The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1885-09-12
TOTAL ABSTINENCE.

ing through legislative enactment
an enforcement of total abstinence
from use of malt and spirituOus
liquors, so long waged in the East
ern States, has arisen in some of the
Southern States, and especially in
Louisiana it has become matter
of practical import to oar people,
each for himself to thonghttully
consider the various phases alike OF
the good or evil, the right or wrong,
as well as the practicability or inetfi-
cheney of state and parcchial legis
lation to secure the enforcement of
such total abstinence.
In the discussion of this subject,
though engrossing the attention OF
quite a number OF our respected
state contemporaries, the HERALD
does not, for the present at least,
propose to participate, further than
to furnish its readers with the
opinions of those who have given
the subject such mature reflection
as to be worthy of consideration.
This week we have space only for
the opinions of two persons, one is
Mr.. s. Il Hedlund, editor of the
Gothenburg Commercial and Ship
ping Journal, and originator of
what is known as the Gothenburg
licensing system. In considering
the conclusions thus formed by this
great swedish temperance reformer
it would be well to bear in mind
that excepting Denmark and Meth
erlands, the Swedes, previous to the
efforts of Mr.. Hedlund and associates,
consumed, per capita, a greater
quantity of spirits than any other
country in the world.
Says Mr.. Hedlund:
We satisfied ourselves that in
temperance is not caused by the
cravings of a coarse senSuality
alone. That the treacherous quality
of brandy to warm, if but for a time,
the shivering and thinly clad frame,
to assuage the cravings Of hunger,
to stimulate the falling strength of
the over-worked and poverty-strick-
Ell, are reasons both for its use and
abuse too often overlooked by
temperance reformers. Squalid, un,
healthy dwellings,, wretched cloth.
ing, poor and insufficient tood--all
these combined produce a state OF
detection and debility, moral and
physical, which persons who have
investigated the subject consider a
leading cause of drunkenness among
the poorer classes, suffering as they
do from want and manifold priva.
ton.
The other opinion, which, like the
preceding, is in opposition to the
compulsory enforcement of "total
abstinence" is that found in the
address of Gov. Hoailey to the
democracy Of Ohio, on the 9th inst,
wherein he says:
We are opposed to sumptuary
Legislation and in favor of licensing
the traffic in Intoxicating liquors
We believe in self.control, and that
the true remedy against the tempta
ton of liquor drinking is to make
happy homes and that personal
liberty should not be destroyed by
law, except where its exercise is
clearly wrong. No man seeks to
license houses of i'll fame or gam
bling houses simply because the
wrong in such cases is in the use
and not the abuse, but the traffic
in Intoxicating liquors is the legiti
mate subject of license, because
their use is beneficial and only the
abuse injurious and destructive.
That which Christian and st. Paul
encouraged and Mahommed dis
couraged; that which the great Pope
Of the great reformers, tue LeoS, the
Gregories, Luther aad Calvin, en-.
courdged; that which Shakespeare
aud Goethe and Ceramics used,
Burns defended in song; the wine OF
Ohio which Longtellow has cele-
DRAFTED i'll immortal verse-wine
which has been III daily use by the
Most sober of nations and has fur.
nished a daily drink to the most
civilized of people which keeps
Kaiser Wilhelm and many other
ancients in health and life, is not
always an evil as beverage; but it
is liable to abuse, and therefore we
propose to regulate it by license, to
give it the sanction and protection
OF the law subject to conditions re-
curing the vendors engaged in this
traffic to behave themselves, to
keep them in proper neighborhoods,
and we propose to charge the traffic
fee Tor the privilege OF carrying on
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