Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1882-11-16
8emptrntit &orttussf,
oLo.rIMg POLITICS.

That Favored tt-Colonel saw
YER Discovers the First Temper.
ance Pledge In the Bibie-How Il
Was Broken, as IL ought TO Have
Been.
no THE EDITOR or THE Enquirer.
In the Constitutional Convention which met In
Columbus on the eth day Of May, lsS0-vhich, At
its second session held In Cincinnati, gave birth TO
the present Constitution OF Omo-the subject OF tenn
persnee OF the great questions TO bedecided.
Petitions from all parts OF the state, asking for all
sorts OF constitutional prohibition. were almost daily
presented for then, as nov, many good citizens,
and others who were not citizens either In age or
sex, bat who seemed as II they were, believed men
could be made sober by law or 20 to the blessed BY
statutory enactments.
The petitions were referred, first TO the standing
Committee on Jurisprudenee, but the convention
subsequently, adopted resolution for the appoint
ment Of q "Selecs Committee OF Ave members to
whom shall be referred the subject Of the retail Of
ardent spirits and all matters connected herewith
and Messrs. Mccomic OF Adams; Hawkins, OF Nor
gan; Andrews, OF Cuyahoga; Smith, OF Highland
and Henderson, OF Riehland, were the committee
All the petitions the subject OF Temperance In the
hands OF the Committee on Jurisprudence we're, on
motion Of Judge Scott, OF Montgomery, then To-
ferIed to the Committee on Temperance which com
mttee thus had entire charge OF the matter. Among
the numerous petitions thus referred was one that
clause be inserted In the Constitution authorizing
either branch Of the General Assembly to "expe any
member who shall present himself drunk the floor
during the session. No action was taken on this
petition.
On the 2lst Of January, 1851, Mr. McCormlc, from
the select committee on the subject of retailing ar
dent spirits, made the following report:
''The special committe to whom were referred the
various petitions the OF the retail of ardent
spirits have had the subject under earnest advise
ment, and beg leave to report and recommend the
adoption Of the following section:
"The General Assembly shall not license traffic In
intoxicating liquors. but may, by law, provide against
evils resulting thercfrom." Signed, Joseph McCOr-
mic, Sherlock 1. Andrews and Wm. Hawkins
The report was laid on the table to be printed.
On the 30th day Of January, the question being on
the engrossmen of the Temperance article, Mr. Bee
melin thought II to ambigueus. Mr.. Ceilings, of
Adams, moved TO amend by striking out this word
"lcense" and inserting the words "authorize the Ii
censing Of, so that 1t would forbid the Legislature
to authorize the licensing OF the sale of intoxicating
liquor. Mr.. McCormic thought the proposed amend
ment made no real change In the article.
Mr.. Henry Stanberry, who represented Franklin
county, had doubts about adopting the report. 1t is
doubtful II IL accomplish good; it might do much
evil. No one con now retail ardent spirits without
license, to be granted by the Courts or municipal
authorities. The report proposes to do away with
this, and leave the traffic open to all 1t abandons all
local supervision. 1t says, In effect that res
traint, and "that you take step toward cure of
this evil by universal license to ang one that may be
disposed to engage in the business" Mr.. Stanberry
was. however, satisfied TO make the experiment. II
admit, /" he said, "that the evil is enormous even un-
der the license system, but can not that it will
not be worse without the system. Gentlemen say
that license Is legal sanction--that 1t dgnifes
and gives respecabiity to the business of retailing;
and that the friends of Temperance reform con-
stantly met and confronted with this legal sanction of
the evil they are combating. That is putting the
matter in very plausible light. IT, indeed the evil
only existed by reason of the license-f the license
authorized that which otherwise would be unlawful
could see the force of the objection. Hereafter,
Wnen the license system is abolished, the business
Of retailing is to be lawful business. 1t is st to
have the sanction Of lava universal sanction, in
stead of partial and regulated sanction. 1t is said
that under this free system the business will lose
some OF Its respectability. No doubt of that. I'm
der system Of free competition, with no restraint
no local supervision, this business will in measure
fail into the hands to which it wonld be in
trusted under the worst administration of the
license system. But how far have We got forward
cure OF the evil when this change Is made? We
must not forget the dupes Of our people, most ad-
dicted to this vice. Are we quite shall do
good thing for those dupes by removing all legal res
traint and supervision? For one have very serious
doubts as to that and with the most earnest desire
to mitigate this great evil. l can not hesi-
tate as to this proposition. much fear
1T Will be step in the wrong direction.
