Letters From Michigan: Number IX

Last week I'wroteyou on thecondition of the Temperance cause in Michigan showing that the true method of exterminating drunkenness had at last been discovered - the extermination of the lega system of Licenses. AI y notes of the debate on this subject at the Anniversarj at Adrián I wiíl now continue. Mr. Foster, Editor of Signnl of Liberty, wished to cal) attention to the first part of the resolution, jvhich declared tliat moral suaeion, without legislation, vvould beiuefièctual. He beifeved a fundamental error had prevailed on this point, and it was important that it ehould be corrected. He affirmed that uo community would be peifectly températe where intoxicating drinks are made, Bokl, and used. The manufacture, sale and use, then, are the evils in communify; how shall they be removed? He knew of but tvvo woys of slopping these practices; by persvading men voluntarily to abandon theni, or by callin in the aid of legislation. These were the only altene atives, so far as he knew. The next question ís, can you induce all men to stop making, selling, and using by per Buasion alone? If you can, your road lies plain before you, and you have only to folio w it. - If you cannot, you must cali in some other nid, or else abandon the enterprise. To test the trulh of liis position, Mr. F. proposed that the eeveral classes who perpetúate the evil phould be tried tho o :igh!y. Teke the distiller?, for example. Let all the distilIers in this State be furnished wilh the best Temperance papers for one year. Then let them be assembled and listen to the best lecturera on Temporalice who could be procured, nnd what wonld be the resnlt? A part of them miglit abandon the business, but the greater portion would go home determincd tofollow it whh greater diligence, now that tlie numberof their competi'ors had been reduced. The same resul t would take place with the Rumsellers. After you had 6tocked them vith Te.Tiperance papers, and lectured ihem as long as you pleased, what would they say toyou] The mojority would say: "Gentlemen, we . are fully sensible of the evils of the traffiie: we knew all tbis before: but we sell to make money; if you will show us any more feasible way of makihg property . we ae willing to enter upon ii; but untilyou do, we are determmed to follow Rumselhag while we can make any thing by ït." Try the Drinkers. Bring your moral suasion to bear on them. It must be done by Lectures or by the Press. Your Lecturer will return and report that the Drinkers will not come to hear him, and when he calis on them individually, they will not be persuaded. As to the Press, some cannot read your papers, some will not,some will read, and be convinced, and then do exactly as they have done! Sucb is human nature. Experience confïrmed thisview of the subject. In what nation, state, or county even, had moral suasicn alone banished Intemperanceí He had never heard of any. Besides, the principie on which this irresistable effect of moral suasion was claimed, was fundamentally erroneous. Why not reclaim all thieves, murderers, adulterers, and other crimináis by moral suasion? Why not pull down our jails, and abolish courts of justicei Mr. F. concluded by again stating hisconviction,that while the sale of intoxicating drinks is licensed by law, it v$ll be impossible to ex-pel drunkenness from the land by any amount of moral suasion that can be used. Rev. Mr. Jones, of Grass Lake, was in favor of such an alteration in the law as had been suggested, but he protested against the distinction which had been drawn between moral suasion and other modes oi' action, as though. they were the antipodes of each other. JudgeÜEXTER, the President, thought the distinction made by the resolution between moral suasion and Legislative action was just - and expressed a material difference which really existed. Persuasión and Legislation, as he viewed them.were two distmct things, appealing to different principies of human action. The subject was further argued by Rev. G. Beckley, Rev. Mr. Rouse, Rev. Mr. Baukman, and many others, the interest of the debate continually rising, so that near its termination, a dozen were ready to spring up for the floor at once. Out of sorae fifteen or twenty . who spoke on this resolution,. only two were directly against it, and their grouuU of objectionwas that Washingtonianism had don well, and all we needed was to keep 01 in the same track, only with moro dili gence. Late in the evening, the meeting ad journed, and the resol ution was re-com mitted to the Business committee, witl the understanding that the "moral sua sion" part of it should be omitted anc some definite legislative action be propos ed. The next morning the debate was re sumed with spirit on a direct motion to petition the Legislature to commit the grantingof licenses to the decisión of the voters of the towns, instead of the Town Boards. Dr. Titus, of Medina, thought furthe legislation unnecessary .because the voter had the subject under their control al readv, because it was a moral, not a po litical question, because it would give grounds for the imputation of "church and state" - -and because the effect of legislation in favor of Temperance hitherto has been disastrous. He referred to a city ordinance in Vickburgh, Mississippi, forbidding the retailing of liquors. The consequence was that people bought by the jug full instead ofby the drink, and got drunk the oftener. Dr. Palmer, of Tecumseh, replied to these objections. with much ability. The idea that Legislatures must not legislate on moral questions, was absurd. Any gentleman who would look over the Statute Book would find thatalargeshareofour legislation referred exclusively to moral subjects. If the objection was worth any thing, it would preclude all enactments against robbery, murder, theft, adultery, and every olher oifence against morality. As to the control of the people over the Board, they have it not The candidates are elected exclusively on party grounds, without reference to licenses. Epecially was this action desirable at the present time when Washingtonianism