Permanent temperance documents, of the American Temperance Society. Vol. I.

Date:
1835
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Permanent temperance documents, of the American Temperance Society. Vol. I. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    377/540 (page 71)
    But the crime, of most peculiar aggravation, when measured by the mischief which is done to the community, is, some men will sell to the sober. And these often are sober men; of course their example has greater weight. The pure unvitiated appetite, which God has given for useful nourishment, they by the drunk- ard’s poison, pervert; which perversion is, by the laws of nature, like the letting out of great waters. The only way to prevent its mischief, is, that which is required by the first principles of morality and religion, “the letting it alone before it is meddled with.” Every step from this point, is a step in the way of trans- gression ; the tendency of which, growing greater and greater, the farther you proceed, is, like that of every sin, toward eternal death. 2. There is another light in which this traffic may be viewed, as dishonest; and that not merely on account of the enormous frauds that are often practised in it, but on account of the nature of the business itself. Honesty requires that a valuable equivalent should be furnished for money which is received. But the trafficker in ardent spirit renders no such equivalent. He gives to the buyers that which is not only absolutely worthless, but positively hurtful; and is thus, in principle, guilty of gross dishonesty. It is doing, in this respect, directly contrary to what he ought to wish that others should do to him. 3. It is unjust towards the community. Not only does it increase the sickness and the deaths, but by increasing the pauperism and crimes, and public expenditures, it adds greatly to the pecuniary burdens of every people among whom it is continued. It increases the taxes for the support of pauperism, and the prosecution of crimes, above what they other- wise would be, as we have seen, more than four-fold. This is palpably unjust. No man has a right to carry on a business, which, for the profit of a few, burdens the many. Justice forbids it. Here is a county which has in it 1000 paupers ; 750 of them were made such by drinking. The profit of making these pau- pers is enjoyed by a few ; the burden of supporting them comes on the whole community. This is unjust. It is a violation not only of the principles of morality, but of equal rights and common honesty. No man can pursue it, and not injure his fellow men. Instead therefore of infringing the rights of the sellers, when the community complain of their business, and wish the civil law to refrain from obliging the public to bear its burdens, as the sellers pretend, the sellers are constantly trampling on the rights of the community, and unjustly burdening the public with taxes to sup- port the paupers and prosecute the criminals that the sellers make. Pf this, every community has just cause to complain. It is injustice and oppression, under the cover of law. And of such