Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-08-15
SOME DEMOCRATIC DOCTRINES
on PROHIBITION.
What Leading Men in the Party Have
Said on This Question-Lack OF
Power as Well as Its FutiIity.

Our legislatorsare not sufficiently ap-
praised OF the rightful limits OF their
power; that their true Office Is to declare
and enforce only our natural rights and
duties, and take none of them from us.
No man has q natural right to commit
aggression on the equal rights of anoth-
er, and this is all from which the law
ought to restrain him; every man is
under the natural duty of contributing
to the necessities of society, and this all
the laws ought to enforce on him; and
no man having a natural right to be the
Judge between himself and another, it
is his natural duty to submit to the UNI
plrage Of an impartial third. When
the laws have declared and enforced all
this, they have fulfilled their functions,
and the idea is quite unfounded that on
entering into society we give up any
natural right.-ThOmas Jefferson,
1t is no part of the duty of the State
to coerce the individual man, except
so far as his conduct may affect others;
not remotely and consequentially, but
by violating rights which legislation
can recognize and undertake to protect.
The opposite principles leaves no room
for Individual reason and conscience,
trusts nothing to self-culture and SUBJ
stitutes the wisdom of the Senate and
Assembly for the plan of moral govern
ment ordained by Providence. The
whole progress of society consists in
learning how to attain, by the indepen-
dent action or voluntary association of
individuals, those objects which are at
first attempted only through the agency
of government and in lessening the
sphere of legislation and enlarging that
of the individual reason and conscience
Samuel J. Tilden. .,
I owe it to the subject and to the
friends of the measure to add the ex.
preston of my belief, that intemper.
ance can not be extirpated by prohibi-
tory laws; they are not consistent with
sound principles of legislation. Like
DEGREES to regulate religious creeds OF
forms of worship, they provoke resist.
ence where they are designed to force
obedience. The effort to suppress in.
temperance by unusual and arbitrary
measures proves that the legislature il
attempting to do that which is NOT
within its province to enact, or its pow.
/ OA w CllAOASCs
correct abuses in the manufacture, sale
or use ofintoxicating liquors; it can dc
no more. All experience shows that
temperance, like other virtues, it is moi
produced by law makers, but by the in
tiuence of education, morality and re-
ligion.-Horatio Seymour.
So far as my experience goes, a wei
regulated system of license whereby
revenue is largely brought into the pub
lie treasury, coupled with severe pen
alties for illicit sales, has provided tn,
most efficient check upon the abuse O
the liquor traffic. In MANY respects tn,
1 question is sumptuary one, the law
attempting to establish sumptuary regu
lations become inquisitorial and i'm
possible Of execution, SO that in thos
communities Of this country wher
they have been enacted, they have eth
er aggravated the evil where INTENDED
to prevent, or have fallen into con
tempt and uselessness, and been re
pealed.-Thomas F. Bapard. M