Year: 1867

I The Temperance Question.


1t must be gratifying to every we'll
disposed citizen to find that the tenn
perance question is again being agi-
tated in social and family circles
throughout the country, and that the
associations that exist for the suppress
sion Of the vice of intemperance are
in a most flourishing condition. It is
to early to predict that a general
reformation is about to take place,
such as happened many years ago
under the WashingtoniOn movement ;
but that there is great necessity for
reform in this particular, no one can
deny. The excitement attendant upon
! the recent rebellion led many into vio-
! lent excesses in the use of strong
drinks, and the result is, that habits
have been contracted which are not on
Iy ruinOus to individuals, but dangerous
to society. Under these circumstances
every good citizen will hail with
pleasure the Inauguration of a move
ment which aims to reform some of
the evils which accrue from the eXces-
sive use of strong liquors.


But temperance refOrmers, like all
others, are liable to commit errors.
In many quarters we perceive that
there is a disposition to abandon the
old and effective agency Of moral
suasion, and to seek the interpOsitiOn
of the law. They would force men
who are free to become sober " by
statute" and an agitation is now go
ing on in Temperance circles on this
question. We had thought that the
utter failure of the Main-law move
ment to reform drunkards by civil en-
actment, would have taught the
friends of temperance that the only
manner in which temperance princi-
pies can be successfully prOpagated IS
! by persistent and unwearying efforts
by individuals and associations de-
voted to the cause. 1t is very desira-
! BILE that all men and women should
be pious; butt is a well known fact
in history, that in those countries
where the law on the subject Of re-
IIigion were the most arbitrary, the
people were the most impiOus, pro-
fame and degraded. The human race
naturally revolts at being forced to do
by law what ought to be done vOlun-
tariIv; hence it is that all attempts
to force religious or moral principles
down peoples thrOats by civil law
have totally failed hence it is that
the Main-law movement was failure,
and that the WashingtOnian move


nent was a great success.


In some quarters we notice a deter
mination on the part of well meaning
men to incorporate the prohibition
Temperance question into the policy
and platforms of the Republican party
throughout the United States. Thus
far in the West, no direct attempt OF
the kind has been made, nor do we
have any apprehensiOns on the sub
iect. We know what have been the
results of all such attempts heretofore,
Last year the temperance question
somehow or other got dragged into
the New York elections, and the con-
sequence was that the Democratic
candidate for Governor carried New
York city by such an overwhelming
majority, that the entire Republican
State ticket was endangered. This
year the same question was identified
/ Indirectly with the Republican elec-
tions in Maine, and we find a reduc-
ton in the Republican majority Of
about twelve thousand votes. 1t. is
very evident, therefore, that the per,
sistency with which the temperance
men are pushing their favorite
schemes can result only in one thing
the reinstatement of the Democrat,
ic party into power. How such a
consumatiOn can aid the temperance
cause, we are at a loss to imagine, foI
it is well known all through our
broad country that the Democratic
party is the last place to look fol-
assistance in carrying forward such d
I reformation.


We wish the temperance cause al
prosperity, and hope the variou:
associations now at work will continue
their labors; but, to be successful,
they must employ only those argu-
ments that reach only the hearts and
the minds of the peoplC.-[Chicagc
Republican.