
that the liquor men of Wilmington raised a
large amount Of money for the sole pur-
pose of defeating local option; and it Is
asserted on good grounds that certain liquor
dealers In Philadelphia also contributed
money Tor the same purpose. 1t Is certain
that the liquor interest had its agents and
attorneys In Dover during the last session of
the legislature; that they worked hard to
defeat us, and that they were paid well for
their services. Weknow that such men use un-
scrupulous methods in their endeavors to sus-
tain this wicked traffic and II is sad to think
that they can exert a telling influence upon
men In the highest stations, while upright,
moral citizens are scarcely listened to In
their pleadings for morality, humanity and
public decency. All good people through
out the State ought to labor unitedly to
overthrow that power that can make itself
so dangerous TO wise and wholesome legis-
| latiUn.
1t is said that the fatal objection to our
bill was its local option feature, ,and as some,
who are unwilling 10 openly asRail our prin-
| ciples, will take shelter under the assumed
uuconstitutiOnality of this method, 1t will
be better for the Alliance henceforth TO aim
at prohibition, pure and simple. We can
| secure this as easily as we can secure local
option, and none can dispute its constitu-
tionality or bring even technical objections
against 1t.
1t is time we should also direct our efforts
to secure the legal condemnation of drunk
enness as well as of the liquor traffic. We
ought Lot to saddle all the crime upon the
liquor ,aler, but hold the consumer him.
self as paiticeps crtHinis, especially when
he becomes an open inebriate. A constitu-
tional amendment prohibiting that importa-
ton, manufacture or sale of alcoholic
liquors to be used as beverage, ought to
be kept steadily In view as the ultimate OBJ
ject of all true friends of temperance. But
we can only advance step at a time, and
move forward as the way is opened. Let
"Prohibitfon" be our watchword for the
present; let us blaZen 1t upon our banners
in the coming campaign; let 1t be sounded
out from platform, pulpit and rostrum and
be extended over the State by every Chris
tian, every patriot, and every friend of hu-
manity.
Another method proposed in the second
article of our constitution is the education of
public sentiment. This may be done by
holding conventions, mass meetings, and
primary meetings among the people in each
county, hundred and school district; by
securing suitable speakers to address such
assemblies, and by circulating extensively a
wholesome temperance literature. We need
not expect to succeed in any plan that will
cost us nothing. We don't want to use
money as the liquor men use it how
would we so use it even If we had 1t In
abundance. But money Is absolutely
needed in many Legitimate ways in the pros
ecution OF a campaign such as we must
carry on before we can succeed But the
expense is paltry in comparison of even the
peeuniary advantages, TO say nothing of the
moral which prohibitory law would
bring to us. Take single example for an
Illustration. In one of the counties of
Maryland where local option has prevailed
for the past four years, the license system
formerly paid into the State treasury about
$500, since then about $l2, 900 are annually
saved TO the county i'll consequence of the
cessation of the traffic in spirituous liquors.
Not long ago this statement was made in
the church by gentleman of high charac-
ter and influence from that county, who had
personally investigated the matter and
youches for the correctness of the facts
mentioned.
Why should we fear to enter upon a
vigorous campaign to destroy our great
enemy! We may expect to encounter the
same opposition which we have met in the
past. Liquor dealers and all their agents,
emissaries and tools will come forth to
battle with us. Their weapons will be
abuse, vile epithets, misrepresentation bribery
and artful intrigue. They will raise false
issues to blind the people Us they have done
heretofore. However formidable may be
the array of our enemies, however insolent
may be their behavior, and specious their
arguments, let us say to our people as
Nehemiah said to his threatened companions:
Be not afraid of them remember the
Lord which is great and terrible, and fight
for your brethren, your sons, and your
daughters, your wives and your houses"
Paul fought with wild beasts at Ephesus,
but those beasts were wicked and ferocious
men who opposed the Christian doctrines
and tried to uphold their pagan supersti-
tions. 1t is against the same sort of beasts
that we must contend-the lion, roaring
to startle and confuse; the tiger, crouchant
and ready to spring upon his upsuspecting
prey the cruel hyena, feeding upon the
lambs of our ilocks and upon the fetid flesh
OF the grave rattlesnakes, vibrating their
ominous rattles and ready to strike with
their deadly tangs vipers, biting with mis-
chieyous and malignant force cobras, the
deadliest Of all reptiles that crawl upon the
earth, dilating their wicked necks, and cover
ing their cruel heads with liquor license.
We shall disarm them all of their power
when we shall secure a law upon our sta
tute book, making the liquor traffic crime
and nuisance. Therefore we welcome the
Delaware State Temperance Alliance" as
the grand army which is to achieve this
great deliyerance. This body must enlighten
and lead the people, inspire them with en-
thusiasm, fire them with holy zeal and direct
| their movements in the battle.
The people of a popular government can
be efiectually and speedily educated on all
matters Of public concern by means of the
| primary and mass meeting and the lectures