The temperance banner. (Penfield, Ga.) 18??-1856, December 11, 1852, Image 1
VOL. XVIII
IHii. JJtifIPERANGE BAMviER i
IS THE
Organ of the Sons of Temperance
AND OF THE
State Convention of Georgia:
PUBLISHED WEEKLY,
nr BGVJAUM ItKAN'I'LY.
O” Term*—One Dollar a year,in advance.
Letters must be Post paid, to receive at- ;
tention.
jols OF TEMPERANCE.
Plcdjfe of tin* Soils of Teinpe
faiice.--1, without reserve, solemnlv pledge !
my honor as a man that I will neither make, buy, |
sell nor use, as a beverage , any Spirituous or
Malt Liquors. Wine or Cider.
Officers of HieCiraiid Division,
K. H. Myers, G. W. P. Macon.
B. Brantly. G. W. A. Penfield.
W. S. Williford, S. Scribe, Macon.
E. C. Guanniss, G. Treas. Macon.
]). P. Jones, G. Chap. Palmetto. j
\Vm. Woods. G. Con. Madison. ]
T 8 M 3loodworth,G Sent. Liberty Hi 1 1
CADETS OF TEMPERANCE.!
Vl.l :im. i:
No member shall make, buy, sell or use ;
as a beverage,any spirituous or malt liquors j
wine or cider.
Officers of tl Cirnild Section. ;
J. W. Bf.nson, G. P. Macort. j
B. Burton, G. A. P. Pondtown. l
L. C. Simsov, G. 8. &. ‘i'. Atlanta. i
Rev. J. 8. Wilson, G. C. Decatur.
S. M. 11. Byrd, (j. G. Oxford, j
\V\ P King, G. W. Thomnstou
1. O. of lietiiistbile*.
Olßoers of Georgia Dist. Tent, No. Sip, loon- :
ted nt Washington, Wilkes Go.,Ga.:
John It. Smith, DP. C. It. Washington, |
0. it. Hsnleiier, D. C. It. Atlanta,
Rev. G. G. Norman,D. D. R. V\ astiington !
A. 11. Sneed, 1) R 8. „
PI li O’Neal, D F. 8. „
].. I‘\ Carrington, D. T.
C. W. Hancocit, D, L. .1
tteclmbUc’s Plcdife.
1 hereby declare, that 1 will abstain from all !
intoxicating liquors,and will nol give, nor oiler ,
them to others, except in religious ordinances, 1
or when prescribed, in good faith, by a medi
cal practitioner ; I Will not engage ill the traf- j
tic ot them, and in all suitable ways will dis-i
Countenance the use, sale and manufacture ol
them ; and to the utmost of my power, 1 will j
endeavor to spread the principles of abstinence
Jrrtni all intnxioatinßliquors
Fur the. Temperance Banner.
Mr. Editor :—Having a little lcis-j
tire, at present, from the busy cares of j
life, 1 avail myself of your kind and!
liberal tender of the columns of the j
Banner, to scribble you another coin- j
municaiion ; and although it may not
be exactly suited to the “taste” of the!
“collar boys,” it may serve as an agree- j
able variety to many of your readers
k who do nut wear the “hames and be |
assured, my dear sir, that I am uncon- j
sc'u’US of being actuated by any other!
motive than that of “love, ” —love to!
God, my country and my kind. I .
have no quarrel with men, hut with j
things, which I honestly believe are’
evil in their nature and tendt ncy, and
which, in my opinion, clogs the wheels
of the temperance car, freighted with
incalculable blessings for my country
and the human race.