had suffered a revulsión, and something was necessary to keep the subject before the people.D. C. Jackson. of Adrián, deprecated the proposed action of the society. We had already abandoned Washingtonianism, and were now almost driven into political action. This was all wrong. - Washinglonianism must do the work. - To cali upon the Legislature to prohibit drunkenness, was unnecessary. Let the friends of the cause be active and energctic and the Legislature would feel their influence. He was opposed to legislaling for classes, and moral suusion only was all that was needed. Mr. George Millerd, of Dexter, supoorted the proposed action of the society. Eie wished the question to come up at the town meetings, disconnected from all other issues, and thcre Temperance men could unite, and make their influence feit. A vote taken on that occasion according to law, would unite all Temperance men. .t had been said that we could interrógate the candidates for the Town Board, and jy voting for those only who would grant 10 licenses, the desired object might be ittamed. Such a scheme as this was bund to be of very little practical value. The pledgesof candidates made before election could not be depended upon. A. C. Comstock, of Adrián, was op)osed to all legislation on the subject.; - The people were not prepared for any egislation, and until they are, it will be )ernicious. Besides, the more we rely upon the arm of the law, the lessshall we rely upon other means. He was for upïolding all laws till they were repealed. As a proof that the proposed suppression of intemperance by law would be disasrous, he referred to two towns in that county in which all licenses had been reused by the Town Boards. The consequence was that drunkenness had increased in those towns four-fold.Rev. G. Beckley, Editor of the Signal of Liberty, wishedthe gentleman who spoke last would inform the Society, ho.w many licenses must be granted in order secure a perfectly températe community. By his own showing it appeared that drunkenness had increased fourfold by suppressing. all licenses; in those towns where some licenses were granted, there was less drunkenness than there would be if none were granted: consequently. by the gentleman's rule, intemperance might be entirely prevented by granting icenses enough. According to him, the more legalized drunkeries, the lessintemDerance. He was not yet a conven to this logic. He believed that moral suasion alone, as the laws now are, could not expel drunkenness from the community. - The Washingtonian movement had been found insufficient, and henee he was foi legislative action. Rev. J. A. Baughman, of Adrián, related the story of Diogenes theCynic anc Alexandcr the Great. Diogenes lived in a tub. While sunning hunself -on e day in this tub, he was visited by Alexander and a large retinue. The monarch desired to know what the philosopher wished. 'I wish you to get out of my sunshine,' replied Diogenes. Just so it was with the Legislatura1. All he wished was that they would get out of our sunshine so that moral suasion could have its perfect work. The law permitting licenses to be granted was in the way of the eilbrts ofpcrance men. He hoped that the entire Temperance forcé would be concentrated on th is movement, and make our Legislatorshear. Even if some of them will get drunk and wallow in the mud after their election, and before they get to the Seat of Government, he wished the thunder of public opinión should follow them. The contemplated legislative action would be highly beneficial, by causing a concent ration of elFort among the friends of Temperance in each town to close np all the toll gates of heil. Rev. Mr. Watson, of Marshall, was a stront advocate of moral suasirn, and therefore he wished ihe law to get out of our way. The licenses hinder those who have the;n from yieldiog to moral suasion. Here is a rumseller who follows his destructive business y?ar aftel year, but does it all respectahly, The Legislature, in all its grandeur and dignily, calis upon him once a year, and looks in upon his well arranged array of bottles, decanters and glasses, and smiles approvngy, saying, "All right, go aheadP' This express approbation of the Legislature tended to deaden his feeüngs ogainst all the moral means you can brinsr to bear upon him. - And vet every rumseller is an advocate of moral suasion. He dors not believeincoercing people! Mr. W. did not wish for coerción, but only for such lcgislation as would ren.ove all legal obstacles from its free course, and it will tlien go ahead with vigor. The resolution to memorialize the Legislature was ndopted almost unanimously. It bas since met with genera' approbaüon, and many petitions have been foru arded to that effect, but have received little or no attention from the Legislature. Nor will any future legisla ture act, until corapelled to do it by an irresistable public opinión. When the Prkss can be made to speak unanimously ín favor of submitling the question of licenses to the towns, it will be done. After that, I think the sale of intoxicating drinks will gradually dimimsh from year to year, until their conimon use as a beverage will cease. We have among us many good lecturere on this subject, chiefly clergymen, whooccasionnlly speak on this topic. It furnisuBs nn excellent theme for declamation and eloquent nvective, but their meetings amount to little or nothing practically. The speakers dare not enter Lhe lists with earnestness against thefoundation of all thedrunkenness ainong us - hc license syslem - because that would make enemies, and be "interfering wilh politics." - nd the rumseller does not care how eloquent ecturers are against his business, as Jong os lis soles of liquor do not diminish! I have no fellowship with these reformers. I never attend their lec'.ures, because 1 consider thera mere íhetorícal exhibitions. In some respects he speakers do injury. They amuse people vith their fine discoursen, and take off their attenüon from the main question at issue - the genera], abiding, destroyiug, abominable curse astened upon us by law - the License Sysem.