The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1890-01-02

The S.. Lruis Globe Democrat says, In
veiw of the numerous secrssions from
he National Woman's Christian Temper
4nee Union all over the country, that
st is a great pity that the union did not
adhere to its original policy and pur
pose, and thus avert the disaster that is
now plainly impending"
The trouble with the union is, that,
under the leadership of misguided fanat-
les, il has adopted the false assumption
that temperance means prohibition, and
then has sought to secure prohibition by
D. litics and to enforce il by assuming
he functions of police officers and
adopting methods detestable to every
liberty loving and self-respecting man
md woman. II has placed the cart be.
fore the horse and acted upon the theory
that if liquor be not made and sold, it
will not be drank; and while il has been
prohibiting" and enforcing. "men have
gone right on drinking and intemper-
ince has wrecked thousands of homes.
Had these same Christian women rec
ngnized the fact that men do not drink
because liquor is made and sold, but
that it is made and sold because men
want it to drink, had they devoted all
the time and energy they have wasted
IN attacking the top branches to an ear
nest effort at the root of the trouble, and
had they set an example of temperance
IN their own methods, the temperance
cause to-day would be much further ad-
vanced, and their union would have the
hearty support of all good men and
women, where now it is practically with
out influence, confidence or respect
,mOng intelligent and broad-minded
people, and in some localities is actually
an object only Of derisiOn and contempt.
Any effort to promote temperance or
total abstinence must appeal to reason
and the moral sense of the individual,
secure its attention, confidence and res.
Dect, and then lead it to see where its
own danger and its safety lie and only
by proceeding upon this basis, and by
leaving to legislators the framing and
adoption, and to properly constituted
authority the enforcement of police reg
ulafions regard ng the liquor traffic,
can the union hope to accomplish any
thing in the good work that It has now
undertaking at the wrong end.
AS fast as the union shall convince
The people that it is for their moral and
material good to be temperate or even
70 abstain entirely, just so fast will the
people shape their laws in harmony with
such conviction. As fast as the union
shall decrease the demand for intoxicat-
ing beverages, just so fast will the manu-
facture and sale be reduced.
Temperance is purely a moral ques-
zion. one that must be settled in the con-
.cience of the individual; and the Christ
IAN women of the land can perform a
great work, in which they will have
general and cordial support, il only they
will begin at the right end-the individ-
ual moral sense. They can never, how
Aver. by law make any man or woman
moral. now can they enforce any law
hat does not command the support Of
the moral sense of the community at
large or that does not recognize the right
If the individual to decide for himself a
moral question tff-cting only himself.
Reason and eduCation can influence
the conscience, politics and police, never.