It is true, as you remarked, that 1
am ‘*still hostile to the Order of the
Sons,” as I am to all secret societies,
no matter fir what ostensible purpose
gotten up, and lor reasons indica
ted in a former communication;
their iucongeniality with the republi
can institutions ol our country, and
their tendency to venality, corruption
and crime. Another, and not the least,
among other reasons for my “uncom
promising attack upon the Order, is,
their near assimilation to the vciou s in
stitutions of Free Masons and Odd T el
lows, which induces the belief they are
thiir spurious offspring. And the fact,
too, that they act as preparatory schools,
(like the Order of Jesuits to Popery) to
train our rising youth, the future hope
of the church and country, to submit
to the degredation and crime of being
“ stripped, hoodwinked, cable-towed and
led ’ like condemned culprits, to the
Masonic altar, and there take upon
themselves their impious oaths and hor
rid, sanguinary penalties, disgrace!ul
\eveo to a savage cannibal, much more
a civilized man, claiming to be a c.hris
lian, and contrary too to the laws of
God and the country; than which, no
institutions are, in my judgment, more
dangerous to good government, vital
piety, and individual rights and safety.
A popular temperance lecturer, pop
ular at least with the Sons, being on
s yfthe fraternity, remarked, not I“"g
since in a public harangue. iVg r re.
t Masons and Odd Fellows ought, above
allolhein, to join the Sons; because
the Sons had and were still doiug so j
much for them, by removing objections
from the minds of the people against
secret societies, and thus preparing
them to join those Orders. In this re
mark lliero is ceitainly much “more
truth than poetry for truly it has
been a time of unprecedented ingath
ering to those lodges, since the organi
zation of the Sons, which ought to
afou.se to serious consideration and
watchfulness, all who are acquainted
with the true history, nature and ten- j
dency of tiiose sinful, oath-bound se-j
Ctet associations. And those who are)
uninformed and desire light upon the j
subject, are refeired to the very able
uml unanswerable letters of the late
Hon. John Quincy Adams, upon the.
“Masonic Institution,” and “Illustra
tions of Masonry,” by William Mor
• gun, u Master Mason, who was kidnap- ‘
i ped and murdered, by his Masonic breth- j
yren, at the instigation of a number of!
i “Lodges, Chapters and Encampments ” 1
|of the Order, in the year 1826, for re.
, vealing the secrets of ttie crait, which
he had sworn to keep inviolably, under
the penalty of mutilation and death in
its most horrid forms, to which is ap
pended the confession of Henry L. Va
lance, one of hisiliasonfc murderei s,pub
! lished in 1850, bv Mathew Gardiner,
| Cincinnati, and to be had ofEward At
i Goshoin, 161, Main Street, oftliat city,
j Also, “Albyns Ritual of Masonry,” a
j Knight Templet, who had taken thirty
I degrees in Masonry and received the
••sealed obligation” by drinking wine
! out nj a “human scull,” called the!
| “liftli libation,” and who was highly j
I esteemed by the fraternity until hedis. i
j closed the horrid murder of Morgan, to j
j the civil authorities; after which, he I
; was persecuted with vindictive Masonic
slander; which, with Stuarts and other
works upon the same subject, may be
procured of William Gowans, New
York: all of them worthy to be read
land pondered most seriously by every
| Christian, philanthropist and patriot.—
flu Masonic o.itli.s, obligations and pen
: allies, as revealed by Morgan, were cer
tified to be true by a convention of ae
| ci eding Masons, held at Lo Hoy, New
Yotk, numbering two bundled or more,
soon after the cold blooded murder of
: Morgan, by this pretended “hand maid
of religion.” Tne too successful ei
; torts of this real “hand maid” of the
devil in thwarting and defeating the just
1 administration ot the luwsol the coun
: try, in the investigations of the Morgan
| murder crimes, in the courts of New
i York, for live years, is clearly portrayed
by the graphic pen ot Mr. Adams, in
! ihe letters refeired to, which fully dem
onstrates the vicioiisuess and danger of
the Masoic ami all similar secret asso
ciations. Franco was morally and re
ligiously ruined by Voltaire and his
unholy coadjutors through the instru
mentality ot secret societies, gotten up
for the purpose, which was soon fol
lowed by the bloody “Reign of Terror,”
brought about by secret jacobinioal
clubs, or societies, in consequence.—
And it will,no doubt,he remembered by
many of your readers, the conspiracy
ol the notorious Aaron Burr, once high
the estimation of the people, carried on
by secret combinations, which, had tie
succeeded, would, in all probability,
have involved this country in a bloody
war with a powerful foreign nation.—
And, sir, you have informed your
readers in the Banner of the 18th Bept.
