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The Temperance Question

About This Item

  • Title: The Temperance Question
  • Date: 24 December 1858
  • Creator(s): Walt Whitman
  • Whitman Archive ID: per.00853
  • Source: Brooklyn Daily Times, 24 December 1858: 2. Our transcription is based on a digital image of a microfilm scan of the original issue. Microfilm of original issue held at Pennsylvania State University Libraries. For a description of the editorial rationale behind our treatment of the journalism, see our statement of editorial policy.
  • Editorial note: This piece is unsigned, as was the case for most of Whitman's journalism. However, this editorial is part of a series of texts that deal with a coherent theme that has been identified by the Whitman Archive journalism team as likely authored by Whitman. This decision is based on a combination of historical and (auto)biographical accounts, similarity to contemporary Whitman writings, a history of scholarly attribution, extant clippings retained by Whitman, computational stylometric analysis, and, in some cases, manuscript evidence in Whitman’s hand.
  • Contributors to digital file: Kaylen Michaelis Samantha Gilmore Brandi Faulkner Stefan Schöberlein Karie Cobb
  • Cite this page: Whitman, Walt. "The Temperance Question." The Walt Whitman Archive. Gen. ed. Matt Cohen, Ed Folsom, & Kenneth M. Price. Accessed 17 July 2024. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
  • Source File: per.00853.xml (TEI)
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THE TEMERPANCE QUESTION.—

We observe that during the past few weeks the friends of Temperance have been more active than we have known them for months previous. The bodies which go by the name of the “E.L.EL.​ Snow Social Unions” have been holding meetings in their various localities. No. 6 meets here on Monday evening next. We augur from the revived energy of the Temperance men, that they mean to make a dead set at the next Legislature. If they discard their unconstitutional and impracticable idea of prohibition, and direct their efforts to the improvement and enforcement of the present license law, they may effect great good. It is certainly time something should be done. Absolute free trade in liquor is now the practice, and, will become so rooted as an “institution” in our midst that it will be hard to interfere with. As it is, between absolute free trade in liquor and absolute prohibition, we have scarcely a choice; but it is to be hoped that some efficient system for the regulation of the sale, and the protection of the consumer from poisonous adulteration, will not only be recorded on the statute book, but enforced. The Temperance societies can effect great good by directing their efforts in this direction; while by harping on the old string of prohibition, they can only alienate from themselves all the less ultra portion of the community, and thus continue to the liquor trade its present practical immunity from legal oversight or control.

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