Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1885-08-27
THE TEMPERANCE AGITATION


No one can ignore the evils of intern
perance. They are shown in the records
of our courts. in wrecked homes, in pow
erty and degradation, and more pitiful
and painful still, in the ruin of natures
originally bright and noble. The ques-
ton is, how to lessen the evils which
are so patent to all. The Prohibitionists,
in their fanaticism have gone 50 far as to
recommend that raisin water, a kind Of
wine made from the grape dried in the
sun or by artificial means, be substituted
at the communion table for pure and
genuine wine. Rev. w. w. Landrum,
now of Richmond, Va, but formerly a
pastor of a Memphis Baptist Church,
and who lost two promising sons in this
city by the yellow fever scourge, boldly
raisin water at the Communion table
would be subterfuge and sacrilege. One
extreme begets another, aud the enemies
to prohibition have boldly assumed
hat the Bible does not teach
total abstinence, that although the
Savior condemned other fragrant sins, He
blessed and did not curse the cup; aud
that His first miracle was the change of
water into wine; aud that He depicted
His Church as a grapevine; and that He
did not forbid the use of wine; and that
any attempt to dodge the Biblical facts
of sacramento wine conservation is ar
rant hypocrisy, Il fraud and a delusion.
Men cannot be made temperate by fierce,
p~roscriptive ensetments. A law is worth
less unless sustained by public sentiment.
AS far back as 1876 the constitution Of
Virginia forbade the sale of wine and ar
dent spirits. But drinking vent on just
the same, and the people were placed in
the attitude of outlaws, because they
daily violated with IMMUNITY what was
forbidden by law. Drunkenness is a sin
aud a crime, but it cannot be put down
by extreme sumptuary legislation. The
right of every man to decide for himself
on this question must be recognized. t.
show the dangerous assumptions of the
temperance fanatics, we give below Mr..
Bayard's famous letter written FIVE years
ago:
WASHINGTON. d. C. March S. 1880.
Ny Dear Sir-I do not like to intrude
my opinions unasked for upon members
of the Legislature.
1 agree with you in thinking local OPP
ton" laws OF very doubtful constitution
atty, and positively inexpedient.
AS 1 understand them they submit p
Law to popular vote, in local districts, and
this defeats the principle of our govern
ment, which is representative in its char
acter, and places the whole law-making
power and discretion in the Legislature
and not in the people in their mere numer-
Gus force and primary capacity.
II punishment of criminals was to be
adiudgsd and inflicted by local option"
instead OF through acts of Legislature
executed by Judges and ~juries, it would b
held wholly at variance with our theory
of government, and yet TO apply such 8
rule Is 40 widespread and daily a habit as
the use Of alcoholic or fermented bever-
ages is in NV judgment quite as un ale.
So far as my experience goes, a well reg |
ulated system OF licenses, whereby rev. I
enue is largely brought into the public
treasury, coupled with severe penalties for
Illicit sale, hes proved the most efficient
check upon the abuse Of liquor traffic.
In many respects the question is 8
eumptuary one, and laws attempting t !
establish sumptuary regulations become |
inQuisitorial and impossible of execution, |
so that in those communities in this couu- |
try where they have been enacted, they /
have either aggravated the evil they were
intended to prevent, or have fallen into
contempt and use'essness and been re- I
pealed. |
The statements / have seen OF the real |
condition of those communities in which |
total prohibition has been attempted, |
impressed me very strongly in confrma-
ton OF these views.
Personal influence and example and
precept and the recognition of the great
truth that intemperance in the use oi
stimulants of ali kinda is a morbid physi
cal fact both in cause and effect, is, in my
judgment, the proper view to |
with. Statistics abundantiy prove that
the attempted suppression by statutes OF
the use Of alcoholic stimulsnts is accom- |
panied by an increase in the use of
oPiates, and that open drinking being
stopped, secret drinking ensnes.
j do not believe any man has a greater
horror Of intempeTance than l, aud my |
appreciation Of its dangers and evil effects
grows with my experience OF human al
tairs; but the graver the evil, the more
essential TO apply the right principle TO its
cure, and for the reasons l have stated
and any Others, | hope the experiment
of focal option" will not be tried by our
Legislature, but increased checks under
the license system be continued. Yours
sincerely, t.. F. BAYARD.
The views expressed by Dir. Bayard
five years ago have recently been en-
phasized by Democrats in their State
conventions. High license and moral
~suasion seem to be the weapons with
which Democrats intend to fight the
evils of intemperance. Those who join
the societies do so voluntarily, and be-
cause their enlightened conscience urges
them to set a good example. The efficacy
of high license has been demonstrated by
the operations of the new law in Wiscon-
sin, which provided for an increase of
the minimum license fee from SIS TO
500. By polling nearly 100 cities and
towns a Milwaukee paper shows that the
aggregate number of saloons has been re- J