Weekly hawk-eye and telegraph. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1855-1857, 1855-08-01
Ths County Grocery.

~ LAG VuAASy fdAUocS j. &sssfs
4 A ridiculous Pretense is now set up, il
the last Gazette, that Judge Wightman
IN making his purchases, in renting hi
J room and appointing his agent, has onl,
attempted, in good faith, to carry out tn,
provisions of the prohibitory law! Ts
prove the utter hypocrisy Of this assertion
it is only necessary to show what he ha.
done! Hehas expended in money So 500
And to what extent he has used the credi,
of the county, time can only determine
He has bought pale and dark brandies in
.great variety. Wine of all kinds, no,
omitting CHAMPAIGN AND CIARET, (who
ever nsed either for any purpose conteu.
plated in the law?) London Porter aud
Scotch Ale, and rye and corn whiskey, Of
all ages and qualities, besides an article of
German origin, used to favor whiskey, cor
responding with Stoughton, known among
the hoys" as sD' Abscenthe!w
With this array of liquor, large and am
pie fora wholesale and retail trade, with an
agent employed at a salary of $500 year
in room in the business part of the city
at rent of $3.50 year, it is useless for
the Gazette now to pretend that i; is.done
in good faith in carryins c.it tie pro-
visions of the law! 1t shows on its face a
very different object Il
T!e.ips iiiitory l:w never was Intended
to be q taX upon the peopleui the County.
An agency securing all the ends of the
law, which the present arrangement does
not, could have been made, without draw
ing one cent from the county Treasury.
All the liquors to be sold under the law,
must be used for medical, mechanical or
sacramental purposes. Where so good a
place for such sale to be made, as drug
store? Physicians and chemists when pur-
chasing their medicines and chemicals,
could procure necessary liquors. A drug
gist could be procured, who in connection
with his own business, would be willing to
sell what little would be really necessary,
for a salary very much below the one now
paid by the County. And an agent could
thus be procured, who would be very will
ing, for small salary, to buy and sell what
little liquor would be needed, and find his
own capital And the twenty FIVE per cent
onthe liquor sold, would pay salary and all
attending expense, and clear the county
of all risk or expense. sa paE p
But says the objector, will druggist be
as likely to confne the sale to the purposes
contemplated by the law? sa
ID, In the name of common sense could
druggist do worse than the Judge and his
agent are now doing. Every third man
you meet has been treated or asked to
drink at the County grocery. And we have
the best reason for saying, any quantity or
quality can be procured for any purpose
whatever! rt# ss Eta.s'1 ..
Instead of honestly carrying out the pro-
visions Of the law, Judge Whightman has
grossly perverted and caricatured it, in the
agency he has established Todo this he
has needlessly run the county into an ex-
penditure of between $1,000 and $4,000.
These are two clear, substantive facts, as
palpable as the sun at noon day. Any jury
of Des Moines County would find against
him without leaving their seats, upon an
indictment for wasteful and needless ex-
penditure of the peoples money. And as
certainly as the day rolls around will the
people on the first Monday of August next
decide against Judge, Agency and Gro
Gerry! sF .~.-@.a. St T. a.... II. ~. E..