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About The Democrat. (Columbus, Ga.) 1830-18?? | View Entire Issue (April 14, 1832)
THE CAU E .a f EAU Eli AM E. An tddrets di iiven i ~* the Method.si ' C 'ntrch \st April\rH'Z. before the Co- • lumbus T r mp>.- -met '*• <'u ti/, b j It. T. .MARKS. Ff: i.ow-t 'i i'i/.i:\s: —The object of o ir comeiiuon this evemn «>' is one ot‘ momen tous interest. Tii cause of temperance, embracing the wind* l.omni family in its b< nevolent purpose, urn! aiming a* univer sal moral reformation, presents claims upon every man’s support, upon every in ’> . illi.encc, which should not be dis regarded. In the temperance societies v. i nave been, and arc now being or ganized throughout America we recognise i • • > ;s which are to light us to indi vidual and national prosperity uad happi ness —the soldiery which will successful ly defend our c.vd and religious liberties against the most powerful and insidious enemy. The reformation commenced by these societies should he hailed as one of the grandest movcmei ts of the world. For tw o centuries and a half the demon intemperance has waged a war of exter mination, misery and death over half tin world, and although at first the ravages of tins fell destroyer were scarcely seen or felt, lie lias continued to march insidious ly onward in his bloody career, achieving victory after victory until the earth begins to groan and tremble beneath his unhal lowed tread. Two hundred years ago, he who should have lifted his voice t.i the thoughtless multitude, and warned them that the small stream of spirituous liquors which had then hut just commenced its course of destruction and misery, would ere this have swelled into a furious inigbtv flood, and swept millions of their fellow men into untimely, ignominious graves, would have been mocked a* a false proph et, a madman. But that which would the a have seemed an idle, foolish fable, lias proved u solemn, a most awful real ity* t Fellow-citizens—who can count the sorrows, wretchedness and ruin, which have followed in train this untiring, unsatiated demon of blood. If we had not teen the dread consequences of in temperance —if we had not become famil iar with scenes of dissipation and drunk enness, how would the blood chill in our veins at a recital of its melancholy its de plorable ravages? But because this evil is now a common one, shall we In come insensible to its true deformity and loatli soinucss? Let the ravages of tiiis fatal eneinv he committed in our community by the hands of midnight robbers and as sassins,would we sleep over their atrocious crimes? Would we wink at their w icked ness, calling it by a thousand softening, pall itive terms? Were a most terrible fierce wild beast turned loose in our streets to destroy and devour our citizens, would we sit still in perfect ease ami security, without an effort to slay the monster, or awaken our friends to a sense of their danger? Had the fatal Cholera of Egypt taken up its march of deatii among us, sweeping by multitudes our fellow-citizens on eve ry side, would not a single exertion be made to impede its progress and convey ourselves and friends beyond its fatal gr isp? Fellow-citizens we would none of these. Ami shall we then suffer intem perance, the most prolific source, the very fountain head of robbery and of murder; the g** aerator of almost every vice; a mon ster more terrible than the fiercest wild be isi—a pi .gue more dreadful than a thousand Choleras, and beneath whose withering touch the fairest, sweetest flow ers of nature perish! shall we suffer tins j foul demon to rove abroad, unheeded, I unresisted, undestroyed. The time has been, fellow-citizens, J when an evil of this magnitude, might i have been countenanced, but that tune his departed, as the darkness before the rising sun, it has been driven back, & u brighter, a better day has beamed upon our happy laud The very convention of j a temperance society on this spot, but n I few years ago the dwelling place of sava- [ ges and wild beasts, proclaims loudly, that j the spirit of benevolence is at work, that a glorious reformation is at hand.