1 last, without note or comment, of an
other similar secret, oath-bound associa
tion, called the “Order of the lone
Star,” with its numerous “Divisions”
and “.veil-filled coffers,” gotten up in
violation of the principles of our nation,
al neutiulity and solemn treaty with a
| friendly power, under the specious pre
text of “extending the area of of Lib.
: erty.” But it is to hoped “Uncle Satri”
will keep a sharp look out uud frustrate
the evil designs of those Lodges of ban.
ditti, or free hooters. And we are told,
too, as if that sanctified the deed, that
some “ divines ” have joined this new
“Order,” as is the case with all the se
cret-oath and solemn vow-bound instilu
! tions of the dav, to the letting down of
! the dignity of the niinisteri il character,
! contrary to the hi hie injunctions, and to
the injury <sf the peace, purity and
! prosperity of tho church of Christ,
which they were under paramount obli
gations to preserve and promote.
! When lam told by such “divines,”
that God has require and me to “be notun
’ equally yoked together with unbelievers,
\ but to come out from among them,” and
that “the friendship of the world is en
mity with God,” and “whosoever there
fore will be the friend of the world is the
enemy of God ;” may i not with pro
priety use the language of my Lord
and master and say, “physician heal.
’ thyself?” 1 think I may, and feel my
; self sustained by some of the best com
mentators upon God’s word. Ihe
Apostle Paul charged his Ephesian
: brethren to “have no fellowship with
I the unfruitful works of darkness, but
i rather reprove them and that great
antiquarian, Dr. Adam C ork, ->)•,
PENFIELD, GA. DECEMBER 11, 1852.
that tho Apostle had reference to the
1 very corrupt Eleusinian mysteries, or
j secret societies of the ancients, claimed
by masonic writeis of out day, to he
the Free masonry of that day, which
Dr. Clark further tolls us. was put
down by the government of the coun
try, for their very wicked’ practices. —
Voltaire and Dr. Wieshaupg notorious
lor their impious attempt to destroy the |
Christian religion, were both gladly re- |
eeived into the masonic fraternity, and j
many others of like kidney; and the
Sons tell us they will receive just such)
execrable charaote p s into their fond |
j fraternal embrace of “Love, Purity and j
I Fidelity,” and entitle them to uil the I
privileges of the Order and the benefits]
of their charity funds, in preference to 1
a so lie ring disciple of Cinist, wiio hup
i pe.is to he an outsider.” How far such
j tilings tallies with the word of God, let
1 the intelligent Bible reader judge.
It is matter of surprise to me, that
; while the nations ul Europe are perfect
'ly aw ake to the danger of secret socie
i ties, and historians tell us of their cor
rupt practices in ancient times, and
modern developments from their vi
eiousuess and criminality, the people
and our State governments, particular
ly of the South, should ba so indiffer
ent upon the subjectjnotwithstauding the
warning voice of a Jefferson, a Han
cock, the two^Adams’, and a host of
other patriots, distinguished for wisdom,
virtue nod patriotism. It is, no doubt,
known to many of your readers, that
the negroes of some of the free soil
States have been formed into Masonic
Lodges, and very probably into all the
! secret organizations of the day; and
j who knows hut they may he secretly
I extended to our black population, free
j and slave, uml used by abolitionists to
! carry out their fanatical ami diabolical
schemes of emancipation. No organi
zation, in iny opinion, would he better
suited to effect or facilitate their
schemes of revolt among our black
population.
