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About Oregon free press. (Oregon City [Or.]) 1848-1848 | View Entire Issue (May 27, 1848)
OREGON FREE PRESS von TUB VOL. I.) VEEK ENDING SATURDAY, MAY 27; 188. (NO. 8'. AW APPEAL TO TI1E VOTERS OF OREGON TERRITORY. Fellow Citizens: The time is 'drawing nigh when you arc lo deride by your voles, whether the word "prohibit," shall be substituted for the word "regulate,' in our Organic Constitution, and thus instruct your representatives to enact laws, u'itb such pains and penalties attached to them, as may be required to prohibit the manufactur ing, importing and vending intoxicating liquors in this territory; except importing and vending what may be required, for sacramental, medical and chemical purpo ses. All governments consider it their duty lo take every precaution to guard the morals, and to promote the hap piness, of their people. The pagan Chinese prohibit the use of intoxicating liquors. Willi the Mahome dans,its prohibition is an article of their religious faith, and they enforce it by the sword. But in christian countries, in consequence of the- habit our pagan an cestors had of indulginc in it, and at present, on ac count of the influence of those interested in manufac turing and vending intoxicating liquors, by which they enrich themselves in proportion as they render their fellow man degraded and miserable; christian govern ments say they have been unable to suppress the use of it, though the sacred volurnn tells them "Drunkards shall not inherit the Kingdom of God," and soothe their consciences by laying a tax on it lo defray, as they say, the expenses of government. Rut man cannot disobey the command of God with impunity. These very gov ernments, after sufTeiing in numerous ways from the misconduct of drunken persons, are obliged to erect jails, lunatic asylums, poor and orphan houses, and to pay the expenses of supporting them, and of Ihc people lo take wire of the unfortunate inmates, for which pur poses they have to tax themselves to a greater amount than the revenue they derive from licensing the impor tation, manufacturing and selling -of intoxicating li quors, which ought to convince christians that God commands them nothing but what is to their goed. But ue are a young community, and uc know that the first settlers in this counlrv'were men who had traversed it in every direction to hunt beaver, and were accustomed to thu free use of inloxirating liquors, yet so fully were they convinced of its injurious effects, that (hey were easily persuaded to form themselves inlo a temperance society, and setlle .to cultivate the soil, totally abstaining from manufacturing, importing, or vending' inloxirating liquors in (his community. The first organization of our territorial government adhered to the same principles. The second organiza tion, in June, ISiS, introduced the word "regulate," which was understood, until December, 18U, by the great majority of the community, lo mean "prohibit," except for sacramental, medical, or chemical purposes, iii id the laws inllicling pains and penalties on the man ufacturing "and sellin(- intyxicaling liquors were al lowed lo expire. In consequence of Ibis, you are now called on to use the nohlesl prerogative of freemen, 41 ml to decide, by your votes, whether you will admit 'among us the greatest enemy lo the temporal and spir itual liappiness of the whole human family, or by using your sovereign authority, save our community from the ravages of its most insidious and cruel foe. We have the happy privilege of enjoying a free con stitution, which gives us the right lo make the laws by which we are governed, and while we are bound to lie greatful to our heavenly father for this inestimable blessing which he has mercifully bestowed on us, we must bear in mind that it is a power which Jie Las en trusted lo us to do good, and that he will hold,us res ponsible for the use we make of it, and therefore it be comes not only our duty, but it is also our temporal and spiritual interest, lo do all the good we can, lo our fellow men. Every one of you have friends whom you love dearly. Most of you are blessed with children, whom you love dearer loan life itself. You (oil and you labor for their present comfort and future happiness, and there is nothing which you can do, that will tend so much to secure their temporal liappiness and future bliss so ef fectually, as lo remove from Ihcir rcacfr, in thedavs of their youth, the temptation lo indulge in intoxicating liquors, and save yourselves, hereafter, from the an guish you will feel when you see them descend into the drunkard's grave when your heart, broken with sor-r row, will force you lo exclaim, 'I had the power lo prevent this but, alas! I did not exercise it.' Besides, with what reproaches will not posterity load our memories, for not saving them rom so great a curse, when we had the power to do it? and, if it is considered glorious to fight and conquer the enemies of our country, how much is it not more so to conquer the greatest enemy of the whole human family,' who has done, and is doing, it more injury than war, pesti lence and famine united ; and lo conquer, not by shed ding blood and taking life, hut by doing good. It was the boast or ancient Rome, that the name of a cilizen of Rome was a pass through the then knowa civilized world. Poor and humble as we are, we can render the name of 'citizen of Oregon' more glorious. The Roman was considered, on occount of the war-like character of his counliymenwhile our will be res pected from the good character of his. By making it certain that they are free from the baneful and degrad7 ing use of intoxicating liquors, and this will give Ibeni a recommendation that will secure them employment and credit, and enable them to earn their livelihood respectably, wherever the name of Oregon is known, and do more to secure their comfort and happiness than if you gave them the gold of Ibe whole world. And people that dwell in countries where the baneful man ufacture and sale of intoxicating liquors is allowed, anxious for Ihcir own interests and those of their fami lies, will hasten to join us, as some of you are said to have done, because you understood this was a country where intoxicating liquors were neither alloucd to bo manufactured or sold. And such it was for a lime; and if it is your will, it can be so again. Andby this, you can raise this country, which is now your own, to greater respectability of character, than any other country has hitherto been, or is at present blessed with, and confer a greater blessing on ils inhabitants, than has yet fallen to the lot of Ihc inhabitants of any other country in the whole world aud the close of your days will be soothed with the consoling reflection that you have done joud in your day; as we live lo do good or wo live in vain. From the. salubrity and mild temperature of the cli mate, and the fertility of the soil, nature has made this country the finest portion of North. America, for thp comfortable residence of civilized man, and from its situation, having only the Pacific ocean betueenit and the most populous and industrious portion of the globe; this must become a great commercial country, and it depends on you, now, lo render it Ibe .happiest resi dence of civilized man, on the face of the whole globe. The eyes of the whole civilized world Ibe eyes of our relatives and friends, whom we left in our far dis tant native homes, are upon us posterity, will judge us; may we act so as to oblige it to prouourico ' You J lave done well.' A.