—And ! now, fellow-citizens we call upon you to ! unite, with us in tins glorious, this mag- j inficv.it undertaking. The work is coni- j rneaced, but it must have friends, or it I cannot advance. But do you doubt the ! utib'v of our undertaking? Do you quqg- 1 tiou the necessity, of a reformation? Con template for a moment the lucts which startle you at every corner, that are blown on every breeze. The actual cost of spir ituous liquors consumed within the United States annually is tlurty-five millions of dollars; yes, thirty-five millions of dollars every year wasted, absolutely squan dered in drunkenness and rioting and that too while thousands of unfortu nate widows and orphans, made so by the use of this fatal poison, suffer and die for wa it of the common sustenance of life. Bm the cost of this pernicious drink, when compared with its fatal effects m other shapes, i« hut a drop to the unfathomable ocean. From 'he most accurate calcula tions it appears that there are regularlv in our country, about four hundred and eigh ty thousand drunk ir.h—an nrmv of de graded, wretch* and, miserable beings, whose very existence is a curse. Os this num ber tlmtv thousn: (I aniiuailv descend into the drunk ir I’m rruve! To live a drunk ard is tr.'iv ' ad, hut to go down a drunk ard to tli '••tve, beyond wh>ch, for him, j there is ;»> hope, no merev, mo - ilt ifioo. — % ar !y cv< 'v good mail wt. jisnt such n Bf oe us hi ndvi r this ■;ire(nij»t;iii‘M necin ibv»v 'iniisiuul liio > m every year, y< I, te't ,y* Cltl/,1 MS, <.y,. n if wit Mt’i Ujoredittn eij'av dn i|.iir,b arc consigned to death, and to a ft-urlm eternity. Even uow while we speak some unhappy, unfortunate slave of ifie poisonous cop is taking his last long look, upon the last the only gleam ot hope which shall ever shine for him. In a word it is an undeniable fact that tluce fourlhsnf all the poverty, wretchedness, Jk crime in our country, result irom the use of intoxicating liquors. Add to these the destruction of intellect—the prostration of hopes, desires, affections, friendships, i love, happiness, and ail the sweet and so ! cial enjoyments of l.fe, springing from this bitter fountain, and then tell us, is I there nothing to do, are we contending »- gumst an imaginary evil? Have we not commenced a splendid system of reform, a most stupendous work of benevolence, and will you not unite w tilt us in the great the magnificent undertaking/ But some tell us they would join tin temperance society, if in doing so, they would not surrender their privileges. If the use of ardent spirits is so great uu in dividual and national curse, that it would long since have been entirely abandoned did not the love of it operate more strong ly on the human mind than the most pow erful truth, how can it he possible for a good man to esteem the participation in • ins great evil n privilege. How can a freeman object to signing that constitu tion winch only declares him independ ent of the most despotic tyrant on earth. But if we examine the rules of these so cieties we find, that although we give a pledge of abstinence from the use of spir ituous liquors, vve are at perfect liberty to withdraw this pledge whenever we please. He are not compelled to continue our names on the list of the temperate longer than is agreeable, but can have them era sed at any time.—A more perfectly free and discretionary obligation cannot he conceived.—You may from conscientious motives, unite with the temperance socic ty to-dav, and if at any future period you should be disposed to withdraw, satisfy your ow n mind of the correctness of the course, and you are at perfect liberty to do so. Temperance Societies exercise no coercive authority, impose no penalties inflict no punishments, administer no cen sure, denounce no party —hut sienjdy in vite alEmcn, for their ow n good, for the welfare of the community in w hich they 1 ve, and for the benefit of future genera tions, to abstain from the use of a poison ous, ruinous liquid, and to declare their determination to do so. W hat can be more free. W hat better suited to our re publican feelings and opinions. What more worthy our warmest approbation, our liveliest support. There are others who believe it the duty of every man to forsake the use of this intoxicating drink—but who think they should do's*) without giving a pledge of abstinence. To this course vve have no objection—and if every man will for sake it, throw the cup from Ins lips and touch it no more, then vve shall he pre pared to dissolve our temperance associ ations. But let us ask you gentlemen,how many in all your circle of acquaintance, how many in all our country, have adop ted this course? Since the first or ganization of temperance societies m A mcrica, more than 400,000, of our fellow citizens have given the pledge required bv these societies; of this number more than 200,000 were consumers of the article, & 3,000 were drunkards! All these have ceased to swallow the liquid fire, and are now using their influence for the advance ment ot the great scheme of benevolence and humanity w hich has rescued them from the destruction of this great enemy. But where can you point