Mr, Adams and Mr. Alhyn, infirm
us in their hooks referred to, of the pro
scriptive policy of the Masons in order
to monopolize office and accumulate
■ power, in the States and federal gov
ernment, which caused the regretted
, necessity of organizing a political unti
f | Masonic party at the North, in self de
! | fence and to preserve our republican
j institutions iii their purity; and I have
Ino doubt the same proscriptive policy
: j is, to some extent, practiced by all the
j secret societies of the day, both in trade
| and politics. Already this leaven of
| unrighteous has begun to work among
! the immaculate Sons, filled with love,
purity and fidelity, as the following fuels
prove: Fruvious to a lute general elec
tion, in the county where I reside, the
two political parties in the county, se
lected their respective candidates for
tho State legislature and placed them
before the people for their suffrages; one
a Son, the other not. A few* of the old
I whiskey drinking political friends of
the Son, determined not to vote tor him
because lie had become a Son, and it
was thought ho would not bo eluded in
consequence. In this state ot uncer
tainty tiie day of election came, when
som twenty or thirty Sons of the oppo
j site political party, (according, no
I doubt, lo previous arrangement,) oast
| their votes for their mystic brother in
| “love, purity and fidelity,” ard sueceed
!ed in electing him by a few votes; and
j this abandonment of their party was
| lauded to the skies, by many, of the
! leading Shis, and others, us a “triumph
|of principle.” Yes, sir, this übandon
! ment of political principle and virtually
jof the country, for the interests of a
j secret society, or for one of its members,
! merely because lie was a member, was
i called a “triumph of principle.” How
! preposterous! and may I not with pro
priety add, wicked and dangerous toi
jour republican institutions, religious!
| and civil \ Was this act of tiiose Son.*,!
I pious, moral or patriotic? I wait for
an answer.
J ’hat the good cause of temperance
! reform has, not only been retarded, hut
j has actually retrograded since its con
nection with secret societies, is, to my
mind, evident ; and that it will contin
ue to do so as long as that inexpedient
‘■and unnatural union exists, as a chief
instrumentality, 1 have not the shadow
of a doubt. Secret societies are hate
ful to the people, generally, and arou
ses a feeling of opposition to all that is
j connected with it, consequently will in
jure the cause, however good, which is
connected with them. Very many of the
stauchest advocates for temperance re
form have been driven from the field
ot active operation, and thousands, yea,
tens of thousands have been prevented
from enlisting in the crusade against
the “Old Prince,” in consequence of
the restrictive, mercenary, and anti-re
publican policy and policy of the Sons;
and I fear it will have an injuriousef
feet upon the legal suasion campaign.
With these impressions and views,
Mr.Editor,l cannot but regret the union
bet ween the temperance cause, winch
I very heartily embrace, and secret so
vs :an enterprise i. : which all j
interested, whether they feel it or not,
Hiid should he allowed and encouraged
to participate, without let or hiudor
anoe, upon the broad basis of republican
equality. 1 would therefore, with due
deference to the opinions of others,
again advise their divorcement, and the
uniting of the temperance phalanx upon
a more republican and expedient or
ganization, where all may unite iti liar,
inony to effect the great end in view.—
“United we stand, divided we fall ,” is |
undoubtedly u correct maxim, applied
to church, or State, or to moral reform
of any kind. The well filled coffers of
the Sons might he made lo tell most
gloriously in the effort for legal suasion
if expended in the gratuitous distribu
tion of appr. . and tracts and essays upon
tho subject, and liie employing of able
and eloquent advocates of that just,
righteous und necessary measure,
fraught with incalculable blessings lo
our country. The came of temper
unco retorm commends itself to every
intelligent and candid Christian, patriot
and philanthropist, who has reflected
seriously upon tho subject; hut there
is still a large portion of the people
who need light, especially upon tlie ex
pediency and necessity of legislative
enactments to remove the evil and
curse of intemperance audits legitimate
fruits, and the fostering cause, grog
shops, wholesale und retail. But this
needed light is not emitted from the
temples of tho Sons, who trunsaot their
business in secret oonclave ; thus put
ting their light, if they havo any, under
a bushel, instead of lotting it shine be
fore uil for the public benefit. I live
near a boasting Division, which hns not
had, to my recollection, a publio ad
dress delivered upon the subject in two
years or more, yet, they assume to he
the greater lights, or best temperance
organizations, und if uny fair Anna
Frances dare attempt to urouso them
from their lethargy, they are ready to
scratch her eyes, or, at least, give her
a severe “castigation.” If the people
needs “line upon line and precept upon
precept, here a little and there a little,”
in order to keep their attention awake
to divine things, surely the cause of
temperance reform need to ho kept con
stantly and vividly before them in or
der to impress tho very important truth
upon their minds and cvnsoienees of
the evils of iiquor drinking, making and
selling, which is sanctioned and en
couraged by law, and the vast impor
tance to the well-being of our country,
of having those laws repealed and the
traffic interdicted.
