The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1863-04-17
Whisky the King of the Southern
Confederaoy.
[FrOm The Richmond E1,ninsr.l

uSS'No 10 Juuge from the
Unsuitable thirst for alcoho ic stimulants
which prevails in all partS of the coun-
try, but chiefly in Richmond, the install.
,aiion of the new sovereign is hailed with
as much joy as the frogs displayed when
Joge, In bis beniSuitv, sent them king
Stork 10 place OF King Log. Tue Yam
KEGS were a dead weight upon our poliii.
cal. social and commercial arns psrity. bat
hins Whisky is 80 gracious, so famil-
Jar In his in ercourse with the highest
and the lo~est that il is believed, the
danger is less that he will gobbe up his
subjects than that they will swallow
him.
In truth the extent 10 which the drink
ing of whiskey il carried in the COnfrd.
crate Capital, in all our cities and villa
2es, and even at the railroad stations and
country cross roads, is appalling In
this city, scarcely day passes without
the opening Of some new dOggery or bar,
kept by men within the conscript age,
and fcequented by herds of persons liable
to military duty. Mysterious rooms
public know, forged exemption papers
are prepared, are continually announced
ia cabalistic whispers to those who show
any desire 10 become intoxicated or to
evade their duty to the country. Des-
pite certain secrecy and caution, these
places must be well known In most of
them whisky is sold openly and above
board. Almost every eating house is al.
40 . drinking house, where decanters,
bottles or demijohns are set out at the
bar or behind thin partition that, TO the
practiced eye, serves only to advertise
the fact that whisky is for sale.
In the small towns, in the villages and
in the country, the case is much the same
as in Richmond. Will it be believed that
at one of the stations on a railroad lead
ing to this city, the present writer beheld,
a few days ago, white woman Offering
cod-liver oil bottles, filled with apple
brandy, for five dollars each, and this in
loud lewd tone and manner, which must
have shocked every lady and gentleman
on the train. Such, nevertheless, is the fact.
So far from being rebuked by the railroad
officials, this woman, there is much reason
TO fear, was encouraged by them. Nor
was il 20 be expected that she should be
discountenanced and deferred from her
Jokes with the soldiers by passengers,
almost every one of whom (at least near
ly all who could afford it) had bottle
of whisky in his carpet bag. And this
Is the pass 10 which Virginia, even 10 this
rural districts, has arrived.
OF the quality of the whisky which is
now exposed for sale, only \ chemist fa-
miliar with the most horrible secrets of
his calling, can speak. Apart from its
terrible nauseousness TO the undebauched
palate and nostrils, its properties are
said TO be more deadly 10 the health
Of body and mind than that fatal
and filthy compound, which, in time of
peace, used TO circulate amOng the ne
groes, and the effects of which were
made known in those terrible ouirages
that happened from time to time appa-
rentlV without cause. This is the vile
stuff which not only rutilans of beastly
and depraved appetItes, but we'll.
bred, we'll educated, influential gentle
men, are now swallowing with an avid
10y prompted by something akin 10 insan-
lty. THIS is the enemy which men " no
noid the fate Of the nation in their keep
ing, are putting into their mouths to steal
away their brains. Well may the peo
pie, the few at least, who are Themselves
suiltess, and whose fate is bound up in
he decisions of the muddled iEtellects
If leading men, adopt the language Of
'a-sius, when in the depth. of hIs re-
morse, he cried out against himself
Drunk and speak parrot squAbbis!
WrAnglu swear and discourse iuslian
with oue's own shAdowl y, thou invln-
cible spirit of vtistH il thou hast no
name to be known by, let US call thee
devill
The evil consequences flowing from
this disease of drinking, which has fast
en,d itself upon the vilals of the COnfed
eracy with a mAlignIty far more intense
than any of the prevailing epidemics, are
felt not only IN public affairs, in the
miscarriage Of mi itsry movements Of the
highest importance, but in the private
| business transactions on the street be-
tween man aud man. In fact there is no
| relation Of life ia which ia baleful effects
are not perceivable, except IL that hid
den world OF sorrow and suffering which
| is locked up in the tender, unreVealing
| heart of woman. A drunken man 10 q
pest anywhere he is a curse 10 his wife
and Of every female member Of his house
uold.
For time, the sale Of whisky was
suppressed by martial law. The abuse
OF power incident 10 the exercise Of that
law, 20 say nothing Of its unoonstituiiOn-
ality, rendered its repeal necessity.
But long before Congress or the State
| Legislatures took hold Of IL, nearly eve.
rybody, high and low, rich aud poor, set
to work 10 make IL unOperaiiye, 30 far as
Tho sale Of ardent spirits was concerned.
The world would be amazed could il
learn Of the thousands Of staid, sober
sided old gentlemen, men Of the highest
reputation for morals, men Of excellent
social standing, men Of eminent official
positions both in and out Of the army,
| who exercised their Wits 10 the utmost
TO get a drink Of whisky, who thought il
an excellent joke 20 'run the blockade" /"
and who did 80 with a success that sent
them reeling homewards, generally late
At night, but oftentimes In the broad day
light, 10 the infinite distress OF their fam
lies and the CONSERVATION Of such Of
their friends as remained sober enoue b
70 doubt that staggering was the most
graceful method Of Ambulation. The
J mania for drinking became almost uni
versal, invading even the church, and left
behind It a habit which seems not likelv
10 be cured by the cessation OF the re-
strictiOns Of martial law. II isa ques-
uon whether martial law, With all ID