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.