My mind has long been convinced of
the constitutionality, expediency and
necessity* of the repeal of our lioenso
retail laws, in order to the purity of
o-ur government, and the peaoo, order
and happiness of the people ; and 1 fain
hope the sovereign people will speedily
he brought to see the necessity ot legal
suasion, and choose those to represent
them m tho law-making department of
the Stale, who will blot out from our
statute hook so foul a stain. And to
this end the friends of reform will ever
find me battling under the broad repub.
lican banner of total abstinence, or
Washingtonian associations, where my
“wife, children and friends,” and ail
who may he disposed to enlist in the
good cause, may fight, shoulder to
shoulder, with me in the noble enter
prise against “Old Aloliy,” as they are|
in Sunday schools, Bible, missionary
tract, and all other truly benevolent so
cieties, against his sulanic majesty ,
whose liege subject arid agent aloohol is.
1 object to the Masons and Odd Fel
lows’ oaths, and the Sons’ solemn pledge
of secrecy, as unnecessary and sinful,
which often leads to perjury. A sol-j
enrin vow partakes of the nature of oaths ;
and ought never to he administered or
taken except when required by the 1
“powers that he” und fur “llio end ofl
strife.” All extrajudicial oaths, or
solemn vows, are, in rny opinion, and
in the opinion of many sound casuists,
a violation of the laws of God and the
country. All oaths, not absolutely nee- ;
essary, is a taking the name of God in
vain, and I place salemn vo.vs, espe
cially those that are promising, in the
same category. How any pious, pru
dent, or sensible man can bring himself
to take oaths and vows to keep indefinite
secrets he knows nothing about, is pass
ing strange to me. j
These reasons, with those before j
mentioned, induce many members of
churches, and churches, to stand aloof;
from secret societies and oppose chris
tian brethren joining them, for which
opposition the hue and cry has been
raised against them, as biggots, fools,
covetous and liquor lovers. Admitting,
for the sake of argument, that all the se
cret societies of the day were perfectly
innocent, they should not he joined by
members of churches, if their doing so
would bn a afflicting to “weak breth
ren’s” feelings. This sentiment is
plainly taught by the Apostle F , aul, j
when lie says, “I will neither eat meat,
nor drink tviue, nor any thing else, it
it cause my weak brother to offend, ot
be offended, or made weak. How un
like Paul are many professors of relig-
ion who Join and an here to secret sum j
ties, obviously sinful, in despite of the
opinion of the church and conacicncious
brethren. Too Georgia Association
declared many years ago, if 1 am not
wrongly informed, that it was wrong
for members of churches to join the
Mason?, mid that the churches should
labor w ith such members us joined, to
induoe them to withdraw, and upon re
fusal, to expel them. Ami so has ma
ny other Associations and synods deci
ded. And why should not the princi
ple apply to O ld Fellows, Sous, Reoha
bites, daughters, dto. ? The church
was established by her Great Head, as
tho moral lever by which the world of
mankind was to he renovated, and her
members are forbidden to form any in
timate und unnecessary association with
unbelieving and wicked men, and for
obvious reasno-q hut little attended 10.
INVESTIGATOR.
Atlanta, 30th Nov., 1852,
Temperance, Moral Suasion —skining a
Drinker, and a callfor law.
