The Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, Ohio) 1853-1861, 1857-05-21

MIR. EDITOR WIN you alloW lew WOruS 10
be said in respect to custom which is said to pre-
vail among some merchants in North. Western
Ohio.
| understand that they arc in the habit of treat
ing their customers with lager beer and druggcd
whSkey. know not the origin of such practice,
perhaps it dates back to the early settlers who took
that method of ingratiatng themselves into the fa-
vor Of their Indian customers.
The poor bemghted sons of the forest were al
ways little suspicious of the white man, and a
cup of good whskey might have aided in reno
wing the suspicion aud in opening their hearts to
the benevolent traders, who wore an eye to their
furs aud moneys.
But Mr.. E litor, the Red man is gone-the whis-
key of the whites have burnt up large portion
which the sword could not reach and if their pres
ence occasoned the practice, their absence ought
to put an end to it.
| For certainly there cannot be the same reason
for the continuance of the costum among intell
gent white people, who ought to be able to know
their friends, without the enlghtening aid of glass
of poor liquor.
But seriously, sir, this practice of treating ones
an outrage on any places-dsgraceful to the
parties who demand it. and the parties who con-
tinue it,
1t is an outrage on aplace, because it makes
drunken men and liquor dealing common thing
very much to our injury.
1t is disgraceful to the parties who demand itwho
will not trade when they are not treated. 1t is
disgrace to their good sense, ince they must
know that man does not treat them at his own
expense. They who drink, pay for their drink
indirectly, of course. They pay drink tax
on their goods-on every yard of calico, and eve
ry pound of sugar, or tea or coffee they buy. Now
gentlemen if you must have liquor, it would be
cheaper for you to pay for it directly. Who
is simple enough to suppose that the Indians did
not pay well for every drop of whiskey the white
traders gave them, Who does not know that when
the Indian was well corned his skins made a
rapid change from his pack to the traders store
room?
Aud do you, my simple county Friends think you
will fare better than the Indian? Irather guess
mot
Perhaps you think you can make better bargains
when your skin is pretty full OF liquid. Well, if
you think so, you are ncorrgable But perhaps
you had better talk the matter over with the old
woman when you get hone-show her your bar
gains and then do you take her advice.
But, Mr. Editor, it was suggested that this prac-
tice was disgrace to those who follow it. believe
that is the opinion OF many at this day. that the
trading customs which prevailed among the In
dian traders, was not Ucry respectable, nor very
honorable. But waive m opinion on the subject.
1t merely occurs TO me to say that if it is not con-
sd,red honorable to get Indians drunk before
trading with them, and if the u. S. Government,
as far as possible, have driven the whskey traders
from all their stations, passed severe prohibitary
laws, some OF which bear the name of Jackson
upon them, then a very logical conclusion fOllops,
that it cannot be any more reputable 10 get white
people in the same situation in order to trade with
them.
Now am one of those who think the thing is
needless as well as injurious If our merchants
will take the true ground Of merchants, and leave
such practices where they belong,with unprncipled
shopkeeprcs they would find that they would
gain the respect of their customers the thanks of
community and would preserve their own elfrespect
and perhaps be as well off at the years balancing
of books as they loould be if they continued to
poison their customers with bad whIskcy. X
-.----..----. ------
CosT OF HALF LAUNCH.--The Queen of the
Pacific which stuck on the ways in attempting TO
launch her the other day in New York, was finally
got off by jackng up the hull and recOnstructng
the ways, The whole expense of tugs and der
ricks which had been previously tried without cf-
feet, was about $1,000
A THouGHT FOR YOUNG MEN,--No wreck is so
shocking to behold as that of deSolate young men.
On the person of the debauchee or inebriate, ina-
my is written How nature hangs labels over him
to testify her distrust at the example How she
oosens all his joints, sends tremors along his mus
cles and bends forward his frame The wretch
whose lifelong pleasure it has been to debase him.
self and to debauch others, whose heart has been
spotted with sin so that it is black all over, is an
offence TO the heart of the unblemished.- Horace
Mann.
esr The Calfornisns are importing Austria
lian sheep in considerable numbers. They bring
hiph prices