Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1882-04-18

OF your fathers-tO destroy your hOus
to stop a conf1agration-to prevent th
storing of explosive material in cities
to remove slaughter houses, soap-facto
ries, and tanneries from the midst of
crowded population, and that eve
though the business that supports
worthy family is entirely broken uI
and yet all the injuries done by sue
operations is nameless trifle compare
with the evil done by the manufactur
and sale of Intoxicating drinks. Such
law is reasonable, While you can i'm
prison the person who steals few pc
tatoes from your cellar, or chickel
from your hen-house, does it not seen
like caricature of justice that the onl,,
|sthing you can do with the man who ha
made your son adrunkard. is to beseecl
him not to ruin your remaining chill
dren ?
The well-founded prejudice existing
in the public mind against sumptuar,
laws has been appealed to, in order t
excite prejudice against prohibitor,
laws, but the two classes of laws hav
entirely different objects, as every in
telligent man knows. Sumptuary law
are designed to check luxury and ex
travagance. Prohibitory laws are de
signed for the prevention of disorder
immortality, and crime. To be sure
prohibitOry laws do diminish expendi
ture, but so do the laws against polyga
my, gambling, and obscene literature
These things are not prohibited becaus,
of the expense, but of the evil of them
and SO with intemperance.
Ny 5th point is, prohibition does pro
| hi 10 in, fon ic I,o
why it is objected to. The Legislature
of Pennsylvania gave local option" tt
the people in 1872 The vote taken tht
same year resulted in establishing pro-
hibition in Al of the &c counties of the
State A vigorous effort was made al
the next session of the Legislature te
have the law repealed. on the ground
that it had we'll nigh ruined the liquor
business in the State. It was clearly
foreseen, by friend and foe, that if the
law remained, it must soon result in
prohibition for the entire State, fol
every prohibition county was a stand
ing illustration of its excellence.
Says Davis, of the Supreme Court OF
Maine -
II have always resided in this State.
At the bar l have conducted successful
prosecutions against hundreds of liquor
sellers. have tried, during ten years
on the bench, many cases in different
counties from one extreme of the State
to the other, and I am convinced tha,
this law has accomplished an incalcula-
BILE amount of good. It has produced
one hundred times more visible inn
provement in the character, condition,
and prosperity of our people than any
other law that was ever enacted"
With this agree the testimonies of
Governors. Judges, Mayors and officials
of all kinds. Even with the surrepti
tious sales, the average is So per inhabi
tant, against $16 per inhabitant, as the
average for the Union And instead OF
tobacco and opium taking the place oi
liquor in the State, the taxes paid fol
these things show a smaller consump
ton of them than in the country at
large.
But we have contrary testimonies. II
is boldly asserted that there is more
liquor sold in Maine than ever-tha!
the moving away of those who are de.
termined to drink has seriously dimin-
ished the population of the State-and
that the loss of the moral and christian
izing influence of the liquor-seliers has
led to an enormous increase of crimes,
outrages, and miseries of every dssorip-
ton. How can we reconcile these con-
fiicting accounts? By the principle that
"None are so blind as those vino will
not see." What accounts, suppose you
do they have in China as to the influ-
ence of the Gospel among US? Nc
doubt, most of the Chinese who have
been here, tell their people when they
go home, that this Gospel is the most
abominable thing under heaven. Nc
doubt, they shudder in China when
they hear of the crimes and wrongs
perpetrated in America There are in
telligent men in Boston who would in.
sure their lives, and make their wills
before they would venture down into
Virginia,
There are persons in our adjoining
counties who firmly believe that this
Staunton of ours is den of iniquity
and that all the religion in it is mere
sham and show. Even in our OWL
community, there are men who stay
away from church, on the ground thai
church going is proved by the conduct
of church goers to be On injury rather
than benefit. Ali the sacrifices, anC
selfdenials, and kindnesses, and good
works of christians go for nothing with
such persons They don't see these
and they don't want to see them. Sc
with the benefits of prohibition. Such
as are unfriendly to this cause, will
never see anything but its defects anC
failures. Those, however, who sincerely
desire to know The truth, need not bt
afraid to examine the matter, ID should
not be moved either by misrepresenta-
tions or abuse.
Ifa prohibitory law is not always en-,
forced, is not the same thing true O.
laws against gambling and lewdness
Are there not scores of illegal houses ir
every large city, the existence of which
is well known to the inhabitants d? An6
ought the laws against these houses
because not enforced, to be abolished OF
changed into license laws?
Ofcourse, in wards, where the pop
ulation is degraded, where they nav,
drunken judges, snd policemen, and of
ficisls, the general public sentiment can
not be brought to bear, and the law viii
be violated. Of course no one expects
to put an end to drunkenness anv more
than to put an end to theft or murder
At the same time, lew Enay be made ar
important adjunct to moral means in
promoting virtue. The fact that a pro
hioitory law, after being tried for thirt,
years, has steadily increased in popular
ity until no party dares to 60 before tn,
people on the issue of igs repeal, is con.
elusive evidence that those who hav,
the best opportunity tojudge of its prao
tical workings believe it to be beneficial
We may be told that our people cannot
be brought to demand the passage @
such law. I answer, that il is 10 b,
assumed that the people of Virginia car
be induced to demand the passage O
any law that Is reasonable and just, an(
whoever says the contrary, ISLANDERS tn,
people of Virginia. We may be tolt
that 1t cannot be executed among US.
answer, who is going to resist it? VIII;
shall dare to resist Q law deliberately
passed by the representatives of the peo,
pie, and, therefore, an embodimet of tn,
will and sovereignty of the people!
My 9th and last point is with refer
ence TO the bearing of prohibition upo1
the public revenue and the material
prosperity Of the masses. Philadelphis
received Ia 1851, $66.000 for tavern Ii
censes, but she paid out the same yea
for prosecuting the crime and supportin,
the pauperism, consequent upon intem
perance. as accurately as could be com
puted, 1856, 900.
This licensing evil for the sake of gail
resulting, Is certainly q penpy-Wise AM