us to the single hundred men, I might almost challenge you to point, out the single individual who lias given up the fatal practice without joining a temperance society. Is not this strong evidence to the point, that your system has to be reduced to practice. Yes gentlemen, vve are compelled to doubt the charity of that man who drives the shivering, hungry beggar from bis door, with “be ye warmed «5c filled.” To the drunkard vve can only say, vou are already fearfully convinced of all that vve could desire to impress on your mind. | Some who were almost gone in drunken j ness have escaped from the fearful ruin j w Inch awaited them but just abend. Take i courage from their success, and if there | he a single hope of your escape from the I deep vortex of degradation into vv liicli J you have so deliberately and yet so mad i Iv precipitated yourself, for your life lay j hold on that hope and sink no deeper in i to infamy and shame. But fellow-citizens there is another j eltiss among you, whom vve would most | earnestly strive to rescue from this be witching, fatal snare. I mean the tem perate drinkers. They too, arc loud in their denunciations of the drunkard. None look upon him with an eve of keen er scorn and derision. None flee his presence sooner, or are sooner disgusted at his brutality, and yet they see not, nor feel the dangers which hang thick and heavily around themselves. They hear not the how ling storm which is even now gathering around their heads, in fiercest ; blackness—and which if not averted, will I soon shipwreck all their hopes. Os all j men in this great day of light and truth, I none appear so mail, so furiously insane. | Talk to the temp ratedtinker on other | -objects lie reasons like a philosopher. But whatever may he his skill in other matters, let this subject be brought liefor* j him, and in a moment In* seems t>* have lor cot i< ii that lie ever had a reason. But | m* will leave vour numerous apologies fur drinki or lo a fair trial in your own hands. , Os one fa>t we are certain, these are the j met! wlio k**< pin existence the dram shop, I die distill rv mid ilie drunkard, This is j t ,e C'.lilp.iov from wl-.-e racks *le great j army of drunkards in our country, is eve iry day recruited. Yes this is the society j winch sends forth every year thirty tlmu | .-and Men to supply the places ot tinny ' tiioiisttud fallen drunkards. Y’e» temper ate drinkers, by whatever course of rea soning you may arrive at the conclusion that it is no harm to drink moderately; however xure you may he that no evil can beful you, Indore to-morrows sun has set, more than eighty men from your ranks will have fallen into tile ranks of that great army or drunkards, which you now look upon as so great a nuisance to our country. And what security have you, that you will not be oueot the thirty thou sand moderate drinkers, who shall launch forth upon the great ocean of drunken ness, In-fore the Ist of April ’33? I an swer you have none. I care not what else you may lie, if you are now u habitu al temperate drinker, and intend to rc iriuiii so; you have no security that you will not soon enlist in that loathsome, miserable, degraded host. Temperate drinker beware!—No man ever became a ! drunkard at the first step. It is by j and almost ,imperceptible degrees that ; men lose their self control. It requires j time to harden the heart, to do away | shame, to blunt the moral principles—to | dethrone the reason. And no matter vvliat may he your original materials, however strong your mind, however vir tuous your heart, however benevolent your nature, the habitual use of ardent spirits will strip you of all these graces, & convert you into a fiend of grossest crime and debauchery. Need 1 point you to i further proof? Go to the wretched hovel, where dwell the broken hearted, sorrow worn widow and her beggard helpless or j phans. Ask vvliat has been the cause of all this poverty and misery! The bus* ' hand of that widowed mother, the father ! of those helpless little sufferers, was once j a temperate drinker. Follow the young man of vvtaltb, and i talents, and influence, who lias just begun | to climb tlie steep of honor and of fame, | the pride and joy oi his affectionate par i ents, the hope of Ins country —beloved by I all vv ho know him. See him again in the dram shop and among drunkards., ilis property wasted, Ins talents hid, his influ ence & his honor gone, and himself lev elled to the lowest rank, and ask the cause of this sudden, this unexpected fall.—“l i was once a temperate drinker!”