The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1855-11-16
NUMBER l85.

Ierage OF ale, porter, beer, &C., and cannot de-
clare those manufactured, kept and sold for
that purpose nuisance, if such is the use to
which those articles are put by the people.
1t all resolves itself into this as in the case of
printing, worshipping God, &c. If the corr
stitution does not protect the people in the
right, the legislature may probably prohibit;
lifit does, the legislature cannot. We think
the constitution furnishes the protection. If
it does not in this particular it does as to moth
ing of any importance, and tea, coffee, tobacco,
corn bread, ham and eggs may next be placed
under the ban. The very extent to which
concession of the power in this case would car
ry its eqercise, shows it cannot exist We are
confirmed in this view when we consider that
at the adoption of our present constitution,
there were in the State fifty distilleries and
| breweries in which a half million of dollars
was invested, five hundred men were employ
ed which furnished market annually, for two
million bushels of grain, and turned out manu-
factured products to the value ofa million of
dollars, which were consumed by our people,
to great extent, as beverage. With those
facts existing, the question of incorporating
into the constitution the prohlbtory principle
was repeatedly brought before the constitution
al convention, and uniformly rejected. De-
bates in the convention VOL 2, p. 1434, and
othcys.
| wy are further strengthened in this op;n-
ion when we notice, as we Will as a matter of
general knowledge, the uniyersality Of the use
of these articles as beverage. 1t shows the
Judgment of mankind as to their value "This
use may be traced in several parts of the an
cient world. Pliny, the naturalist states that
in his time it was in general use amongst all
the several nations who inhabited the western
part Of Europe and, according to him it was
Al
whose climate did not permit the successful
cultivation of the grape. He mentions that
the inhabitants of Egypt and Spain used
kind Of ale; and says that, though it was diff
ferently named in different countries, it was
universally the same liquor. See Pin. Nat.
Hist. lib Is, C. %. Herodotus, who wrote
five hundred years before Pliny tells us that
| the Egyptians used liquor made of barley.
I(2 77.) Dion Cassius alludes to similar bev-
erage among the people iuhabiting the sheres
of the Adriatic. Lib 40, De Pannonis Tacit-
u.s. tates that the ancient Germans, for their
drink used liquor from barley or other grain,
and fermented it so as to make it resemble
wine. Iactus de Mon. Gem. c. %. Ale was
also the hvorite liquor of the Anglo-Saxons
and Danes. 'If the accounts given by Isodo-
rms and Orosinus of the method of making ale
amongst the ancient Britons be correct, tits
our modern brewing. They state "that the
grains stepped in water and made to germin-
ate; it is then dried and ground: after which
lit is infused in certain quantity of water,
which is afterwards fermented." (Henry's
History of England, vol. 2. D. 3641
In early periods of the history of England
ale and bread appears to have been considered
equally victuals, or absolute necessaries Of life.
| In Biblical History we are told chat the
'vine.n plant which bears clusters of grapes,
out of which wine is pressed, $50 abounded in
Palestine that almost every family had vine-
yard.' Solomon said to be the wisest man;
had extensive vineyards which he leased 90
tenants Song s, verse 13; and David, in his
l104 tn Psalm, in speaking of the greatness,
power and works of God, says verses IA and
Is, "He causeth grass to grow for the cattle,
Iand herb for the service of man; and wine that
maketh glad the heart Of man; and oil to make
his face shine, and bread which strengthened
mans heart''
1t thus appears, if the inspired Psalmist is
entitled to credit, that man was made to laugh
as well as weep and that these stimulating
beverages were created by the Almighty ex-
pressly to promote his social hilaity and enjoy
ment And for this purpose have the world
ever used them. They have ever given, il, LAM
guage of another passage ofScripture, strong
drink to him that was weary and wine to
heavy heart. The first miracle wrought by our
Saviour. that at Cana, of Galilee. the place
where he dwelt in his youth, and were he met
his followers after his resurrection, was to
supply this article to increase the festivities
of a Joyous occasion; that housed it himself is
evident from the fact that he was called by bis
enemies wine -bbber and he paid it the
distinguished honor of being the eternal me-
mortal ofhis death and mans redemption.
From De Bows compendium Of the census
Of 1850, p 1872, we learn that at that date there
were in the United States 1,217 distilleries
Iandbreweries with capital of s., so, ,574, con-
suming some 18,OO0O 900 bushels Of grain and
apples, 1924 tons of hops and 81, ,675 hogs
heads of molasses and producing some83, COO
900 gallons of liquor.
From the Secretary of the Treasury's Re-
port of the commerce and navigation ofthe Uni
ted States, for 1850 we gather that there
were imported into the Unired States, in that
year, about 10 900 900 gallons of various kinds
of liquors. -
By the National Cyplopadia, vol IL, p. 954,
we are informed that for the year ending Janu-
ary 5, 1850, there were imported into Great
Britain and Ireland 7,970,067 gallons of wine,
and that there were manufactured in the same
period in that kingdom, in round numbers,
25,000oOo gallons
In the 9th vol of the same work, p. 32S, it
is said:
"The vine is one of the most important OBJ
;ects of cultivation in Franch. The amount
ofland occupied by this culture is about 5000,
OoO Fnol;sh acres This average yearly pro-
duct is about 926OO0,O0O England gallons, of
which about one sixth is converted into bran-
DIV. The annual produce of the vineyards is
estimatedat about f28, 100000 sterling, [near
100000 dollars Of which ten-elevenths