The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1858-08-19
To Persons engaged in the ven-
ding Of Intoxicating liquors i'm
the CITY Of Ottumwa.

You must be aware that the business in
which you are engaged Is unlaUfuL For in
FORMATION you are referred to the "Act Of the
Fifth General Assembly of the State of Iowa -
Chapter 40, page So. H..
You must be aware that the unrestricted
sale Of Intoxicating drinks has the eifant of al
Turing Young men aad even boys to contract
fondness for drink, and ia very many cases,
confirmed habits Of intempcrance in opp ,sition
to their own better Judgment, and to the grief
and modification of friends.
You are aware that snch establish nents as
yours interpose most serions obstacles in the
way of the reformation of such az have be-
come Incorporate. Friends, physicians. and
their own better Judgment recon nsnd absti-
nance, bnt the force of habit and the facili-
tiles which your saloons and bars aff,rd, Sc
duce them, and again seduce them, till the
grave closes upon them.
You ought 10 be aware that the happiness
of your feliog.nan is not pro NOTED by the
traffic in which Won are engaged Tue hap
piness which arises from intoxicating stinu-
lus is the happiness of dahriun 1t fais its
counterpart in the mirth Of tne T.lnatic or the
brainless smile Of the lii,t. Nole know bet :
ter than yoi that thos vino quarrel and fight
are those who drink. OF murders aad t efts
and breaches Of OR paa,l laws generally, an d
domestic enbroilnents and separations, a
large majority, u,ier our own eyes even, may
be traced to the influence Of liquor.
You ought TO be aware that your busine SIS
does not operate favorably npon the health Of
the community Your customers, compared
with others, and especially those who have
been long yoir Customers are not the robust
and the heaIthfal In no respect can this
claim advantage over Others. o. the contrary,
disease in its most aggravated and appalling and
fatal form is with frequency occurring in our
very midst, Induced by the use of such drinks
as vou have made it vlur business to vend, and
experience shows that where cholera and 9TH
er destructive epidenics rage, the victims are
for the most Fart found among the drunkards
and the drinkers. If such be the sanitary re-
suits Of the use of liquor In general, how much
worse the effects TO be apprehended from the
diluted, adulterated and poisoned compounds
which are in market and use at the present
time! tits notorious that pure liquor, of what
ever kind, can scarcely be found Is ii right
to traffic in concealed poisons which, under
spurious names, may deceive and ruin.
Your traffic, moreover, is of no advantage to
the material wealth of individuals or the COM
imunty. 1t does not render individuals more
industrious, but notoriously less so. The op-
CREATIONS Of merchandising of whatever kind
are IN one respect deleterious to the interests
of the community. Very much Of the small
amount of money in circulation is due to and
falls into the hands of the merchant. who re-
mits it to a distant part of the country to can
eel liabilities there contra cted-th us taking
out of the country our circulating medium
Bat in exchange for this wa receive clothing.
articles Of food, and a thousand useful and
convenient articles. ut in exchange for the
money paid to the vender of liquors, we get
ENTHUSIASTICALLY nothing that is of nv
va!ps. Nay, We get worse than nothing-not
raiment hnt rags; not fonl hit famine; not
medicia but poison; lnt that which alavs
thirst bat tina which annatI alIv axcites and
SH'hi''o'CS q ina ,'f'i'II - QAehCuitss.t IN
exchange for par money We get disease and
poverty and crime.
And if the liquor traffic does not al any time
benefit the community, how utterly inexcusa-
BILE must il be at tune when money is scarce.
when remunerative employment is scarce.
when agriculture threatens for tae season TO
be failure, and when the whole community
and country are depressed by debt.
Business which involves so many aud such
serious evils without one couniervailln- adj.
vantage, ought not to be engaged in, or en-
couraged, or by government, watchful OF the
peoples good, permitted. We therefore re-
specially and most earnestly request you to
conform TO the law of the land, and 10 what
we believe to be the enlightened sentiment of
vast majority of our citizens, by discontinue
ing the sale of all that is intoxicating.
The above was reported to a meeting by
committee, and adopted.
H. p. GRAVES, Chm.
E. F. LEWIS, See'y.
For the Courier.