—Visit the poor houses & prisons ot our country-ask the wretched inmates how came the} here, and they will tell u tale of once moderate drinking. Go, in imagination, to the dark regions of etefii-,1 night, where the worm dieth not, arid the fire is not quen ched, and ask the despairing, hopeless in mates of that vast region what has been the most prolific cause of all this eternal misery, and oh vv liat a story of once tem perate drinking wall be* howled tino all the dreary cells of that intolerable cavern! These are no imaginary pictures. And is it true that there can he a single tem perate drinker, who m view of all these facts w ill yet continue to sip the poison ous bowl. Surely it is a strange infatua tion that will lead men with their eyes o pen into such destruction. One word to the venders of ardent spir its Is it true that ali the misery and wretchedness and min which vve have been contemplating, is produced by an ar ticle which you are every day dealing out to your fellow-men. Is it true that the e vil of intemperance is one winch threat ens destruction to the very liberty and happiness ot our country. And can you yet persist in that calling w hich makes you an active accessary in this great work of destruction? It is evident that the tide of intemperance is sweeping away health j fortune, happiness, reason, conscience, heaven!—and will you yet continue to feed this raging tide. W ill you still pour into this swelling ocean by half pints gallons vA barrels the liquid lire. \Ye entreat you pause for a moment. Consider that you are taking bread from the hungry starv ing orphan, that you are adding another, and yet another pang to the distressed heart of the sorrowing, weeping mother; that you are conferring no benefit upon mankind, but on the contrary are directly preparing your fellow men for acts of the deepest debauchery and crime—that you are furnishing him with the surest means of his own destruction here, and hiseter na 1 misery hereafter—that you are un dermining the very pillars of our govern ment. Consider these things and letyour conscience determine whether he w ho aids his fellow until in tins wicked, bloody work shall he held guiltless. Fellow-citizens, generally, vve again in vite you to unite with us in this glorious work. If vve asked you to surrender your principles, your happiness, yea r health, your property, or any of the sweet ifc ten der symyatlia-s of life, then you would have cause to look upon us as your ene mies. Then you might frown upon our efforts as unlawful and base. But no such outrages as these mark our course. He ask you to drop from vour lips the cup of poison. We entreat you to pre serve uucontauiinated i lie. principles which have been implanted in your bos oms by the Creator. H e caution you to discountenance the disturber ofyour hap piness the corrupter of all the social en joyments of life. We warn you totlee the grasp ot an enemy who pdfers vour prop erty, destroys your health, dethrones your reason, locks up the avenues thro w hich genuine pietv may la* coiumuiiicated to tin* sonl, and plunges its victims into shame and infamy in tin- world, and into en raal dt spair in the world of spirits. Meml*eisof the temperanen society vw have put our shoulders to the w heel. I(• us not flint. If tli** patriots of *7<s i sere proud to pi dg* their liv*s, their for* 1 i am - ami *h* ii - o red honor m deft nee oi [the rights uud hU-ttie* of the |w*op|e, surc !!y in imitation of their iliustrioi s virtue, ’ we who have reaped so richly the rewards ot that sacred pledge should rejoice in pledging our time, our talents, our influ ence, and if necessary our lives and for tunes and honor, in support of this socie ty, whose aim is to preserve inviolate I those liberties, to n sene A. pi oti ct our ft l i low-citizens from the worst of all slavery, from under the yoke ot the most teariid bondage. Ours is the cause of v rtue and | of truth; our object tht happiness, & wel fare and liberty ot our ieilow-men. He ! seik no higher object than to uo good; to implant in the bluest of every rational I creature strong ami unconqtieruble feel ings of morality and correct principle, A: ! thus to lay tl»e surest, the most durable foundation for the perfect triumph of the splendid, the redeeming work in which vve are engaged. The motives vv ho can cen sure, if they do not cordially approve. I They are founded in patriotism, benevo ! lence *s: expanded love of country. They j are hounded by no sordid calculations, no j sectional feelings; they are controlled by > no religious differences, no party prejudi ! ces; they contemplate not the establish ment and propagation of one creed, and the overthrow ot another. Limitless as the earth, and liberal as heaven itself, our