Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1850-1854, 1853-08-26
THE RUM BILL.

AT late County Temperance meeting,
which we attended, plain farmer rose and
said that he was one day going to work and
an otficious sort of a man oyerhauled him ex-
claiming:
"Mr.-, Mr., have bill against
you'll"
Against me-" was the reply, 81 guess you
are mistaken this time | owe you nothing.
'Oh, it is not my BILL" said the man, Il
am only the collector. 1t is a tax BILL"
"Ah. a rum bilr'
ayes" said the collector, IF you've mind
to understand it so, and about half call up
on are of this opinion; they mutter terribly
about the rum taxes, the number of lazy,
drunken fellows in the poor house, and the
criminals taken up every day, making an en-
ormous cost to the county and believe if it
was not for rum shops, the taxes would not
quarter as heavy as they are; You have given
1t about the right name-a rum bill-only |
should not like to have the name of rum
bill collector"
On saying this he sat down; but it proved
a most effective speech, for others took up
the thought, and the rum BILL assessed upon
temperance men, was not lost sight of to the
close of the meeting. Indeed, the idea that
a temperance man should be met with a de-
mand which could only appropriately be made
of drunkard. "Sir, have a rum bill against
YOU" and be compelled to submit to it, and
pay it, while it was at first quite ludicrous,
soon excited burning indignation, words were
wanting to express the strength of demand,
and that Immediately for the Maine Law
Would that we could travel the State, and
show to every hard working man the amount
Of his rum bill-that we could sit down by
the shoemaker, working day and night to
pay his rent, and support his family, and ask
him how much was his rum BILL
"Rum bill | never drink rum"
Every well, sir, but you Fay rum bill.
What was your tax last YEAR,
Sixteen dollars, twenty-five cents"
Every well, sir, ten dollars and eighty-four
cents Of that was your rum BILL"
"By the blacksmith sir, you swing the
hammer ut the anvil by day and night, in
summer and winter Hard way to get liv-
ing! Pray, sir, how much is your rum bill =
Rum bill. don't insult me; never drop
comes into the shop"
"That may be, sir, but you pay heavy
rum bill; and it won't be any less when these
drunken fellows, who | see hang around
your furnace, get with their families into the
poor house."
'By the hard working, thrifty farmer, sir,
you've a very fine farm, will You set apart a
lot for the missionary or Bible cause"
Il would if could, but it requires all
can raise to support my family"
Sir, you are now devoting the produce of
your best lot to a worse purpose"
81 am sir, what do YOU mean? e.
a mean to pay your rum bilI"'
"Sir, you're mistaken in your man. Rum
used to cost me twenty and thirty dollars in
having and harvesting but | have not paid
a rum bill these six years
"Have not. what were your taxes last
year."
'Ovcr forty dollars"
"Well, two-thirds of that was rum tax.
The pauper tax of the State of New York in
1916, according to the Legislature Reports,
was $SI7'44l; of this, S67O,l73 was set
down to intempcrance, and you had to pay
your share of it. Now 90 for Maine Law,
and you may have nearly the whole of the
produce of your farm for yourself and child
rem"