Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1860-03-02

ards. by drinking the same poison. Oh four
hundred insane patients, he found that two
thirds had lost their reason from the same
cause. Many Of them were boys under age
One boy Of seventeen was made insane by the
poison from being drunk only once. Seeing
two mon drinking in a grog-shop, and That
the whisky was so strong that 1t actually
caused tears to flow from the eyes OF one OF
them, the doctor obtained some OF 1t, and APP
piled the tests. lie found it TO contain only
seventeen per cent. of alcohol, when It should
have forty, and that the difference was sup
piled by sulphuric acid, red pepper, caustc'
potassa, and strychnine. A pint OF tins liquor
contained enough poison to kill the strongest
man, The man who had manufactured it had
grown wealthy by producing it.
The Old fashioned gin drinker, or tppler IN
Brandy, Rum, and the like. was many long
years in bringing upon himself that fell and
fricdish disease dHiritm tremens. Bnt m
these times u have it from physician OF
twenty-five years practice, and acquainted ex-
lensively and particularly with the concern OF
Intoxicating liquors in producing diseases
delirum tremcns can be brought on IN one
week, in the use Of the poisonous liquors now
made, The manufacture Of Intoxicating IL
quors is now, to a large extent, the compound
ing of poisons The traffic in such liquors, rs
a traffic in beverages which are mingled of
poisons. Drinking such liquors is the drink
ing of poison. And legislation, employed
upon such manufactures, traffic, or use wheth-
or for the license of such beverages as drink,
OF for their prohibition; is employed upon the
question Of licensing, or prohibiting the maxi
ing selling, and drinking of poisoHs These
poisonous liquors are as much more mischicv-
Gus. deadly and destructive to human health
and life, than the liquors of thirty or forty
years since, bad as they were, as prussic acid,
and coculus iudicus, and suger of lead and
vitriol and logwood and dragons blood, and
sulphuric acid, and red pepper, and causuc,
and potassa, and strychnine, are more hurt
ful than the genuine extracts from rye, corn,
potatoes apples, grapes, malt and hops. These
are the liquors with the suppression of which
the State Of Vermont is concerned, as feed
ing the appotitcs Of mon for intoxicating
drink and which are keeping millions under
the power of the vice Of intempcrance. The
old fashioned business of distllation, or brew
ing of lqsors from the products of the soil,
kept up with the demand for liquor, for a
long course of years. But distilation and
brewing, on the scale of 1925, could not sup
ply the demand for liquor in our extending
country in this year 1860. If you wish to
know where are the fountains whence flow
the multiplied riyuets Of poisonous drink, you
have to look for them in other places beside
the old fashioned distlleries and breweries.
To be sure Of finding them, you may have
first to find some city policeman. or county
sheriff or town constable, or other person
who is acquainted with the dark and secret
laboratories. where 90 on the processes Of
preparing. for those who will drink, (and who
care little Uhai if it only has the taste Of 1.-THE
crtter' in it, the potatiuns which fearfully
and rapidly poison the human system, and
feed the grve, (which never asaith, it is
enough" The Arab chemist, who first ex-
tracted alcohol from the products of the soil,
was probably a scientific, and perhaps a re-
spectacle and honest man; and he might not
have intended to do the world any damage
by his discovery But had Intoxicating drink
first been invented and offered to living men,
in this country, in the putting together such
poisons as are now used and the inventor
of such Internal instrumentalities for mad
dening mems reasons, and poisoning their
bodies and throwing them into the grave,
been known he would have stood in some
liability to be swung up under the gallows, or,
provided with State prison lodgings and en-
ployment for life But these are the times in
which, with impunity, men can make a busi-
ness of such atrocious wickodness men who
do not care 10 wait for the fields Of grain or
csculent products, to grow and ripen nor for
the vineyards and orchards to yield their
fruits SO that they may convert them into the
genuine liquors as aforetime. They provide
themselves with secretly printed and cautious
ly vcnded books, which teach the art and
mystery of manufacturing deceptive and afro
cious limitations Of the genuine liquors, the
internal compoundngs of poison; and by this
craft wherewith they have their wealth. they
are doing the work Of murder upon their vic
Tins, on a scale wider than ever has been done
by the products of thesold distilleries and brew
cries and peopling the tomb with the un-
timely dead, for whom their eyes and their
hearts have no pity. And have law and
civil justice nothing to do with such men.
Out Of several topics suggested by the
rapid and imperfect sketch of contrasts now
given, we select for briefremark two only.
l, The Importance of Temperance organiza-
hops. These are recommended very wisely
and properly, by our State Society, and should
have place in all our towns and villages. The
old objections Of thirty years ago, and since,
against Temperance Societies, had their inAu-
ence and have doubtless been concerned, in
conjunction with other causes, in bringing on
the present languishing condition Of the tenn
perance cause. 1t has been asked-is still
asked--"Why form Temperance Societies p
Why not let those people friendly to the cause,
and scattered up and down in general society,
use their efforts in a silent, modest and unpre-
tending way sustained by their good example
without setting up the inyidious and offensive
distinctions of membership and noa-member-
ship; of subscription TO pledge,and Hon-sub
scriptoni Why multiply societies in the
land, by setting up temperance societies in
every town and village We shall be Civ
ing answer to such questions, and at the same
time promoting the universal organization Of
tho friends Of Temperance, while we say |.
Because the experience of men, everywhere,
has proved that the best way to accomplish
any object in which men have a common con-
Germ, is to associate, and organize themselves
into bodies adapted to concerted and conccn-
trated action
?. Because the experience Of men constant
ly brings proof of the truth of that old saying
of men, "Union is strength - and also OF the
declaralions of holy writ, that "two are bet
ter than cne;' and that "a threefold cord is
not ouickIv broken"