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Show 46 HK::iT DAV-l::Vf~NlNG SESSION. they will ca!l to account o~icers for. Jisr~garding their lawfu_I wishes, and manifest their disapprobatiOn of thClr nusde1~1eanor at the ballot-box, we will see that the moral influence of our cause 1s not ~veakened. Morals are worth nothing, if they are unlit to be acted out consJstently, wherever they can act. ·z , 0. But will you not lose son1.c men of influence from your_ s~c e, W1lO love politics more 1,/w.n they do morals Y-Ltke .enougl~. ll_ut It IS no los_s to get rid of such men. Judas never thought ol ?ctraym~ hts master, uut1l he could not have the price of the alabaster box of costly omtment beslowed to his keeping. All who keep c?mpan~ with us, bec~use they c~rry_ the bag, may forsake us; but no _fn end ~~ temperan.ce will ever take Sides against us, and with the enemies of virtue and ol good order. However much they may desire to be kept out of the scrape, when .the battle rages they will be found with us. For the moment ther herd w1th the bulls of Bashan, all will know that they never were our fncnds. . 10. But will not the grog-men sell themselves to any party that wtll protect them ?-They otrercd to tlo so in Massachusetts. llut hydra-headed in baseness as party politics may be, where can you find a party mean enough to be bribeU by drunkard-makers, with drunkards? But if it were so, what party would be profited? \Vhich has most to gain, and most to lose, by sweeping those moral pests, the grog-sho~~' from the land? . Men of all political creeds are our warm and devoted Jnends-and here JS our strength. If the grog-men sell their politics for rum protection, and form a party UIH.Ier the banner of Bacchus and "blue ruin,". there will n~t be a friend of good morals found among them-all such will be on our s1de. 11. But had you nolbetler wait until a more opportune Lime of carrying litis question lo the polls?. Great intere~ls .are at stake, anl~ you. may 8~ weaken our cause as to rum us.-\V ho IS tt that makes tlus objeCtiOn· Is it a Van llurenite? No. Verily he would blush to own that his success depends on the patronage of bottles and gills. Is it a \Vhig? Why, no-:he would feel it an everlasting disgrace to a~ow that the strength of h~s party could be weakened by Jack Snipes and Zachariah Snoodle. Who ts it then? Why, nobody will own such a child of corruption and of folly! But suppose they did, now is the very time for us to move. The parues are straining every nerve. At the next election Greek will meet Greek. They need every man they can get. They cannot afrord to lose a few thou· sands. They know that every honest political scheme can be executed aa well by men who are opposetl to lobby-boring and grog-shops, as by the lobster-moving machines of g in·loving propensities. Let them give us .men that we can consistently vote for. Let the politicians make the selections, and decide for tliemselves. If they believe that their strength and fastness are found with the grog-men, let them go with them-but we cannot keep them company. Let them fight it out by themselves. I. .. et ~s be wise, and while they are licking their wounds, panting and exhausted 111 the combat, we will run away w1th the prize. Hut if the friends of intelligence and morality, of domestic peace anJ public tranquillity, be worthy of respec~, let them give us men who will respect us. It is not desired by us to nonH· nate, nor to dictate what individuals shall be nominated. All that we ask is-present a ticket pledged against lobby-boring and the license system. The politicians will scarcely dare refuse us ; for they well know we have zeal and strength enough to make a ticket for ourselves •. T~teir weakne~s is our strength. Let this opportunity pass by, and long will It be ere agam it occurs. There never was a time, when it was convenient for men, elected by .the enemies of morality, to attend to the moral welfare of the commumty. AI.IDRE:S:S OF THOMAS J'. HUN'f, 47 Such a measure savors too much of religion, of a kingdo:u not of this world, to suit the theory, inclination, and practice of many, whose virtue is, to please the people, and whose patriotism, to take care of themselves. Party politicians are almost always too busy to find time to serve the cause of God and of morals. Can any legislation that docs not directly promote virtue, or that indirectly protects vice, secure the only lawful end of all legislation-that of advancing the honor and the happiness of the country? No, never. And shall we for ever remain silent? Shall we always wait until it suit men who never intend to get ready to act with us? S hall we never dare to demand that virtuous men, who alone can or will make and sustain virtuous laws, ~hall be our representatives? If morals are e\·er attended to as they ought to be by legislators, it will be by those \\'ho are elected by good men. I..et good men, then, cease to help the wicked,-lct them select men who will give morals a prominent place in legislation and in their own actions and aCfections. And now is the time to do it. 12. But would it not be better to leave to the constituted aul!torily the correcl'ion of the evils of society ?-In America there is no authority, but God, above the people. They alone have the right of saying how society shall be governed. That good men claim and exercise the right of appoir.ting_ moral men as their constituted authorities, is what we demand, and you resist. We do not throw all the blame upon the authorities. Even the honest execution of the Jicense laws, as they now are, will not, cannot remove the evils of which we complain. But the constituted authorities have failed in their duty. Seven tippling houses were convicted at one Court, a~d fine.d one cent and costs! Two poor women, sent by an alderman to g1ve ~v1denc~ .before tl!e gra1~d jury, had the cost to pay and were thr~a~cned With the p1l for domg the1r duty. One of the grand jurors was a dJstt1ler, and swore that he would have the bill ignored. A minister oi the gospel, subpama_c~l as a witness against a disorderly house, had the costs th~own upon l~1m, and he would have been cast in jail, had not a friend pa1d them for hu~. Drunkard$ by scores are fined a triflP, not for being drun~, but ~or bemg found so, and sent to the prison to be supported by the pubh?, unt1l they become sober. Remonstrances, signed by the most influential and respectable men, have been treated, in the language of an ald~rm~n on the bench,.as "a damn temperance humbug." Men w}10 beat their _wives, most notonous drunkards, against whom civil process was even then tn the hands o.f the constable, and known to be so at the time by the Court, have been l1c?n~ed. ~.en of notorious bad character, recommended by rum seller~ and diStlll~rs livm~ out of the vicinity of the nuisance, have succeed~d a.ga~nst the desire of neighbors, property holders, and inhabitants of the.dlstn~ts .. Instances might be adduced of men high and men low in ~uthonty, .dnnkmg on t!1? Sabbath day in grog shops, open contrar to law. Jhe constl~uted authonlies need reforming. It would be as con~stent to set t~e devd to watch t~1e truth, as to depend on many men even for the cxecutwn of laws, defective as they are. 1.3: But w!ty f~:~l urge the Legislature to alter the laws ?-So we have. -!?ettt10n upo_n pclit!On has been sent, and disdained to be noticed. Woman Ill heJ. lovelmess h~s .e.ntrealed-but woman has no vote, and her prayer ~vas 1sregarded. I et1t.10ns have been sent in, and, when received, laced Ill the hands of a comm1ttee, the chairman of which was a distiller. !nd of course, no more was ever heard of them. One petition direct~d to' be r~e~:~:;d ~~dth:igu~:~li~ous votedof anf assembly. composed \;ithout reference A d } '1 y upwar s o 1,400 Signatures, was not noticed n w 1y. Because there was nobody there to attend to it. Well, wed~ |