Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1892-12-31
.&THEREAL QUESTION.

- Mr. John Adfs protest against the use
of alcoholic beverages at the annual and
famous banqusts Of the Chamber of Com
merce has made quite stir in this usually
and unusually quiet community. Our es
teemed oontemporarysth the Registers has
taken notieesof thiasti and, its causs,Sand
In a learnsd aud fempsfste way supports
the MfnalHbb Of the Chambers, and
afeasa thsy have as much right to
drink wine at their banquets as Mr.. Adt
and those members of the Chamber who
agree with him have to drink water.
The Register is .entirelyaright, so fer as
tie an4sts1n az iiberty sisScoa.
cs1faed 10 sansss wm afirm-that
being aznsnhsss tths chamber of Com
merce Sispfives q man of any of
his natural ana inalssafable srights. :
But, with "a Hsties lack of sits
usual clear perception, the Rsgis
ter has missed the main point Of the.
discussion. The chief question is whether
the Chamber, by tolerating IN any wagst the
use of wine at it's banqusts, does just the
right thing sY iissis az Tepressatatfve
body and by the community which it
represents. 1t may fairly be argued that
1t Is not wrong for some of the members Of
the Chamber to drink wine at it's bsnquets
As the Register said something about "per
&c." we will also remark that it may not be
wrong ''per se." But tper 30" isn't the
whole of 1t. Many of the members think
1t Is wrong. Mr.. Adj is by no means alone
in his attitude. There are many members
of the Chamber who do not think that
gaiety and good fellowship stimulated by
wine are necessary, and they do
not think that the Chamber is
carrying out its true aims aud purposes
when it, or any part of it, publicly drinks
wine. They do not think that such wine
drinking is good example, especially to
the younger members of the Chamber,
whose success in their chosen pursuits
would be seriously interfered with should
they fall In love with wine. 1t will of
course be said that anybody who can't
stand temptation and who will follow q
poor example ought not to be member of
the Chamber of Commerce of New Haven.
We suppose this is true. 1t is probably
also true that those who may tempt and
those who may set poor example ought
not to belong to that honorable body.
Public opinion is also to be considered
and by public opinion we mean that which
passes for the best public opinion. This
opinion in New Haven is against the ust
of intoxicating drinks as beverage.
looks upon them as seductive, dangerous
and ruinous. 1t undoubtedly condemn
the use of them at such representative
gatherings as the ann ual banquets of th
Chamber of Commerce. We have M
doubt that the Register knows that If i
could make one of its accurate and pic
turesque reports of one of those banquets
and add at the end thereof, "No wine wa
used" large majority of its reader
would say "Good." We know that mos
: of the readers of the 10 uRNAL AND CoUR1E
would give similar testimony, and in tn
ing would be strong that the Chamber ha
done proper and noble thing.
AS we look at 1t, therefore, the questio
is not whether some members of the Chan
ber should exercise an undeniable persons
right and drink what wine they want whe
: they publicly eat in the name of Commere
and Progress, but whether it would not
better, in Difference to the opinions an
feelings of many of the members, and
Difference to the best public opinion,
leave wine altogether out of the banquet
1t has been limited by our esteemed COL
temporary that if this were attempted thel
would be no banquets. We cannot thin
that any large number of the members I
the Chamber are 80 welded to wine as tn
hint would indicate. And we do belize
they are so welded to the true interests
the Chamber and of the community whit
it represents that they could easily refra
from wine at the banquets, If they thong
that by SO doing they were making Il
banquets more useful to all the membs
and more entirely above the criticism of
large, well meaning and conscientious pa
of the public.