Mr. Rates. OF Jefferson, said that, with oil due del
erence, he thought Mr.. Stanberry had entirely
misconstrued the object of the temperance men.
"The friends Of temperance, as far as he was ac-
quanted with their sentiments, wished to divest the
traffic in ardent spirits of that sanction which had
been given 1t by laws recognizing and authorizing IL.
They wished to leave 1t opento divest 1t of the pro-
that immunity which attaches to the trade in CON
sequence of such protection, they can meet it as
other moral questions are met and with the assist
snce OF an enlightened public to put it down. They
wished to create no monopoly, because they well
convinced, from longexperence that so long as lis
thus guarded 1t will be impregnable believe that
the committee has correctly understood the prayer
of the petitioners and that the section reported by
them is in accordance with their wishes. These
petitioners are very numerous-about twenty thous-
and Very many of them are men who have spent
years in endeavorhg to eradicate the great evil of
intemperance from our land-they believe this step
is necessary for success. WiIyou grant it? hope
so.''
Mr.. Hawkins, of Morgan, said the great object of
the committee was to respond to the wishes
Of the petitioners and 1t had done 80. He
could not see how the proposed amendment at all
changed the effect of the section.
Mr.. Clark of Lorain, said If he understood the
oensing the sale of ardent spirits as expressed here
in debate they desire all laws the subject Of the
spirtuous liquors be repeated and the traffic be left
entirely free. The report now befroe the conven-
tlon 1t s claimed by its friends is calculated and in
tended to produce that state of things. If that is
fair Interpretation of 1t am willing to give 1t nv
support. The friends of temperance ask that the
license system be abolished, that they may have an
open field and fair fight, which they claim they
oan not have while the traffic is made respecta-
BILE by the license system. am with them in opinion
and desire to give them fair field for operations
When the temperance reform first commenced its
friends relied solely ON moral means, and the cause
prospered well until Legislative aid was called in,
when from that moment the reform has been on the
retrograde.'
Mr.. Bates, of Jefferson, said that all engaged in
the temperance reform are anxious to apply to it
radical remedy. Ia all their efforts they have found
themselves met by this fact-the venders of spiritu.
ous liquor do 1t under license from the Legislature
granted under the provisions and issued by one of
the officers of the State The calling made respect
able by law. What IL this license? 1t is authority
to make men drunk by law. He may sell man
liquor until he is drunk-if he sells him drop more
then the nice morality of the State is outraged and
he may be fined. The temperance men OF the State
hold that in order to put down intemperance you,
must abolish the license system, and thus take away
the responsibility of the business of making men
drunkards. ri
Mr.. Perkins, Of Trumbull believed that the effect
of license laws had been uniformly bad. Repeal
the license laws, and men WIN engage in the trade,
community in which they reside.
Mr. Sawyer, of Auglaize, feared such clause for
bidding license would be used to defeat the Consti-
tuition when IL Is made and submitted to the people
For his own part, Mr.. Sawyer, said he not very
tenacious on the subject Of temperance. He had
never Joined temperance society, and he objected
to any social organization setting up a standard in
morals or religion for him to be governed by. He
recognized nothing as a crime which was not inter.
dicted IN the sacred Scriptures. He regarded the
New Testament as perfect rule of practice, and he
adopted In preference to any thing and to the ex
Clusion OF every thing suggested by mere human
authority. There were other sins beside drunken
ness, and of more appalling magnitude, pointed out
and forbidden In the Bible with which society was
far more grlevously afflicted than incompetence.
How was 1t that we had petitions or memorials
against the course of legislation with reference to
these blacker crimes? Temperance societies 60 quite
beyond the Divine requirements. The only temper
ance society in which the New Testament "a copy of
which he held in his hand gave any account Of was
to be found In the third chapter of the Acts
of the Apostles, twelfth verse. Several voices
Read! read!l Mr.. Sawyer then read as follows:
"And when 1t was day, certain of the Jews bound
cd themselves together, and bound themselves under
curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink
till they had killed Paul And there were more
than forty which had ms do thta ennupirocy