I efforts aim at universal emancipation, at | the redemption of America, oi Europe, ; Asia and Africa, of Fagan as w ell as j Christian, from the most hlightiug of all j curses; at the entire extinction, the pei> j feet annihilation of that commodity, which although rapidly decreasing in itssangui j nary bloody work, even yet carries misery | poverty and death throughout the land. The cause vve espouse is the cause ot our country, of the world, the cause of God. And shall it fail ? B tide other associa tions of far more doubtful utility, of far more questionable importance, tire recei ving liberaliy the influence and talents of the powerful, and the funds of the weal thy; shall this t‘ e grandest of all, lan guish and perish? i Let us persevere. There is a greatness in our undertaking, a sublimity in the moral reformation winch vve desire, that will ensure success. The almighty right j arm of Him who governs the universe, I will uphold and carry it forward. It must, | it w ill prevail. The Post Office Koiuieuy.—Cm Mon i day morning the person charged wiih | purloining a letter from the Post Oflice j containing S7OO in Bank hills, was ar raigned before the U. S. District Court Judge Davis, presiding. The District Attorney Air. Dunlah appeared on the part oftlie complainant, Mr. Greene, post A1 aster. The prisoner, in the first in stance, plead not guilty. The complaint W as then read stating the facts that vi out prove, substantially, as follows. Air. Bild, merchant oi tiiis city deposited in the Post office a letter for Providence, continuing one hank hill of SSOO and 2 of SIOO each, and paid the postage. It was afterwards discover* and that one of the SIOO hills had been presented at a Bank by a hoy and exchanged for small h.ils. The Post Master ottered a reward of SIOO for the detection of the hoy who had pre sented the bill to the Bank, and late on Saturday evening Inst, ahoy m the emph y of J. P. Cooke, Esq. came to fie Cost oflice and claimed the reward, stating that he was the person who had the hill ex changed, and found it near Joy’s buil dings in the street, and that the money was in his possession except.ng two dol lars which lie had spent fora cap. This iiov appears to have conducted honestly in the transaction, and it is understood had exchanged the hill after keeping it some days, hv direction of his mo ther. This information lend to the di tc ction of the thief but in what manner was not stated. He however confessed that he had taken the letter, and had concealed it oi a certain space between the wall and Joy’s building. On examination, the letter with the $-700 hill in it, was found’ W hether the other SIOO hill had been found, did not appear. H e understand that it has been found. The person charged with the offence is a lad not fourteen years of age, who had been occns : nnnllv m the Post Oflice but was not connected with it in any eni ployment. Ilis appearance was calcula ted to excit. much sympathy especially as this was Ids first offence and he seemed to have been tenderly reared. J. P. Cooke Esq. appeared as his counsel at the re quest of the hoy’s father, and requested leave to change the plea of not guilty to guilty. He alluded to the extreme youth of the offender and the respectability of his connections. The plea was accor dingly changed, and the prisoner recog nized in the sum of ssoo, with his farther as siirity for his appearance to tube his trial before the Circuit Court to l*e hidden on the 15th day of May next. At the re quest of the friends of the offender, vve have suppressed his name in the hope that as this is liis first offence, and at his ten der age, he may yet be saved from being lost to society. Messrs. Clayton, Adams, AFDnfiie, Johnson Thomas, Wntinough, and Cain hrcleng, the committee appointed to in vestigate the affairs of t lie Bank of the United States arrived at Philadelphia on the 22d. inst* and took logings at the U. States Hotel. A silver tankard has been transmitted, : w ith a complimentary letter, bv the mer chants of New Orleans, lo Captain de So to, of the Spanish brig Leon, as hii ex pression of gratitude for the kind services I rendered by him totlieciew oftlie truer* j !