Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1865-03-21
- The yiiiainous Drugs
that Americans Get Dunk on.


From TIE rov T0rK Icsrnsl e Commerce.
Tie high prices demanded osibe ordinary ex
hilarzting beyerag es 70 which tie ua.s OF the
people have been accustomed in past years, have
ed 70 the Introduction o. a neE class Of stimn
lants Of fer more dangerous character. Tea j.
still retained. although neither IN quantity nor
quality is the consumption equal 20 the average
Of former seasons. Coffee. IN iis purity. Is hard
ly known in a majority Of private families and
except 10 first class hotels saloons, the decOc
tons furnished TO the public under this name are
VIGOROUSLY either adnlterzted or wholly spurious
The vegetable Kingdom has been rausacked for
substances which can be made 10 take on the ap
pesrznce of ground coffee. sud no sooner i
article Discovered thai can be successfully used
for this purpose than Il. too. il humilitated, 80
that ne have authorizations Of the adultersnt and
counterfeit mixtures 70 resemble the first limits
tOus. ChiccOrY Is not unwhoiesome, hen pure,
and may be added 20 the coffee berry. an eco
nomic measure without injury 10 the digestion
But almost every species OF root is now used to
initiate chiccory; and these preparations made
pungent with sr0matics. and sseetened with
liquOrice are sold by wholesale 10 the sdulters-
tors, until even 81 expert chemist could handy
tell by analysis Of What the fnsl compound il
composed
But the greatest changes have been mace in
alcoholic drinks The manufacture aud adUlte-
>
period: but until recently the more common Ii
ouors could be purchased comparatively pure
For a generation past West India rum was
tually what it purported to be-tbe product OF
the cane: brandy was little more suspicious
but good article could still be bought of sny
well known importer Of liquors at price which
left a handsome profit to the retailer; aud
toner who insisted on his dram could find at all
the better class OF tsverns a reasonably pure ar
I ff-fn trrada uar of of afc r.
drinks We should be far from recommending
| the habitual use OF any intoxicating beverage;
but we cannot agree with those Who argue that
sudden deaths from an overdose OF fiery corn
whisky, Is far better fate for the dra N drinker
than forty years campaign with the best "S'n
/ "a Cruz" as the old St. Croix rum i still called
/ in New Eagland Since the high tariff almost
prohibtory, has been levied upon imported Ii
| auors very fer of them have been sold from
| first hands here; and there must either have been
heavy stock stored IN the retail shops, or the
latter are selling a much more dangerous article
/ to their customers than they have heretofore
/ dared 10 swallow.
But this is not the most dangerous use of
stmulants. II may not be known to a msOrity
Of our readers, but it IA lamentably true that as
& people. Americans are greatly given to the use
| of opium. For our present purpose we need not
decide whether the peculiar nervousness exhibited
effect Of this habit; but the statistics which mark
the increased consumption of the eastern narcotic
are quite alarming.
Several months since se prepared for the use
of medical writer in this city. 3 statement Of
the annual imports of opium into the United
States since the year ls40 We understood al
the time. that they would be given to the public
in shape to be especially useful in the way OF
| warning and rebpke, and il NAV be that such use
has been made of them in some medical Journal
which has not fallen under our notice. " have
before Us The figures then compiled. which show
that while $40 .o74 paid the foreign cost of ali
the opium imported At the ports Of the United
States in 1870 it took 1892 SS7 To nay that cost
in the year ending June 30, 1862 an increase
from forty thousand TO nearly one million dollars
in less than twenty FIVE years.
OF the large sum last mentioned, 30 4cl
pounds valued at S96, Ia were landed at Boston
l63 ,76J pounds valued at 1854 443, n, New
York: whilo the value Of S2sl ,196. mostly "pre
pared opium. was landed on the Pacific, chief
for the use of the Chinese in California II i:
true tina; the meiical bureag connected with the
army is responsible fos portion or this increase
since the war began; out the statistics show a very
heavy consumption of opium previous to the war
the imports for the year ending June 30, 1860
averaging over one hundred and twenty Thousand
per annum This il an enormous amount fol
the consumption of this country. and shows tha
a large number OF the people must use this druG
h4bitlally IN some form for the qualification o
their cravings for stimulant. There may bt
less disgrace connected with its use. but the eff
fects. mental aud physical, ere far more injuTOu,
than those which follow the abuse of alcohol,
drinks. while the hsbis is much less easily eurec
or restrained.