Wilmington expositor. (Wilmington, Del.) 1831-18??, 1832-02-10
MISCELLANEOUS.
From the Aibany Journal.
A DIALOGUE--5o YEARS HENCE.

"A DIALONyOc--oO
Father, here is newspaper printed Fifty
wears ago, in which is notice calling peopl,
sorether, to take measures to prevent men from
drinking Rum! What does it mean! Was
there not poison as lorg go as that, and were
men compelled to drink it?
yes. my son. Rum was the same poison then
as now. Men were not compelled to drink it.
HUI they first be anne the slaves TO custom,
and then slaves to- appetites, and then would
drink to their own ruin.
What! did men use to take rum when they
were 1ueHS
Yes, majority Of the people in the u. S.
would drink it almost daily and SO years ago,
when was boy, and Albany not oue-third
as large as now, only $4,000 inhabitants, in one
warI there were ABOUT 100 shops for retailing
rum; and in the CITY nearly 45o And only
one public temperance house in the town.
Did it use to kill men to drink rum!
Yes, it took the lives of $4,000 annually in
dhe United States.
Did not the city lose money by rum'
Yes: $4,000 annually.
But were not those vino poisoned their neigh
bors punished for it?
No They were licensed to do it by the
common council.
What! did the common council ever license
! >Aso men to poison the city.
Yes. such things were, but that time has
passed.
Did not those who payed the taxes oppose
che common council?
Yes, they petitioned them not to grant SO
rnanv licenses, but at first they failed of sue
-aess, owing partly to the fact that respectable
me, and professors. of religion were opposed
60 them.
What! did yes1ecfable men and Christians SC
years ago deal in rum! :,
Yes, they were called so then, but it would
be hard to make people nowadays believe 1t
But in those times the church and Clergy were
no more than half awake to the subject, and
come were even willing to have wholesale run
dealers for officers in the church.
I should think the Corporation would have
refused to give so many rum warrants, on ac'
count of the tax imposed BY the use OF the ar
ticle; and because it DESTROYED lite. Did the
Corporation know that rum was poison?
Kes, they knew it, but Rum was once pol
stician;
Run, politician! What does that mean
Well, if I must tell you to the disgrace o
our old council, it is this. The Corporation
would not refuse to grant licenses to Rum op
position would dislodge them from power
And in those DAYS men would rather have ru,
and sbPce. than private life WithOuf rum.
Poor souls! But did not the people give tn
alarm of Rum and State
No. But Rum dealers and drinkers char
ged the temperance men of Church and Stde
Why?
No one could tell 1uhY in those DAYS.
Well, how long did the war against RuI
last?
Not long. For when people began to a
as well as tall they soon conquered. Run
dealing was brought to the same level wit
public gambling. by what was called iotterie
and then made the rum dealer pay for his mi
chief in taking away mems money, reputation
happiness, usefulness and health; and the pul
BIC gambler had 10 pay for robbing mems poe
.ts. Each were charged sum proportions
TO the amount of their mischief And to Il
efforts of these patriotic men who engaged {
the side Of the people, Albany now most
owes its 100000 inhabitants; the health al
happiness of its peoples its railroads verging
every direction; its public improvements; its E
,.mntion from taxation; the wealth OF its CT
zens. and all its bright prospects for the futu
For had our fathers submitted TO the rum
rye should now have been poor. Learn frc
this. nv son, to remember your benefact'
with gratitude.
No less than 90 couple were divorced by
act of the Legislature Of Georgia at its last
IL,