Dro. Brandy : —ln addition to trav
elling and lecturing, we liave been ever
since the last Temperance convention,
oil allsuitubie occasions, engaged in or.
ganizing Total Abstinence Temperance
Societies. Though these wore expect
ed to do good, we did not even hope for
the degree of success ami prosperity,
wliioii we luurued on our return to this
plaoo, Imd attended those hoard from.
These upon an average, we think,
judging from wnat wo heard, had about
doubled their orignal numbers; acting
on advice given, to hold meetings as
often us practicable while the warm
weather lasted, many of'them have met
once in every two weeks, and some of
them had pruetioed adopting subjects
for discussion at their succeeding moot
ings. Among these, the expediency of
suppressing tho liquor traffio by law,
seemed to havo been a favorite. This
isas it should bt, boos use it is consist
ent with the true spirit of tho temper,
ance reform, and the best feelings of
the good man’s heart.
‘To the temperance societies and their
• members, wo beg leave to say, that as
thousands oi good men, who have nev
erjotned any of our associations, arc
now ready to coine to the rescue with
• petitions, calling on the legislature for
luw, against the liquor trade, there is
for us, who work, us well as protisaa to
work for the good of our race, hut one
consistent course, uud (list is, to unite
with our neighbors as citizens, and with
them petition tor such legislation, ns
• will best free society from the evils of
inteniperunce.
There are u few, und but a few tern
• peranoe men, who through mistaken
views, fear that an attempt to legislate
will injure our cause. ‘They think thut
“Moral Suasion” is all that is sufo.—
If by this, they mean instruction, good
advice and intreaty, (as we suppose
■ they do,) wo admit thi.-> always works
well with good men, who are doing
wrong without so intending. To con
vince them is sufficient. But no states
man ever believed that uny government
or association of men, could protect so
ciety from tho depredations, of had ones,
by the means of “Moral vuasion” alone.
All good governments operate in penal
j restraints upon such exercises of liber- j
j ty, us are known to ho injurious to the |
common rights and happiness of the;
people governed. As in tile ouso of
laws against murder, robbery, theft, as. j
saull, fraud, &.o. At o. These ami all j
such practices arid business as produce i
evil in society, are rightfully made pe- j
rial, because, and only because, that iri
their operation they produce misery
among mankind. Therefore, ns the
1 liquor traffic is attended with more evil j
than all the vices just mentioned, it
I ought to he suppressed by luw.
A sensible man would never trust the
protection of himself or Ins rights, io an
address of moral suasion to murderers,
pirates, thieves, knaves, &c.; yet he
would succeed full as well, us an ad
dresser of “moral suasion” has ever
dot'e, when made to liquor sellers, in
behalf of suffering women and children,
and their tempted, deluded und dying
victims; for its influence is unable to
find atouder placi in their unfeeling
hearts. Why then should any Chris
tian or temperance roarr oppose putting
a stop to their destructive trade l
Since sensible men havo become
ashamed to defend this business as be
ing right, the most common reply is,
that uii attempt, they say, to suppress it
by law, will injure the temperance
cause ; even some liquor sellers and
dram drinking members of tho church,
give this reply. We wish these friends
would inform us how it is, that they can
feel so much fear of our injuring tne
temperance cause, while they are en
couraging tiie use of liquor as much as
they can, and keep as far off"from all
temperance societies, as if their mem
bers had the small-pox.
But the advocates of moral suasion
do not, as we believe, have as much
confidence in its capability of effecting
its object, as they sometimes think they
have. Would they he wj.lirtg to have
NO. 50.
the property, morals, und respectability
of themselves and their families, ex
posed lo lint grasping avurio? of the
liquor sellers, wiihout uny other pro
motion than thut which could he se
cured by “moral suasion 1” Wil) they,
ufier due comsiitarntion, and without let
ting us, know how much of their own
means ot happiness, they are willing to
trust to tne simple protection of moral
suasion, continue to insist that liquor
sellers, without any restraint upon
them, but that at’ moral suasion, should
be protected by law, in seducing und
destroying m.ti’s reason and moral
sense, and then taking l'rrvn them all
they have ! Will they do this ? We
hope not. Many of them are honest,
hut are mistaken in their views, and in
the degree of confidence winch they
think tlioy have in the power of moral
suasion. We therefore ask them to
give the subject unolher consideration.