*•#« ship M.m rva, when she took j fire off' tin* Tortugas tome tune smee* : FOBS fcIGiV. ! drum lAVtrpuul. The packefThfp lork, nrri\«d «.t New \oik on the eve | ning o) the 29;1i nit. with Liverpool duns ; of the 24ii. bebiuary. The Cotton Market, it will he seen, was in u less animated state than on the ISth, and a slight induction IM the prices ol L plaiuls had been Mil uiittt/> to. The Cholera was assuming u niildiy character, and the alarm arising from m ! appearance in London, had in some degree subsided. It had not yet r* ached Liverpool or any of the manufacturing towns. By an extract from the London Courier* \ of22d. it will he seen that both France and England had signified antliontatire ! ly to the King ot Spain, that they would. | ne>t permit bun to send troops to the aid ;of Don Miguel. Considering say s the New York American , that Don P. dry’* ] expedition against Miguel was fil ed not j if not w ith the connivance of, at icasi w itb ; out opposition from, either France or | England; that the commander of h,s n a ~ | val force*, Capt. Sartonus, is, as admitted ; in the House of ('ominous, a Brit ?h offi cer on half pay; that the sailors of the | fleet, and the soldiers of the one battalion iit conveys are all English;it seem*, a pret ty hold step for those Powers to snv to Spain, that she shall not interfere toaid Miguel. The Belgian question was still urset i tied. The Austraiushad withdrawn from Bologna, and the French expedition ! destined for Italy had in cotisequenee | been ordered, it was said, to the Mo re a. The Reform Bill had nearly passed through the Commons and a confident belief is entertained that it will pass the House of Lords. The Hibernia had arrived at Liverpool and carried the news of the dissent of the Senate to Van Mr. Buren’s nomina tion. The Five Powers have determined to settle the affairs of Greece, to appoint a 1 King, and support him. Otho, the ! second son of the King of Bavaria was se lected to fill the throne. He is but l 7 years of age. The news of the Insurrection in Ja maica had just reached England the grea tes excitement was occasioned and it had already been brought before the Lcgisla- I ture. The intelligence from France is unim | portant; the Chamber of Deputies has uc c inplished the good work of reducing ! the salaries of some of the courtly suteN lites. Details Will he found under the N. York head. PORTUG AL AND SPAIN. London Feb. 22. (evening.)—He were able to state exclusively on Saturday upon the authority of our Pasis correspondent that the French Minister ot For* ign Af fairs had signified to the Spanish Ambas sador, in Paris, ;h* determination of the French Government not to permit he King ol Spain to send troops t<- the assis 'aiice of Don M igticl. He are informed from a source entitled to the highest cre dit, that note to a similar effect and al most in as strong terms has been sent by Lord Palmerston to Al. Zon Bermudez the Spanish Mmistet at this Court.* The lest dispatches from Madr.d left no doubt of theexesteuce of a treaty between Fer dinand and Don Aiiguel by which they bound themselves mutually to assist each other. Up to that tune, however, Fedi nanil had not openly sent any troops into Portugal, but large bodies of Spaniards were arriving privately on different j>arte oftlie fr n tiers. This important fuc. has been formally communicated to Lord Pal merston and General Sebastian!. The Court of Acadia lias been appoin ted Prime Minister of Spain, in the room of the late Air. Salmon. GERMANY. The passage oftlie Poles through Ger many lias roused the sympathy of the en thusiastic youth to as extraordinary pitch popular disturbances have been excited in different places particularly at Hanau* W isbaden &c. in which the soldiers join ed in the crowd for shouting for Liberty and the Poles.” This spirit seems to increase as the colums of the exiles pass through the East of France by Lyons to Avignon, their district. On the loth and 16th, the populace of Lyons met the cplumea, and gave the Poles a banquet, and made every arrangment for accom modating them during the night they re mained. TURKEY AND EGYPT. A letter of the Bth inst was received y sterday from Trieste, which quotes ad v ices from Constantinople so recent as the 23 ult. stating that the disturbance in that capital had rendered it necessary to bring forward troops from Adriano pie. A 1 etter from Egypt of Dec. 4 says—• The Pacha of Egypt has imagined, or rather a continental Power has given him self of Tripoli and Tunis. He is organi zing an army which he destines for the first of these States and which is to he under the coininund of a nephew of the reigning Pacha of Tripoli, vvholias been fifteen years a refugee in Egvpt. The troops destined for Turns will U> coin* in a tided by Mustaplnj \\ oldyonness said to lie presumptive I.lcirof thut country mid who Ims been residing at Algicrsyfor the l.i»t t*n yearn* London Fth. 21.—The London Med ical and Surgical Journal has a long arti rl* on Cliolcru in which tin* wnvr insists that f|i* re is no turnin' Cloihra in that country, but tlw common cpcdetiiu' dit.
