The Portland daily press., 1893-05-22

Rev. DIR. Merrill Discusses the Agency,
the Enforcement of the Law and the
Drinking CIubs-There Are Twenty of
Them on Congress street-Responsibility
of Landlords.
At the Second Parish church, yester-
day forenoon, Rev. j. G. Merrill, D. D..
the pastor took for his subject certain
local aspects of the temperance question.
His text was from. Proverbs 20:1-"Wine
is a mocker;;'' and Peter / 6-'In your
knowledge supply temperance He
said:
As this is Sunday which has been set
apart in our Sabbath schools to consider
the evils of intemperance, it has seemed
to me very appropriate thing to look at
some aspects of the temperance question.
which need to be brought over and over
again to our notice, for in the contest
with strong drink, we need eternal
vigilance If we hope ever to win. lido
not intend however to go over the
ground which we have gone over to-
gether on previous occasions. There is
no need of arguing anew many qres-
matter and upon which we have allof us
long ago made up our minds.
But it is my. purpose to discuss the
present issues and in such a way as is be-
coming a gospel minister from the
pulpit and on the Lord day.
At the outset | face the great obstacle
that in our city the temperance question
is ~ ti79 -,
Mixed with Politics.
To certain extent this is inevitable
We cannot gain legislation or execute
laws in our country, save as we vote
and voters almost invariably rank them
selves with political parties but it will
be quite on in the millennium when politi-
cal parties shall have become ideal.
One thing should however be under
stood from the beginning that what a
minister says from the pulpit should be
free from political partisanship. In dis
cussing moral questions he is neither a
Republican, a Democrat nor a Third
Party man.
First,
The Liquor Agency.
This institution is part of our system
as we are trying to carry forward true
temperance. There are uses, to which
distilled liquors must be legitimately
put. They are needed in the arts and
manufactures and, as most of US think,
in medicine, and there ought to be OPP
portunity to purchase them for these /
purposes in an honorable and straight
forward way, no lie S, honorable and
straightforward than in the purchase of
hour and salt.
We're all druggists like some druggists
1T would be safe and wise for the sale of
such commodity to be entrusted to the
Keeping of this branch of trade. But it
goesiwlthout saying that it would take
exceeding. stringent legislation and
very watchful police force to secure the
end for which such sale of liquors is
made at the hands of the druggists as
whole, and that with a law carelessly
drawn up and Indifferent execution of it
the scene which we have had in the
liquor agency would be multiplied many |
fold
AT all events we are by law now shut |
up to the liquor agency, and there are
few of us who do not know that.under
the present laws and with an agency
in the spirit that underlies the |
law, the public could be well serve |
without much hardship to any, and the |
evils that have resulted would cease.
TMonder that the rank and file of our
citizens have the patience to let the polit- |
ical parties of our city use this |
institution as plaything, especially |
when it is so dangerous plaything.
# we could get some Of the boys
nonsense out of some of our politics and |
act like new men there would be one
less disagreeable,thi in our town. And
am glad to observe that under the
bther reason the past few weeks there
has been marked, improvement in the
lgency, and every appearance goes to
show that its business is, for the time
being, more legitimate.
1t takes public opinion and opinions
publicly expressed to keep matters as
they should beso long as human nature
is SO fond of strong drink and will use
interruptions methods to secure it. And
1t is the plain duty of all the citizens to
side themselves with those who main
tain that city institution could be car
ried on not only according to the letter
but also according to the spirit of the
law. And when this is done the liqnor
agency will be an honor to Portland. |
Another thing that lies at the door of
Jul CiIlZtllS. LII Is 10
Sustain Public Officers
who are trying to do their duty. Mat
tiers have come to sad pass if Christian
men and women refuse to give credit to a
public officer doing his duty because the
officer was elected by the party to which
they do not belong
am heartily ashamed of any Republi-
can who can give no credit to the pres
ent chief magistrate of our country be-
cause he was elected by the Democrats,
who tries to find some ..evil motive for
every really good thing that he does.
The same principle holds good in the |
case of all public officers. Whatever be
their party affiliations we ought to give
them the credit of doing their duty and
sustain them while doing it.
Whatever may be our personal opin-
ions in the matter, the laws of our COM
forbid the sale of intoxica-
ting liquors as a beverage. By the same
laws it is made the duty of certain pub
lie officials to execute these laws, and
true patriotism demands that good citi-
zens should sustain the executive in his