Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1884-06-19
NUMBER ~,


and crime hinges the whele theme
prohibition. No one can intelligent
consider this important subject excel
in clear view of this distinction.
i Those who grasp the distinction b
tween vice and crime, will understan
that vice cannot be made crime b
the vote of majority, however large
| But some one may say that what Cd
law declares to be a crime is q Grim,
| The fugitive slave law declared it to /
crime to help the painting fugitiv,
| No good man believed it was q Grim
to conceal and feed him, and help hir
on to Canada; the conductors on tn
| underground railway are recorde
| among our saints. The Spanish la,
declared Professionalism TO be a grav
crime, punishable by the tortures of th
Inqulsition; but we knew that that la,
was lie.
A SAMPLE DISCUSSION.
Between the initiation of the crusad
work in Ohio in 1873, and my depar,
ure, utterly worn out. for three years
camp-life on the Pacific coast, i'm 1875
| held four public discussions witt
leading prohibitionists. In one q
these debates. before large audience
| asked my antagonist to give his con
ception of the function of civil law
He said:
1.-The function of the legislature is tx
watch the Commonwealth, and whel
danger from any source is apprehend
ed, to provide against it by law"
I Immediately asked:
"Do..you mean from any source?' !"
CLEARLY it is the duty of the legisla
ture to provide by law against harm
to the people from any and all sources. >
Suppose SAID. that the legisla
ture should believe that the presen
methods of cookery are to appetizing
aud lead to excessive indulgence, eat
ing between meals, and late suppera
Suppose the legislature believes thi.
vice of cookery leads to enormou.
harm, as it surely does, what would bt
its duty?''
without doubt to pass stringent
laws aginst snch mischievous cook.
cry"
land send an officer to every sus-
pected house," suggested.
Surely" he replied, "a law without
an officer to enforce it is useless. An
officer should visit every suspected
house, and see that the cookery is as
the law directs"
"Let us suppose that the legislature
believes that the corset vice is an enor-
nous evil, as indeed it is; what is its
duty?''
Clearly" he replied, ito pass So
we're law against making or wearing
corsets."
"And,'' I again suggested, s.send an
officer to every suspected house?''
There was shout of laughter, but
0vafa sscf h
of his convictions replied:
"Yes; an officer should visit every
house to see that the law is
not violated. =
s s.Your conceptions Of the zfnuctiOn oi
civil law is, that the legislature must
watch for harm, coming from any and
all sources, and provide by law against
it. When Universalism first made it's
la this Commonwealth,
the legislature believed that the great
est harm that could befalI the people
was imminent; that to take hell out of
religion XaB to open up the 4p0dgates
Of everyseonce,vabl viz ana crime,
Now, what was its dutJS
My antagonist refased 10 ahsree the
question at first. I iarTed that nv
question was pertinent; 6nd ~ lnx&th
ae replied, with warM pn6 fons 80
IF the legislature sees Defnk Renn ohS1
n the com mmunity any reli2t ktEh,
n its judgment Il caicuiN H6D6a
harm, like the rum trnIi1& ~
ts bounden duty TO punish ~
he preaching of such relfgion
'tThe dry-goods windowatn Til -
empt thousands OF wonefI 6UA0xfx1u
gance. Many a family troasekx
seea bankrupted thereby. II III
Stature believed this, wouId you hAsa]
hem pass law against such Attxnctkso1
how windows?n
He replied. with characteristics AOslf-
ge:
"If was . legislator. and bellsret
hat these shop windows tempted ~
extravaganza, would an
vote for a law which
houId close them.n
1t became clear. even to the most ar
ent advocates of prohibition in our'l
udience, that my antagonists stat
aent that 1.-The function of the levisla-
are Is to watch the CommonWealth,
nd when danger from amy source is |
to provide against it by
lw,o was not true. It was very
ear to my own mind before we be- |
an, that the real and original sources |
f nine-tenths of our ignorance, bad
ealth, bad morals-of the general /
'retehedness of the human race, were
J far beyond the reach of law or phys
T the impulses in our hearts.
But" you say, these evils are not |
great as the rum curse"
'E PUNISH CRIMES BUT CURE VICES.
It is true that some of the vices /
ave named are not as great as the
ices OF drink; but among crimes, is ii /
defence in the case of man who
eals dollar, that the crime is too
nall. that only man who steals
liIlion should be punished? It il ani
ieouate defence, when bully is ar
,sted for slapping his neighbor in the
ce. that his crime is too small, tfsatl
lly q murder should be pnnished?i
fhether man knocks off his neigh
1r's hat or his head, he must be pun
he'd. All crimes. large and small,
e Justly punished by force of law. All
ces, large and small, must be treated
? reason and persuasion. The abso-
tie necessity for this distinction Rp-
.ars in this paper.
In the very nature OF things, III we
lnish one rice by IEW, we must pun
b nsi vices by Law; and ii that were
,ne, the last man would have to
ach out through his cell door aud
ck himself in-for we are all guilty
vices.
All crimes originate in vice. No 4
an commits crime until his nature
Is been poisoned and demoralized byl
Ice. Vice breeds crime. Vice Is f
le only soil from which crime can /,
ring.
Vices are numerous and iniurious.#