The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-01-31
TEMPERANCE.
The TEMPERANCE LEAGUE.

THE TEMPERANCE LEAGUE.
A Broad, Unsectarian and bipartisan Or
ganlzation--Its Name, objects and Meth
ODDS.
Last week there was organized in
Boston society which we hope and
believe will have g long and wide reign
of usefulness. 1t is designed to oppose,
in every proper and effective way, the
sale and use of Intoxicating drinks
The time has come when the power and
resources OF the rum interests are better
understood and more accurately meas
ured than they used to be; and out of
the mistakes and failures of the past
has come, at least to many minds, the
conviction that the evil can not be over
thrown by any one scheme or party,
but must be antagonized by many meth
DDS and by united force. The folly of
friends falling out and fighting each
other, because of difference of opinion,
has been illustrated again and again;
but the oft-enforced lesson is learned
slowly, and the liquor dealers have
prolited by this obtuseness of their foes
The National Temperance League,
which has been organized by Dr.
Dorchester, whose recent book on the
"Drink Question " is mine of cor
rect information, DR. Edward Everett
Hale eX=lxopernoI Long and. other
solid reformers of Massachusetts and
other States, is the only National Tenn
perance Association, except of women,
which is broad, unsectarian and I'M
partisan, and it ought to spread speedi-
ly into every State in the Union. What
has been accomplished by the Women's
National Christian Union for sobrietv
and society it would be impossible TO
compute If there has been any other
organization which has done as much
we can not name it, The National
Temperance League-league is a very
fit and expressive word for such an or
ganization will be in some sense a
complement to the Women's Union, as
its members are chiefly, though not
wholly, of the other sex. Both men
and women are among its officers, of
whom the following list is given:
President, Rev. D Dorchester, D. D.. of
Plumb, D. D., of Boston; Treasurer, Hon.
Joseph D. Weeks, of Pittsburgh; Directors,
the officers and Hon. Oliver Hoyt, of Con
necticut; Lewis Miller, of Ohio: J. V. Far
well, of Illinois; Rev. f. f. Hale, d. D., Mrs.
Mary A. LivermOre and Mrs. c. S. Prescott, of
Massachusetts, and Mrs. Annie Wittenmyer,
of Pennsylvania.
The platform of the League is broad
and strong. We give three of the arti-
cles of the constitution.
" ART. l. The name of this organization
shall be The National League non-partisan
and non-sectartan) for the Suppression of the
Liquor Traffic
TART. III. Objects: l. The enforcement of
laws against the liquor traffic. 2. The with
drawal of legal sanction from the liquor
traffic. 3. The suppression of the liquor
traffic. A. Our ultimate purpose is, by constl-
tMtiopl and statutory provisions to Danish
the liquor traffic from the land.
ART. w.. Methods: DisCarding partisan
entangiements. we announce OR sole pta'-
pose to be. the suppression of the liquor
traffic; and for this we propose: /. To
create and intensity public sentiment by the
pulpit, the platform and the press. 2. To edu-
cate the young, in the public schools and else
where, a. to the nature and effects of alcoholic
liquors. 3. To use all legitimate civil legisla-
ton, and to refer the question, for final deciS-
ion to the constitutional verdict of the people.
We invite persons of all classes. creeds,
parties and States to unite on this platform,
and work and vote against the liquor traffic
without exposing the cause with its varied in
and theperils of party politics"
On such a platform as this all who
hate the rum traffic and love sobriety,
peace and good morals, can work in
harmony. In some States and COM
munities the most that can be done at
present is to enforce restrictive laws; in
others, Local Option and Constitutional
Prohibition are feasible But every
where there is a great work to be done
in cultivating public sentiment, the
ultimate aim being suppression, COM
ple4e Constitutional suppression, so that
the liquor traffic will become as dead rs
the slave traffic.
We greet the League, on this the
centenary of the Temperance Reforma-
ton in this country. Its motto might
very appropriately be that of John
Wesley, slightly altered: 81 want a
league offensive and defensive with
every friend of Temperance. We
trust that DR.. Dorchester's suggestion
of celebration this year of the centen-
airy of Temperance reformation, as in
augurated by DR.. Rush's labors, and
particularly by his celebrated essay on
THE Effects of Ardent Spirits on the
Human Mind and Body will be carried
Out.-M Y. Independcnt