Some of them sometimes tell us, that
j the drinkers are free agenti, and there
| tore ought to take care of themselves.
Auditing this, we reply that the liquor
sellers are also free agents, so too are
the moral suasionists ; and that if it bo
wrong for the drinkers to destroy them
selves, it is equally as wrong for liquor
8-dlers to tempt and furnish them with
the means of that destruction. Nor
can it he right for any one, to oppose
the legislature's suppressing this work
of tempting men into ruin.
Trie liquor seller, in order to get oth
er people’s property, without giving
them any thing valuable for it, tempt
them with the loudening liquors, and
when the drinkers drink ami lose their
reason, ihe liquor sellers and others so
manage, as in the end to get uil they
have ; und If we speak of arresting this
evil by lavv, Mr. Suasionist opposes it,
though ii is the only means that can
give relief. Let none but myself, suys
lie, interfere in this business, for 1 am
the doctor that oun cure and reform the
liquor sellers.
By this means, Mr. Suasionist keeps
oil’the only power tout can reach the
evil, und in effect, koeps the way open
to the victim to go to the liquor shop,
whore Mr. Liquor seller skins him, and
keeps on skinning him, and all depend
ant upon him, until they are all stripped
uud skinned of every valuable thing
they have. This being done, the Sel
lers’s struggle is over. He wanted live
drinker’s property, und he has git it.
He therefore has tio more use for him.
In this knavish work, the drinker has
lost, all, and the liquor seller has got
all, and is well pleased with Mr. Sua
siouist. He thinks him the very dandy
jof moral courage, prudence and tein
j porartce ! But as the skinned victims
j are now, or soon will he in their graves,
and mothers, wives und children are
ruined, Mr. Suasionist is mighty sorry
for them ; yet, lie does not see tits pro
priety of a legislation on their behalf'.—
Upon the whole, we suppose he thinks
they might have had hatter luok.
But mere they are, his sorrows not
withstanding, broken-hearted objects of
misery, skinned and ruined by a nefa
rious practice, which we might put
down, if wo would make tho proper of
fort. But Mr. Suasionist thinks theso
savage people of the South, are not suf
ficiently civilized, us the people ol the
Nortli urn, to support benevolent and
liu until laws, designel lo protect simpler
and unsuspecting people from the enti
cing lemptutions ofcunuiug knaves, or
tliu weak uud helpless fiotn the avarice
of ensnaring swindlers. Therefore, wo
must wait, says he, until the people be
come better, when good laws may bo
passod and maintained without a
struggle ! Hence we often hear it said,
“The people are not repared for legis
lation on the liquor traffic.”
Will our brother Suasionist, tell us
wiien (he people, as he calls them,
meuiiing, a.i wo suppose,liquor sellers &&
liquordrin kers, will he sufiihiently civ
ilized lo hear legislation on this suhject7
Will he inform us, when, in the history
of the woild, any great law or measure
of morals or politics, restraining the
evil practices of men, whs ever carried
without a struggle ? Will ho tell us
of uny such measure ever being oar
ried by leaders, who waited for the en
courugement of those whose practices
were to he effected by it 7 No. Ife
will not ; for all great measures that
are carried, ure first moved in by a few,
arid carried, if carried at all, by a strug
gte.
There is a tide in the affairs of na
tions, us well as in those of individuals,
which, if improved at the right time,
will lead to important results. The in
fluence of the temperance cause is, and
for some time has been, sufficiently
strong to justify a fearless declaration
of war against the worst enpiriy of our
race, — the liquor traffic. The public
fueling will never be better prepared
for it than it now is. We havo already
delayed too long. We ought to have
applied to the lust legislature. If we
continue lo stand still and do nothing
much longer, we may sing a song— a
long farewell song to the departing
spirit of the temperance cause. Al
ready the societies have become lon-