Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1885-01-23
Pa5liIsed BY R,gata.
LIQUOR AND THE LAW.
Rev. DIR. Brisfor at the Northwestern
Tabernacle

Despite the incisneni weather tn. North vest
IRA Temperance Tabernacle vas crowded last
night by a large sgdI.ac--msny le.iing tenn
psrNnCe workers Of The city occupying tn. plat
'orm-io listen 10 An address or sermon upna
lac temperance issue delivered ~ the R-r Or
Bristor. Of The Newark VI L Coaf.ren,.
Throughout III. delivery OF the sermon, hy IN
mist ksble signs, the audience approved OF the
position upon the subject taken bv the speaker
Having announced scriptural text. the sp- Ak
er said that the evil OF intemp-rsnc- VS. so
universally admitted as no, 10 need -rgam.nt
The necessity By some means OF curtsilin.
or d-str"vlng the evil VAS conceded nv all los
srs Of their kind Various remedies had been
rIed Secret Temperance sosi-ii.s. with such
an object in view, had been organized every-
where, bat, while b-lpfui to Ihe csus- their
lmpotency TO largely diminish or DESTROY the
evil has become ptteut. Moral suasion had
proven also 4 comparative failure The n-ces e
'ity for using in sone ~,y the power Of the
Iaw IN legal enactment was generally Concgrr~i
IN. How, where, when such enactment should
ne made. was great question dividing even
ardent temperance advocates Some favored
local option, Others dem nied statusrv prohi
lion some would even he satisfied with high
license tax sad the dealers liahi'ily for all
damages to and by the driuker The mistake
IS 10 high license tax attaining The end sought
IS evident. Such policy would but result in
leaving the business in the hands OF the wealth
Ter dealers, without materially affecting the Il.
mount OF liquor consumed Local option. de
nandng The 81 omission o. the sale Of liquor to
the votes of the local community, 10, after all
at heart u prohibit0ry movement
has the state or u.'ional government n.
right to prohibit the sale or manuftrture pf ii
quors? UndoubtrdIy, yes. The chief purpose
Of all laws md TIL only Object as claimed ov
some l"galists-is to protect the inilviiuals
making no community. Willis tn. REFORM.
ton OF the offender may be one Object in the
building Of iai-, etc, certainly III. desideraIum
is, through the Incarceration and punishment
Of the vicious, to protect the lives and propert,
Of the citizens. To make war on mere opinions
is not within the province Of the law Men
mEy believe in communism and remain unmo-
Tested men may believe in the ind viduals'
right TO publicly swear when they choose
With these opinions no human laws can deal
but the instant these special advocates put their
theories into practice they become law breakers
and ameuable. So there is no desire upon the
part of temperance advocates to enact laws
compelling opinion upon this subject but the
effort is morally to create a public opinion
which shall enact laws, not against thos. who
think coa:rariwise but against those who vio-
late the statute.
Nor is the statement that we seek to enact
sumptusry laws correct one. No one claim.
the legal right 10 declare just what men may or
may not eat or drink. Decayed meats and veg
etaoles, men, If they choose. may eat, but the
one who sells the articles becomes a lawbreak.
er. But. if even eating or drinking has its sf-
feet upon the community, then the law may
step in and dscids that question, NAV not
drink poison, in New Y,rk state, with the in
tsntion Of ending my own sorrows, but that
b, come q lawbreaker; for the state officials emf
pIoy medical skill to restore the vitality and
counteract the swallowed poison only after
wards to punish me for the act.