Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1883-12-20
THE FLOWING BOWL
ANumATED DIAs,uskION OF TIEf
LIQUOR QUE~TION IN
con & IL H h y.

While the discussion Of the appoint
mont Of select committees was linGPi
discussion ia The House Of Reprtsen a
tiyes "Wednesday MI Reed, of Maine, oi-
fered an Amendment to the mo'io'l
pending, providing fpr the appointment
of a comniiLtte on the alc0EoIic lqupf
traffic.
Mr.. Mills (Texas) expressed his "o-
iec.ions to sumptuary laws, and IN
quired whether Congress cc1lld 'es's
late as to what man coilid eat or
diink.
Mr.. Vance (N. C } replied that that
was not the object Of the amend,nent,
which only looked to getting intorma-
tiou upon a subject which interested
every human beng Oh the continent.
| The sentiment OF the people should be
respected in this Congress--to know tie
| facts about the intemperance, which has
wrecked SO many households OF the
land. lie hoped that the renresonta'
| tives of the people would accord to the
friends Of humanity and justice and
mercy and happy homes a right to be
heard, and extend to the people an op-
portunity to gather information Oh the
subject Of such tremendous importance.
Applause 1t did not follow ncces-
sarily that there was to be prohoi.
tory law
Mr.. Randall (Pa. said that he had
no hesitation in stating that in com
nittee he had vot d fora committee on
alroho.c liquor traffic. He had never
favored sulnptuary legislation any,
where. and be did not know that he
ever would, but there ought to b the
widest latitude in behalf Of the rignt of
petition. The people who were interest
ed in ard aEitated upon the subject had
a right to be heard, and 70 that extent
he was willing to take the consequences
and vote in the affirmative, in order
that they might be heard, | [Applause.]
! Mr.. Blackburn also expressed him.
! self as in favor nt the widest range to
| the riehr Of petition but that was not
| the question now presented. The Qnes-
tion now was whether thore should be q
special commi tee raised TO investigate
the subject Of th" liquor traffic, aud for
nothing else. 1t did rot involve the
! right OF petition.
Mr.. Mills (TeXas) said that he was as
much in favor Of temperance as the |
gentlemen from North Carolina and
Pennsylvania (MeSsrs. Vance and Ran
dall), bat he was not one of those who
believed that great truths could BE- prop
agated by legislative DEGREES. He was
one of those who stood in the footsteps
Of the fathers, who Eeld to the cardi-
nal fact that all great improvements in
science, religion and morals came from
the brain and the conscience and not
from the whip on the back. The gen.
tIrman from North Carolina had enlo-
gized temperance and mathematical
intemperance ; he could have drawn a
stronger parallel had he told of the
glory OF the Christian religion. 1t had
laid the track for the advance of civili-
zation. But would a member ask that
Congress should define orthodoxy? ?
Should it appoint q committee to in
quire whether the Methodist or Baptist
was the orthodox faith?
Mr.. Reed (Me.) thought that the
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr.
RandalD had succinctly stated the
duty of the House in the premises, and
if there was similar feeling on both
the Democratic and Republican sides,
he was confident that the shadow of the
great rock Of temperance had extended
over this land, without regard to par.
ties
The amendment was adopted. Yeas
l43, nays IS.